Daycare subsidies in Zurich and Zug: Your comprehensive guide to reducing costs

Funding information updated: October 2026. The competent authorities determine individual eligibility.

Enabling High-Quality Childcare – How Subsidies Ease the Financial Burden for Families

The decision to choose high-quality supplementary childcare is one of the most important investments in a child's future. Particularly in the economically dynamic and correspondingly expensive regions of Zurich and Zug, financing an excellent nursery place presents many families with a significant challenge. The monthly costs can create a substantial hole in the family budget and make balancing family and career difficult.

This challenge is well recognised. Yet there's crucial support that's often overlooked or perceived as too complex: state nursery subsidies. These financial contributions are far more than just a discount. They're a targeted instrument of family support, designed to enable parents to access first-class early childhood education without having to compromise on quality. Subsidies are the bridge that means you don't have to choose between "affordable" and "excellent". They create the financial foundation for parents to select an environment for their child that optimally supports their development and provides the best possible start in life.

What are Nursery Subsidies in Zurich and Zug?

Nursery subsidies help families pay for childcare. Municipal support usually depends on income and assets. Zug’s cantonal flat rate is different: it is independent of income and assets, but has its own eligibility requirements.

This comprehensive guide has been developed to bring clarity and confidence to the regulatory jungle. It leads you step by step through the subsidy systems of the City of Zurich and the City of Zug, explains the exact eligibility requirements, shows the application processes, and illuminates the significant differences between the two models.

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Childcare subsidies in the city of Zurich

Families living in the city of Zurich can apply for support for a place at a nursery or childminding service participating in the city’s subsidy system. Eligibility depends on financial circumstances and the recognised need for care. A place in another municipality is subject to that municipality’s rules.

Two confirmations: contribution factor and subsidised care scope

The contribution factor (BF) is based on income and assets and determines the income-related parental contribution. The subsidised care scope (SBU) specifies how many days a week qualify for support. Both a valid BF confirmation and an SBU confirmation are needed.

Recognised reasons for care include employment, education or training, job seeking, voluntary work, health-related relief for parents, and the child’s social or linguistic integration. The city assesses the applicable evidence. A simple formula based only on the parents’ working percentages does not cover every situation.

How to apply in Zurich

1. Check that your preferred nursery offers a subsidised place and clarify the contract and fees.
2. Use the city’s contribution calculator for an initial estimate and apply online for the BF confirmation. The School and Sports Department handles questions about this confirmation.
3. Apply for the SBU through the city’s «Meine Kinder» online service for employment, training, job seeking, voluntary work or health reasons. For social or linguistic integration, contact the relevant social services or family counselling team.
4. Provide the nursery with both valid confirmations and agree when the subsidised rate applies. Arrange this before care starts; do not assume that earlier invoices will be reimbursed.

Calculate your own contribution with the city’s tools

Income alone is not enough to calculate your nursery bill. The contribution factor, approved days, contract, tariff and billing period all matter. Use the city’s current calculator and published calculation examples, then ask the nursery for the corresponding written quote. A theoretical monthly saving is not a guaranteed Little Star price.

The city pays its contribution to the nursery, which bills parents at the reduced rate. Extra care outside the approved scope and contractual notice periods may affect the amount due. City of Zurich: requirements, applications and calculation tools.

Zug: cantonal flat rate and city childcare vouchers

Since 1 August 2026, eligible families have been able to receive the canton of Zug’s childcare flat rate. Income-based city vouchers may be available in addition. The two contributions have separate requirements; neither is an automatic discount on every nursery invoice.

Cantonal flat rate: fixed amounts for 2026/27

For nursery care from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027, the contribution is CHF 47.15 per child per day for children over 18 months and CHF 52.60 for children under 18 months. The amounts are based on 33% of average fees in the canton, rather than 33% of your individual nursery fee. Income and assets do not affect this contribution.

Requirements include the child living in the canton of Zug, being older than three months and attending a licensed nursery or registered childminder. All legal guardians must work or undertake state-regulated education. A complete application is required. Canton of Zug: current amounts and full requirements.

City vouchers: eligibility and remaining costs

City vouchers require the child to live in the city of Zug, be older than three months and not yet have started the first primary school year. Care must take place at a nursery recognised by the city within the canton, with a minimum care level of 20%. Taxable assets must be below CHF 500,000.

The relevant annual income thresholds are CHF 40,000 and CHF 170,000. No city vouchers are granted above CHF 170,000. Relevant income is calculated under the city’s rules and is not the same as gross salary.

The recognised standard fee is CHF 160 per child per day, with a minimum parental contribution of CHF 10. Parents pay nursery fees above the recognised standard amount themselves; special supplements apply for infants. The city takes the cantonal flat rate into account to prevent funding above the recognised standard fee. CHF 10 is therefore not a guaranteed Little Star daily fee. Current city voucher ordinance.

Apply through Civo

1. Arrange a place at a recognised nursery and prepare the childcare contract or confirmation.
2. Set up ZUGLOGIN and eZug for the applicants. In Civo, select the cantonal flat rate, city vouchers or both, according to eligibility.
3. Provide the required personal and financial information. The nursery confirms the place; a second applicant must also confirm their information where applicable.
4. Submit the complete application using the submission button by the month before you want support to begin. Entitlement starts no earlier than the following month; earlier months cannot be funded retrospectively.

After assessment, the decision and approved amounts are available in Civo. Contributions are paid to parents, who continue paying the nursery invoice as usual. Approval lasts at most twelve months, usually August to July, after which a new application is required. City of Zug: application process and voucher calculator.

Little Star Day School at Baarerstrasse 147 appears on the city’s list of recognised nurseries. We provide the childcare documents and confirm the place through Civo. The authorities decide whether your family qualifies and how much support it receives.

Zurich and Zug: the main differences

Making Optimal Use of Additional Financial Benefits for Families

Alongside direct subsidies, there are other important financial instruments that parents should know about and utilise. A holistic strategy encompassing both direct grants and tax benefits maximises financial relief.

Tax deductions: claim only eligible costs you bear yourself

Documented third-party childcare costs may be deductible when the child is under 14, lives in the taxpayer’s household and care is needed because of work, education or inability to work and provide care. Federal and cantonal tax limits must be checked separately for the relevant tax year; there is no single CHF 25,000 limit that applies everywhere.

Subsidies and the Zug cantonal flat rate reduce the childcare costs you bear yourself and therefore the amount potentially deductible. School fees, meals and other living expenses are not automatically deductible childcare costs. Keep invoices, payment records and contribution statements; for combined fees, check how the deductible childcare portion is identified.

A deduction reduces taxable income, rather than refunding the same amount of tax. Refer to the Federal Tax Administration’s annual limits and the guidance for your canton and tax year. Canton of Zurich: childcare deduction rules from tax year 2026.

Important Distinction: Family Allowances vs. Nursery Subsidies

In the context of financial support for families, two terms are often confused despite having fundamentally different purposes and legal foundations: family allowances and nursery subsidies. A clear distinction is important to understand and utilise both systems correctly.

• Family Allowances (Child and Education Allowances)
  Family allowances are legally enshrined, general financial support designed to partially offset the costs of maintaining children.
  
  • Purpose: They contribute to a child's general living costs (clothing, food, housing, etc.) and aren't linked to any specific service.
    
  • Eligibility: Fundamentally all employees, self-employed persons and non-working people with low income are eligible, regardless of whether the child receives external care or not.
  • Type of benefit: This is an employment-related benefit, usually paid monthly with salary. The amount is regulated cantonally (in Zurich, for example, CHF 215/month for children up to 12 years).
    
    
• Nursery Subsidies (Contributions or Childcare Vouchers))
  Nursery subsidies are earmarked financial support for the use of supplementary childcare.
  
  • Purpose: They're specifically intended to reduce the costs of nurseries or childminding services that become necessary due to parents' employment, education or social reasons.
    
  • Eligibility: Entitlement is linked to specific conditions (see Parts 1 and 2), including recognised childcare needs. Financial circumstances affect income-based municipal support; the Zug cantonal flat rate is independent of income and assets.
    
  • Type of benefit: This is either a reduction in the nursery invoice (Zurich) or a direct financial grant to parents (Zug), which may only be used to pay childcare costs.

In summary: Family allowances are received because you have a child. Nursery subsidies are received because the child attends nursery due to life circumstances and financial support is needed for this. Both systems exist alongside each other and can and should be combined by eligible families to achieve maximum financial relief.

Conclusion: The Path to High-Quality and Affordable Childcare

Supplementary childcare in the Cantons of Zurich and Zug represents a significant financial commitment, yet the comprehensive subsidy systems offer effective relief. As this guide has demonstrated, whilst the paths to support differ, the goal remains the same: to facilitate families' access to high-quality care and strengthen the balance between work and family life.

Zurich requires valid contribution-factor and subsidised-care-scope confirmations. In Zug, the cantonal flat rate and city vouchers can be requested together through Civo where both sets of requirements are met. The approved amounts and the actual nursery fee determine each family’s remaining costs.

Regardless of the chosen location, the combination of direct subsidies and generous tax deductions significantly lowers the financial hurdle to first-class care. These instruments transform a potentially unbearable financial burden into a manageable and, above all, worthwhile investment.

Little Star Day School supports families with the childcare documents needed for an application. Check the subsidy arrangements for your chosen location and municipality; the responsible authority determines your personal eligibility.

The unique, scientifically-based Early Years Curriculum EYC®, genuine, lived bilingualism through the immersion method, and the worry-free all-inclusive concept ensure that your child is not only lovingly cared for but holistically supported. The subsidies thus transform from mere cost reduction into an intelligent investment in cognitive, social and emotional development – and therefore in your child's future opportunities.

For further information on how your child can benefit from this unique concept and what support is offered throughout the subsidy process, our family advisers are available for a personal, no-obligation consultation.