US withholding tax calculator (Switzerland)

Inputs

Gross dividend in CHF

The amount before any tax is deducted, converted into francs.

Where are the US shares held?

Swiss banks with Qualified Intermediary status keep an additional tax retention on US dividends (ESTV leaflet S-02.142).

Treaty rate applied (15% instead of 30%)

With a broker abroad this requires a valid W-8BEN. Generally each broker needs its own form.

Non-refundable withholding tax from other countries in the same year (CHF)

Counts towards the CHF 100 threshold, which applies to all non-refundable foreign taxes together.

Marginal income tax rate in % (optional)

Federal, cantonal and municipal combined, without church tax. 0 means no estimate of the Maximalbetrag.

Paid out

CHF 1,700.00

of CHF 2,000.00 gross

US withholding tax

CHF 300.00

15% of the gross dividend

Creditable via DA-1, at most

CHF 300.00

Non-refundable US tax: CHF 300.00

From gross to net · After refund and credit

CHF 2,000.00

before Swiss income tax on this income

Gross dividend: CHF 2,000.00
US withholding tax: -CHF 300.00
Paid out: CHF 1,700.00
Credit via DA-1 (at most): CHF 300.00

Gross declaration with DA-1

Anyone claiming the credit is taxed on the gross income, here CHF 2,000.00. You file DA-1 in the canton where you lived on 31 December, together with the tax return, the Wertschriftenverzeichnis and the bank vouchers. The claim lapses if it is not filed within 3 years after the end of the tax period.

Maximalbetrag

The credit is at most the Swiss income tax on this income: after a pro-rata share of debt interest and costs, computed separately for the Confederation and for canton and municipality, without church tax. The cantonal tax office calculates it.

W-8BEN: how long it is valid

A W-8BEN remains in effect until the last day of the third calendar year after the year it was signed, as long as the information stays correct. The IRS example: signed on 30 September 2015, valid through 31 December 2018. Generally each withholding agent needs its own form.

What this calculation assumes

A dividend from a US company to an individual resident in Switzerland who is not a US person. US persons who provide Form W-9 have no additional retention; that case is not modelled.
Rates: 30% without treaty documentation, 15% under the double taxation treaty (Art. 10(2)), additional tax retention 15% under ESTV leaflet S-02.142.
Not modelled: special rules for RIC and REIT dividends, interest, and the lower rate for companies with a qualifying holding.
All amounts in CHF; conversion from US dollars is not part of the calculation.
The cantonal tax office calculates the Maximalbetrag. The estimate here is an upper limit, not an assessment.