21.08.2025
Effective immediately, the 2026 budget is available in electronic format. The hard copy will be released in mid-September.
Following the Federal Council's announcement of the figures for the 2026 budget on June 25, 2025, the detailed budget is now available. During its meeting on August 20, 2025, the Federal Council adopted the dispatch on the 2026 budget with the integrated task and financial plan (ITFP) for 2027 to 2029. It contains all of the federal receipts and expenditure envisaged for 2026, as well as the outlook for the three subsequent years of the plan.
A financing deficit of CHF 845 million is budgeted for 2026. The Confederation will have to take on new debt in this amount. The financing deficit in the ordinary budget is CHF 609 million, which means that the cyclical deficit permitted by the debt brake (-717 mn) is not fully utilized. Therefore, there is still some leeway of CHF 108 million. Ordinary expenditure will grow by 5.1% in 2026 – driven by the 13th monthly AHV pension payment, the budget for the Armed Forces, the cantons' share of the OECD minimum tax revenue and contributions to EU research programs. In addition, extraordinary payment requirements of CHF 600 million are envisaged for people from Ukraine seeking protection.
The updated financial plan confirms the need for relief package 27. Without its implementation, there would be impending deficits of up to CHF 3 billion from 2027 onward and more than CHF 4 billion from 2029 onward. Even with the relief package, federal expenditure will climb from just under CHF 91 billion in 2026 to around CHF 98 billion in 2029. Further measures will probably be necessary to ensure a balanced budget also in the long term.
The 2026 budget is based on the expert group's economic forecasts from June 2025 and thus on the assumption of lower US tariffs. It is currently uncertain how long the US tariffs will apply and how the Swiss economy will adapt to this new situation. If the additional tariffs were to lead to an economic slowdown, VAT receipts would probably be lower in 2026. However, this would not have a direct impact on federal expenditure, as the cyclical factor of the debt brake would offset this in 2026 and allow for a larger financing deficit. Further effects with regard to receipts would occur with a longer lag.
The dispatch on the 2026 budget with the integrated task and financial plan for 2027 to 2029 provides detailed information on the financial situation of the federal budget. It consists of two volumes:
Budget with integrated task and financial plan (ITFP) Once a year, the Federal Council submits a dispatch containing the budget with integrated task and financial plan (ITFP) to the Federal Assembly. This shows the planned expenses and investment expenditure, the estimated revenue and investment receipts, the total expenditure and the estimated total receipts of the Confederation for the budget year and the three subsequent years of the plan. Furthermore, it provides the task and financial plan for all administrative units, as well as the performance groups with the most important targets. |
The following can also be found on the FFA website:
Last modification 21.08.2025