In short

In Geneva, funding an ageing parent's dependence does not rest on a single aid, but on four schemes that stack. Many families activate only one or two and leave money on the table — often through lack of awareness, sometimes through an unfounded fear of "welfare".

  1. AVS pension (federal) — the base retirement income.
  2. Supplementary benefits (PC) (federal + Geneva cantonal) — top up resources to recognised living needs, at home and in a nursing home.
  3. Helplessness allowance (API) (federal, AVS) — a flat amount based on the level of dependence, independent of income and wealth.
  4. Health-insurance subsidy (cantonal) — lowers the LAMal premium based on income.

On top of these come home care (IMAD), largely funded by health insurance and the canton — detailed below. This full map, with 2026 figures, keeps you from overlooking an aid your parent is entitled to.

The map of the four aids

Aid Who pays it Resource-tested? Stackable?
AVS pension Compensation fund (federal) Contributions paid Income base
Supplementary benefits (PC) SPC (Geneva) Yes — wealth + income Yes, with API
Helplessness allowance (API) Compensation fund (federal) None (level of dependence) Yes, with PC
LAMal subsidy Health-insurance service (SAM) (Geneva) Yes — based on the RDU Yes, with PC

The essential point: these aids do not exclude one another. The same parent can draw the AVS pension, receive PC, get the helplessness allowance and benefit from a health-insurance subsidy at the same time. The most costly mistake is to think "we already have the AVS pension, so we're not entitled to anything else".

1. The AVS pension — the foundation (federal)

This is the base income. The amounts are identical across Switzerland and adjusted every two years.

  • [Federal] Minimum old-age pension: CHF 1,260/month (single person).
  • [Federal] Maximum old-age pension: CHF 2,520/month (single person).
  • [Federal] Couple ceiling: CHF 3,780/month (150% of the maximum pension).
  • Unchanged in 2026: raised on 1.1.2025, pensions did not change on 1.1.2026.
  • New in 2026 — 13th AVS pension: paid for the first time in December 2026 (≈ 8.33% of the annual total). It noticeably raises annual AVS income — factor it into any budget.

The AVS pension rarely covers dependence costs on its own. Even the maximum pension (CHF 2,520/month) does not cover the room-and-board price of a Geneva nursing home (CHF 5,800 to 8,300/month). It is precisely to bridge this gap that the other three aids exist.

2. Supplementary benefits (PC) — the top-up (federal + Geneva)

PC top up resources to recognised living needs when the pension and wealth are not enough — at home and in a nursing home. They are a right, not assistance.

They have two parts: the PCF (federal supplementary benefits, right if resident in Switzerland) and the PCC (cantonal supplementary benefits, specific to Geneva).

Wealth plays at two distinct levels

This is confusion no. 1. To be kept strictly apart:

  • [Federal] (1) Entry threshold — "do I have a right to PC?": no right if net wealth exceeds CHF 100,000 (single) / CHF 200,000 (couple) / + CHF 50,000 per child. An all-or-nothing switch, applied uniformly across Switzerland. ⚠️ The owner-occupied home (and the linked mortgage debt) is EXCLUDED from this threshold — to avoid forced sales.
  • [Federal] (2) Imputation of wealth — "how much PC?": once the right is open, a share of wealth is counted as annual income. A deductible is removed first (CHF 30,000 single / CHF 50,000 couple, and CHF 112,500 on the home — CHF 300,000 if the spouse lives in a nursing home), then the remainder is imputed, on the balance: 1/10 for an AVS pensioner at home, up to 1/5 for someone living in a home/EMS (a cantonal choice). [Geneva] applies the 1/5 in a nursing home and caps the imputation at the deductible of CHF 37,500 (single) / CHF 60,000 (couple).

In other words: wealth does not need to be exhausted to open a right, but it is drawn on before PC. It is never "untouchable".

Reference amounts — as of 1 January 2026 (federal scale, Geneva = region 1)

Item 2025 2026
Living needs — single person CHF 20,100/yr CHF 20,670/yr
Living needs — couple CHF 30,150/yr CHF 31,005/yr
Maximum rent — 1 pers., region 1 (Geneva) CHF 17,580/yr CHF 18,900/yr
Heating/charges flat amount CHF 3,060/yr CHF 3,480/yr
  • [Geneva] Geneva = region 1: the relevant rent cap for a single person is therefore CHF 18,900/year in 2026.
  • ⚠️ The rent caps, unchanged from 2021 to 2025, were raised for the first time on 1.1.2026. Always re-check on 1 January of the year.

The Geneva PCC amounts (specific to Geneva)

In addition to the PCF, the canton pays cantonal top-ups (PCC), per year:

  • up to CHF 6,827/year (single person);
  • up to CHF 10,024/year (couple).

Finally — a point often missed — the SPC can reimburse illness and disability costs (glasses, dental, transport, the care contribution) on top of the monthly PC, on supporting documents.

3. The helplessness allowance (API) — the forgotten aid (federal)

This is the most overlooked aid, because it is unlike the others: it depends on neither income nor wealth. A parent with comfortable wealth is entitled to it just as much as a modest one — the only criterion is the level of dependence for the ordinary acts of life (getting up, washing, dressing, eating, moving around, keeping social contact).

  • [Federal] Low level: CHF 252/month.
  • [Federal] Medium level: CHF 630/month.
  • [Federal] Severe level: CHF 1,008/month.
  • Unchanged in 2026. These amounts represent 20% / 50% / 80% of the minimum pension.
  • Waiting period: 6 months of helplessness before payment. The low level is paid only to people living at home.
  • Stacks with PC and is claimed from the compensation fund / the AI office.

If your parent needs regular help with two or more acts of daily living, check the right to the API first: it is money they are entitled to regardless of their financial situation, and it is easily forgotten.

4. The health-insurance subsidy — lowering the premium (Geneva)

In Geneva, the state helps pay the health-insurance premium (LAMal) based on the unified determining income (RDU). Each canton has its own system; the Geneva subsidy is managed by the Health Insurance Service (SAM).

  • [Geneva] The amount depends on the household's RDU; PC recipients are generally entitled to the maximum subsidy (the reference premium is then fully covered).
  • The subsidy is paid directly to the insurer (deducted from the premium), not to the beneficiary.
  • To be claimed / checked with the SAM or via the State of Geneva's RDU portal.

And the care itself? The role of IMAD

Beyond the four "income" aids, the care must be funded. At home in Geneva, it is IMAD (Institution genevoise de maintien à domicile) that provides it. Most of it is covered:

  • Health insurance (LAMal) pays a care lump sum based on the services (a standardised assessment method).
  • The canton covers the residual cost of care.
  • The resident pays a capped co-payment (CHF 15.35/day at home at federal level — not to be confused with the nursing-home cap of CHF 23/day).
  • Home help and companionship costs (non-medical), by contrast, remain largely out-of-pocket — and can be covered by the helplessness allowance and PC.

This is where the aids interlock: the API and PC serve precisely to fund the unreimbursed part of home help. For the detail of IMAD's 2026 tariffs, see our dedicated guide on home care in Geneva.

How to activate these aids in Geneva — the order of steps

  1. Helplessness allowance (API): claim it first from the compensation fund / the AI office, since it does not depend on any resource condition. It is the simplest aid and the most often forgotten.
  2. Supplementary benefits (PC): file the application with the supplementary-benefits office (SPC). The SPC calculates the difference between recognised expenses and determining income.
  3. Health-insurance subsidy: check the right via the RDU with the SAM; it is often granted automatically to PC recipients.
  4. Reimbursement of illness costs by the SPC: once PC are open, keep all supporting documents (glasses, dental, transport, care) for the additional reimbursement.

Putting these files together in parallel, in the right order and with the right documents, is exactly the kind of step we handle as part of the Family Care & Admin Review: we map the aids your parent is entitled to and open the files, so that none is forgotten.

Common pitfalls

  • Claiming only one aid. The four schemes stack; not activating the API or the subsidy means leaving money on the table.
  • Giving up on PC for fear of "welfare". PC are a right, not assistance — and many eligible people fail to claim them.
  • Forgetting the helplessness allowance. It depends on neither income nor wealth; the right exists from the low level at home.
  • Believing you must be ruined to receive PC. Wealth is drawn on, not required to be zero: the right opens below the entry threshold (100k / 200k).
  • Confusing PCF and PCC. The amounts and conditions of the federal and Geneva cantonal benefits differ.

Useful resources

Sources

  • State of Geneva — Supplementary benefits AVS/AI (PCF/PCC, wealth thresholds 100k/200k, PCC amounts): ge.ch — PC AVS/AI — accessed 2026-06-26
  • AVS/AI information centre — Old-age pensions and helplessness allowances (min. pension 1,260 / max. 2,520; helplessness low 252 / medium 630 / severe 1,008): ahv-iv.ch — memento 3.01 — accessed 2026-06-26
  • FSIO (BSV) — Role of wealth in the PC calculation (deductibles, home 112,500 / 300,000, imputation 1/10 at home, up to 1/5 in a home): faq.bsv.admin.ch — accessed 2026-06-26
  • FSIO — PC in detail (living needs 2026: single 20,670, couple 31,005; max rent region 1 = 18,900): bsv.admin.ch — PC in detail — accessed 2026-06-26
  • Pro Infirmis — Supplementary benefits (entry threshold art. 9a, owner-occupied home excluded from the threshold, imputation rates): proinfirmis.ch — accessed 2026-06-26
  • AVIVO Geneva / SPC — Supplementary benefits of the SPC (Geneva applies the 1/5 in a nursing home; imputation capped at CHF 37,500 / 60,000): avivo.ch — accessed 2026-06-26
  • AVS/AI information centre — 13th AVS pension (from 2026): ahv-iv.ch — accessed 2026-06-26