Notes from the Federal Palace ELODIE ZUFFEREY, CENTRAL COMPENSATION OFFICE CCO People who have worked or lived in Switzerland and who now live abroad contact the Swiss Compensation Office (SCO) at different points in their lives, but especially when they reach retirement age and apply for an OASI pension. The SCO, which is a division of the Central Compensation Office handling first-pillar social insurance, is responsible for receiving OASI/DI contributions, calculating pension rights and paying out pension benefits. Every month, the SCO pays out more than a million OASI/DI pensions around the world, including around 150,000 to Swiss people living mostly in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the US. Although the Swiss Since its launch three years ago, eCdC has amassed over 17,000 users worldwide. Photo Artem Varnitsin – stock.adobe.com eCdC makes it easier to manage your administrative formalities from abroad Every year, thousands of Swiss Abroad contact the Swiss Compensation Office about their pension benefits, first-pillar pension contributions, old-age and survivor’s insurance (OASI), and disability insurance (DI). An online portal has now been set up to make this process easier. Abroad represent only a relatively modest share (15 percent) of SCO beneficiaries, they alone generate almost one quarter of the administrative requests received every year (123,000 in 2025), whether these requests are for an account statement, for information on upcoming payments or to transmit documents. Requests submitted by post or email involve multiple steps. Often, forms must be printed out and filled in before being sent. Once requests are received by the SCO, they are sorted and sent to the appropriate department for processing. These steps can take a certain amount of time, particularly if any information is missing or needs to be checked with the insured person. The portal is also geared to future pensioners. 30 Swiss Review / October 2026 / No. 4
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