Ticino Wealth Tax Rates
Ticino Wealth Tax: Rates & Municipal Multipliers
Ticino applies a progressive cantonal wealth tax tariff from roughly 1.0‰ to 3.0‰ on taxable net wealth, with a flat 2.5‰ top rate above approximately CHF 1.38 million. Municipal multipliers then scale this cantonal base, leading to an effective burden in Bellinzona of about 0.45% at CHF 1 million and 0.48% at CHF 5 million (excluding church tax).
Wealth tax in Ticino is calculated on your taxable net wealth at 31 December. Taxable net wealth is worldwide assets (for residents) minus deductible debts and the cantonal wealth allowance. Ticino then applies a progressive per-mille tariff to determine the cantonal base tax.
The resulting cantonal tax is increased by a cantonal coefficient and then by the municipal multiplier of your commune (moltiplicatore comunale). In addition, Ticino operates a “wealth-tax brake” which caps the combined income and wealth tax at a percentage of taxable income for taxpayers whose wealth tax would otherwise be excessive relative to income.
Cantonal Progressive Wealth Tax Schedule
The official Ticino tariff for natural persons sets out the following bands for the cantonal wealth tax on net wealth:
- Wealth below CHF 200,000 is exempt from wealth tax.
- From around CHF 200,000 upwards, the marginal per-mille rate rises in steps from about 1.0‰ to 3.0‰ up to roughly CHF 1.38 million.
- For taxable wealth above approximately CHF 1.38 million, a flat rate of 2.5‰ applies, such that the maximum marginal rate is now 0.25% per year.
In practice, this results in a modest progression at lower and mid-range wealth levels and then a slightly lower marginal rate on very large portfolios once the 2.5‰ band is reached.
The table below shows illustrative cantonal base amounts at selected levels of taxable net wealth (after allowances), before any municipal multipliers or cantonal coefficient are applied.
| Taxable Net Wealth (CHF) | Illustrative Cantonal Base (CHF) | Approx. Average Cantonal Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Up to CHF 200,000 | 0 | 0% |
| 500,000 | ≈ 1,000 | ~0.20% (2.0‰) |
| 1,000,000 | ≈ 2,200 | ~0.22% (2.2‰) |
| 3,000,000 | ≈ 7,500 | ~0.25% (2.5‰) |
Values are rounded and intended to show shape and magnitude. They reflect the progressive schedule up to about CHF 1.38 million and the 2.5‰ rate above that level. Always use the official Ticino tariff or calculator for filing and detailed planning.
Municipal Multipliers in Ticino
Once the cantonal wealth tax base is known, the total cantonal + communal wealth tax for natural persons is obtained by applying:
Total wealth tax (excl. church) ≈ Cantonal base × (Cantonal coefficient + Municipal multiplier).
Key structural points:
- The cantonal coefficient for ordinary taxation has, in recent years, been close to 100% of the base tax (after a temporary reduction to 97% which ended in 2023).
- Municipal multipliers (moltiplicatori comunali) are set annually by each commune and typically range from about 50–60% in the lowest-tax communities to roughly 100–110% at the upper end for natural persons.
- This leads to a combined factor (cantonal + municipal) often between ~1.5× and ~2.1× the cantonal base tax, depending on the commune and year.
The following table summarises indicative multipliers and combined effects in selected Ticino communes. Figures are rounded and may vary by tax year and taxpayer category.
| Municipality (examples) | Indicative Municipal Multiplier | Approx. Combined Factor* | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellinzona (capital) | ≈ 85–90% | ≈ 1.85–1.90× | Capital; comparison tables show effective wealth tax of ~0.45% at CHF 1 million and ~0.48% at CHF 5 million (married couple, excluding church). |
| Lugano | ≈ 75–80% | ≈ 1.75–1.80× | Largest city; canton coefficient ~100% and municipal multiplier around the mid-70s. |
| Locarno | ≈ 80–85% | ≈ 1.80–1.85× | Lakeside centre; broadly similar combined factor to Lugano, slightly above some low-tax communes. |
| Mendrisio region (e.g. Mendrisio, Chiasso) | ≈ 80–95% | ≈ 1.80–1.95× | Industrial and commuter area; tends towards the cantonal average or slightly above. |
| Low-tax communes (e.g. Collina d’Oro / certain small villages) | ≈ 50–60% | ≈ 1.50–1.60× | Very competitive on wealth tax, with noticeably lower combined burden than the capital. |
| High-tax communes | ≈ 100–110% | ≈ 2.00–2.10× | Upper end of the range; significantly higher communal share of wealth tax. |
*Combined factor refers to cantonal + municipal wealth tax (excluding church) as a multiple of the cantonal base tax. For example, a factor of 1.9× at a 2.5‰ base corresponds to an overall wealth tax of about 0.475% of taxable net wealth.
Combined Effective Burden — Examples
Bringing the elements together, the combined cantonal and municipal wealth tax for Ticino residents can be approximated as:
Total wealth tax ≈ Taxable net wealth × (effective per-mille rate),
where the effective per-mille rate depends on the canton’s progressive tariff and your commune’s
multiplier.
The examples below compare a lower-tax Ticino commune (combined factor ≈ 1.55×) and the capital Bellinzona (factor ≈ 1.90×). They assume that taxable net wealth already reflects allowances and ignore any church tax or wealth-tax brake.
| Taxable Net Wealth (CHF) | Low-tax Commune (factor ≈ 1.55) | Bellinzona (factor ≈ 1.90) | Approx. Effective % Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500,000 | Cantonal base ≈ 1,000 → 1,000 × 1.55 ≈ CHF 1,550 | 1,000 × 1.90 ≈ CHF 1,900 | ~0.31%–0.38% |
| 1,000,000 | Cantonal base ≈ 2,200 → 2,200 × 1.55 ≈ CHF 3,410 | 2,200 × 1.90 ≈ CHF 4,180 | ~0.34%–0.42% |
| 3,000,000 | Cantonal base ≈ 7,500 → 7,500 × 1.55 ≈ CHF 11,625 | 7,500 × 1.90 ≈ CHF 14,250 | ~0.39%–0.48% |
External comparison tables for 2024/2025 show effective wealth tax in Bellinzona of about 0.45% at CHF 1 million and 0.48% at CHF 5 million for a married couple, excluding church tax. This is consistent with a 2.5‰ top rate and a combined factor just under 2×.
Notes & Caveats
- Allowances & minimum exemption: Net wealth up to CHF 200,000 is exempt from wealth tax. Additional social deductions apply depending on marital status and children, so effective exemption thresholds are higher for families. See Allowances & Deductions.
- Debt reduces the base: Mortgages and other enforceable debts outstanding on 31 December reduce taxable net wealth. For assets spread across cantons or countries, Ticino applies intercantonal allocation rules. See Allowances.
- Valuation rules: Listed securities are generally valued at year-end market prices; real estate is valued using official tax values; unlisted participations and business assets follow specific cantonal valuation methods. See Valuation Rules.
- Wealth-tax brake: If the sum of cantonal and municipal income and wealth taxes exceeds a defined percentage of taxable income, Ticino grants a reduction so that overall taxation stays within the statutory cap. This is especially relevant for asset-rich, low-income taxpayers.
- Church tax: Recognised religious communities levy church tax through additional multipliers on the same base. These are not included in the examples above and apply only to registered members.
- Year-specific parameters: The wealth-tax tariff, cantonal coefficient, municipal multipliers and allowances can change periodically. Always check the current-year Ticino instructions and the list of moltiplicatori comunali for the commune and year you are modelling.