Swiss occupational pensions · Art. 52e
Accredited Pension Fund Expert in Switzerland
Every Swiss pension fund must appoint an accredited occupational pension expert (Art. 52e LPP/BVG). Our experts, accredited by the supervisory commission (OAK BV / CHS PP), advise boards of trustees across Switzerland.
The expert’s role under Art. 52e
The occupational pension expert periodically examines whether the fund offers sufficient assurance that it can meet its obligations, and whether its actuarial regulations comply with the law. The expert recommends the technical interest rate and the actuarial bases, and proposes measures when the financial equilibrium is at risk.
The role demands strict independence: the expert reports to the fund’s supreme governing body, free of any conflict of interest.
Our services
- Periodic actuarial expertise and the expert’s certification
- Recommendation of the technical interest rate and actuarial bases, in line with the technical guidelines of the Swiss Chamber of Pension Fund Experts (SKPE/CSEP)
- Actuarial balance sheet, funded ratio analysis and projections
- Funding plans and recovery measures in case of underfunding
- Advice to the board of trustees: plan design, regulation revisions, mergers, partial liquidations
- Support for changes of pension fund and portfolio transfers
The technical interest rate, tracked monthly
The recommended technical interest rate rests first on the expected return of the fund’s investments, as assessed by allea, and on technical guideline FRP 4 of the SKPE/CSEP, which sets its upper limit.
Each month allea publishes projections of this limit, of the 10-year Swiss Confederation bond yield and of inflation, so that the board of trustees can anticipate the likely evolution of the framework.
How an actuarial expertise works
- Data: membership, regulations and financial position, collected from the fund or its administrator.
- Actuarial balance sheet at the reference date: funded ratio and analysis of the technical results.
- Risk analysis: expected investment return and required return, structural and current risk capacity, recovery capacity, sensitivity to the technical interest rate and actuarial bases, projections.
- Actuarial report and expert’s confirmation, presented to the board of trustees with our recommendations.
Your experts
Every actuarial report is signed personally by one of our experts: Urs Barmettler, PhD in mathematics (ETH Zurich), pension fund expert SKPE, or Christophe Steiger, actuary (Swiss Association of Actuaries), pension fund expert SKPE.
Verifiable independence
allea has no ties to banks or insurers; its capital is 100 % owned by the active partners. Our experts are actuaries (Swiss Association of Actuaries) and accredited pension fund experts; they are personally involved in every engagement — in English, French, German and Italian. Every engagement meets the independence requirements of Art. 40 OPP 2 (BVV 2).
Frequently asked questions
How often is an actuarial expertise required?
The law requires a periodic actuarial expertise (Art. 52e para. 1 let. b LPP/BVG) — at least every three years under technical guideline FRP 5 of the SKPE/CSEP — and upon special events: significant plan changes, underfunding, mergers or partial liquidations. Annual risk monitoring usefully complements this cycle.
What happens in case of underfunding?
The expert analyses the causes, assesses the recovery capacity and proposes measures suited to the fund’s structure — the board of trustees then decides. We also prepare the funding plan and monitor its effectiveness.
Can we change experts?
Yes. The supreme governing body appoints the expert and may change it. We organise the transition: takeover of the actuarial bases, continuity of the expertises and notification of the supervisory authority.
How does the accredited expert differ from the employer’s consulting actuary?
The accredited expert is accountable to the pension fund and its governing body; the consulting actuary values the obligations in the employer’s accounts (IAS 19, ASC 715). The two roles are distinct — and we keep them that way.
What is the role of the OAK BV?
The Occupational Pension Supervisory Commission (OAK BV / CHS PP) accredits occupational pension experts (Art. 52d LPP/BVG) and issues directives. The expert’s report goes to the fund’s cantonal or regional supervisory authority.
Do you work across Switzerland?
Yes — from Lausanne for French-speaking Switzerland and Baar for the German-speaking part, with engagements in Ticino as well.
An accredited expert, personally involved
Your questions get direct answers: at allea, the expert who signs the expertise is the one who follows your fund.