Non-work-related accident

What is a non-work-related accident?

A non-work-related accident (Nichtberufsunfall, abbreviated NBU) is an accident outside work: skiing, jogging, at home, doing DIY, in road traffic at the weekend or on holiday. The Federal Act on Accident Insurance (Unfallversicherungsgesetz, UVG) defines it negatively: any accident that is not a work-related accident counts as a non-work-related accident. In everyday language, people call it a leisure accident.

What counts as an accident in the first place is set out in the Federal Act on the General Part of Social Insurance Law (ATSG): the sudden, unintentional harmful effect of an unusual external factor on the body that impairs health or leads to death. In addition, accident insurance pays for certain bodily injuries even where there is no accident in the strict sense, for example bone fractures, torn menisci, torn muscles and tendons or ligament injuries, provided they are not mainly due to wear and tear or illness.

The counterpart is the work-related accident: an accident at work, while working in your employer’s interest or during breaks on the work premises. The distinction matters because different people are insured and different people pay the premium.

For health insurance, the non-work-related accident is relevant for a practical reason: if you are fully insured against accidents under the UVG, you do not need the accident cover in your basic health insurance. You can suspend it and save on premiums. If you have no cover for non-work-related accidents, for example as a child, student, self-employed person, pensioner or person with a small workload, you are insured against accidents through your health insurer.

How it works

Who is insured against non-work-related accidents

All employees working in Switzerland are compulsorily insured under the UVG, including apprentices, interns and homeworkers, as well as people receiving unemployment benefit. All employees are insured against work-related accidents. Only those who work at least eight hours a week for one employer are insured against non-work-related accidents. If you work less, you are only insured against work-related accidents; for these people, accidents on the way to and from work count as work-related accidents.

The eight hours apply per employer. If you work six hours each for two employers, you do not reach the threshold with either of them.

Start and end

Cover starts on the day your employment begins or you are first entitled to a salary, and at the latest when you set off for work. It ends on the 31st day after the day on which your entitlement to at least half of your salary ends. This applies, for example, at the end of a job, during a longer unpaid leave or on a trip around the world. With extended cover by agreement (Abredeversicherung), you can extend the cover with your employer’s accident insurer by up to six months.

Who pays

The employer pays the premium for work-related accidents. The employee pays the premium for non-work-related accidents; the employer owes the full amount and deducts the employee’s share from the salary. The employer may voluntarily pay more. On your payslip, the deduction usually appears as “NBU” or “NBUV”.

What the insurance pays

Accident insurance covers the costs of treatment, i.e. outpatient treatment, medicines, hospital stays in the general ward and aids and appliances, with free choice of doctor, hospital and pharmacy. If you are unable to work, it pays a daily allowance of 80% of your insured earnings from the third day after the day of the accident. Insured earnings are capped at CHF 148,200 a year and CHF 406 a day. Depending on the consequences, pensions and compensation for loss of integrity may be added.

In the case of extraordinary dangers and hazardous undertakings, the insurer can reduce or refuse cash benefits for non-work-related accidents. The Federal Council specifies which activities fall into this category.

Legal basis

• Art. 4 ATSG: definition of an accident.
• Art. 1a para. 1 UVG: employees working in Switzerland and unemployed people receiving benefits from unemployment insurance are compulsorily insured.
• Art. 6 UVG: benefits for work-related accidents, non-work-related accidents and occupational diseases (para. 1) and for certain bodily injuries such as bone fractures or torn tendons (para. 2).
• Art. 7 and 8 UVG: distinction between work-related and non-work-related accidents. Part-time employees below the minimum working time are not insured against non-work-related accidents (Art. 8 para. 2).
• Art. 13 UVV: the minimum working time is eight hours a week for one employer; below that, accidents on the way to and from work count as work-related accidents.
• Art. 3 UVG: start of cover (para. 1), end on the 31st day after the entitlement to at least half of the salary ends (para. 2), extension by agreement for up to six months (para. 3).
• Art. 16 and 17 UVG: daily allowance from the third day after the day of the accident, 80% of insured earnings in the case of full incapacity for work.
• Art. 22 para. 1 UVV: maximum insured earnings of CHF 148,200 a year and CHF 406 a day.
• Art. 39 UVG: reduction or refusal of benefits for extraordinary dangers and hazardous undertakings in non-work-related accident insurance.
• Art. 91 UVG: the employer pays the premium for work-related accidents, employees pay the premium for non-work-related accidents; arrangements in their favour are permitted.
• Art. 8 and 10 KVG: the accident cover in basic health insurance can be suspended if you are fully insured under the UVG. When you leave, your employer must inform you in writing that you have to notify your health insurer that your UVG cover is ending. KVG is the Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG/LAMal).

Example: two workloads, two solutions

Anna is 36, works 24 hours a week for an employer in Zurich and earns CHF 6,500 a month plus a 13th monthly salary. Marco is 36, a student and works 6 hours a week in a café. Both injure their knee while skiing and are unable to work for 30 days.

The premium calculator shows how much you save with your insurer when you switch accident cover off and on. Whether you meet the conditions for suspension, you can check under Suspend accident cover.

What this means for you

1. Check your workload. If you work at least eight hours a week for one employer, you are insured against non-work-related accidents. You can see the deduction on your payslip.
2. Adjust the accident cover with your health insurer. If you are fully insured under the UVG, you can suspend the accident cover in your basic health insurance. The glossary entry on suspension explains the details.
3. Act when you change jobs. If your employment ends and a new one does not start straight away, you must include accident cover with your health insurer again. Otherwise the insurer can claim the premium share retroactively, plus default interest.
4. Close gaps with extended cover by agreement. If you are planning unpaid leave or a break between two jobs, you can extend your non-work-related accident cover by up to six months.
5. Compare health insurers. The profiles under Health insurers show data for each insurer; you compare the premium without accident cover in the calculator.

Common mistakes

• Paying twice. If you are fully insured under the UVG and do not suspend the accident cover with your health insurer, you pay twice for the same protection.
• Not reporting the end of UVG cover. After losing your job or during unpaid leave, cover for non-work-related accidents ends on the 31st day. If you do not inform your health insurer, you risk back payments.
• Adding up several small jobs. The eight hours apply per employer, not to all jobs together.
• Confusing a leisure accident with illness. Back pain without an external event is usually an illness, not an accident. Your health insurer is responsible for that.
• Underestimating hazardous undertakings. For extraordinary dangers and hazardous undertakings, the accident insurer can reduce or refuse cash benefits.

We explain how the premium calculator takes accident cover into account under How we calculate.