Swiss tax return: software and services compared 2026

For pure do-it-yourself filing, the official online portal of your canton is the best choice in 2026: free, provided directly by the tax office, and since 2024 fully electronic submission has been possible in all cantons. In the canton of Zurich the solution is called ZHprivateTax, in Aargau eTAX AARGAU. Every canton has its own, and several of them were replaced with new browser software in January 2026.

If you'd rather not decipher and map your paperwork yourself, put a preparation layer in front. TaxWize, which is my own product, reads your salary certificate, pillar 3a statement and other documents automatically and shows which deductions are worth checking, for CHF 39 per declaration per tax year, with full preparation currently for seven cantons. Alongside it sit Dr. Tax Privat (CHF 39.90 for two declarations, all 26 cantons), the AI providers iqtax (from CHF 49) and Bärli Tax (from CHF 50), and the filing services from about CHF 99. Every figure below links to its source at the provider (all as of 26.07.2026).

Cook it yourself, meal kit, or restaurant?

Cooking it yourself is free: the official cantonal portal walks you through the forms, but you do everything, from sorting receipts to the last digit. A meal kit lays out the ingredients chopped and labelled, and the cooking, meaning the filing, still happens at your place. That is software or a preparation layer like TaxWize. In the restaurant a filing service takes over everything, costs the most, and you give up control over the details.

All three roads end in a submitted tax return. What differs is your time and your budget, and how confident you want to be that no deduction gets left behind.

The eight options at a glance

Worth checking: all prices and features come from the linked provider pages, as of 26.07.2026. Prices, packages and canton coverage move constantly, sometimes mid-season. The provider's own page is always the fresher source than this table.

How I compared them

Four criteria, applied equally to all eight options:

1. Price: what does a normal tax return really cost, including typical surcharges?
2. Coverage: for which cantons does the solution fully work?
3. Division of labour: who reads the documents, who finds the deductions, who submits?
4. Data: where are your documents processed and stored?

The order is not a quality score. The list runs from "you do all of it" to "someone does all of it for you", and within each group by entry price: ranks 1 to 5 are tools you work with yourself, ranks 6 to 8 are services that take the work off you. Which option is right for you depends on your situation, not on a position in this table. The list doesn't claim to be exhaustive. It covers the widely used offerings for private individuals in German-speaking Switzerland.

I deliberately treat the official cantonal portals as one category at rank 1: every canton provides exactly one solution of its own, it is free, and for pure do-it-yourself filing it is the recommended default, whichever canton you live in. Ranking the portals against each other would be of no use to you, because you can only ever use the portal of your canton of residence anyway.

This comparison is published on the TaxWize blog, and TaxWize is my product. I rank it by the same four criteria as everyone else, say what it doesn't do, and link the provider's own page for every figure.

The ranking in detail

01 The official cantonal portal: the default for doing it yourself

Every canton provides its own official solution for the tax return, and the move into the browser is largely complete: fill in the forms in the browser, upload receipts as PDFs, import last year's data, submit electronically. Since 2024, fully electronic submission has been possible in all cantons (overview at ch.ch).

In January 2026 a whole wave of cantons changed software. Aargau launched eTAX AARGAU on 26.01.2026 for tax period 2025, replacing EasyTax (digital transmission only, AGOV login required), and Lucerne launched eSteuern.LU the same day, replacing its download software. Zurich retired its offline client and committed to ZHprivateTax in the browser, signature-free, with no printing and no postal mail. Zug is fully online from tax period 2025, and Bern, Solothurn and Schwyz already ran browser portals.

In short: the picture of dated desktop software no longer holds for these cantons. If you haven't opened your canton's portal for a few years, open it once more before you buy an alternative.

Little known: many of these official solutions come from the same software maker. Ringler Informatik of Baar has been building tax software since 1986; by its own account, 15 cantonal tax administrations run their online tax declaration on the company's infrastructure, and, again by its own account, around 40 % of all Swiss tax returns pass through its systems each year. eTAX AARGAU and eSteuern.LU are both built by Ringler. The same company offers eTax.ch, a free web tax return that by its own statement serves only the canton of Zurich from tax period 2025 onwards, and Dr. Tax Privat, a desktop version for all 26 cantons (rank 3).

• Strengths: free, official, submits directly to the tax office, and technically up to date in several cantons since January 2026.
• Limits: a cantonal portal is a forms solution. It walks you through the forms, but it doesn't read your documents for you and doesn't actively tell you which deductions might be missing in your situation. Language is the other gap: of the seven cantons TaxWize fully covers, only Bern runs its portal bilingually (German and French), and none offers an English interface.

Verdict: if you want to do everything yourself, the official online portal of your canton is the right choice, whatever your canton. TaxWize users file exactly there at the end too.

02 TaxWize: read the documents and check the deductions before you file

TaxWize sits one step ahead of the cantonal portal and doesn't replace it. You upload your paperwork, such as your salary certificate, pillar 3a statement, health-insurance premium overview or bank statements. Swiss-hosted AI reads the documents, every value can be checked and corrected, and the tax calculation itself is a deterministic rule set built on the actual cantonal tariffs, not an AI guess. At the end you see your expected tax burden, a filing-ready summary and pointers on which deductions are worth checking, for example whether your actual work expenses beat the flat rate, or whether pillar 3a is used up to the maximum of CHF 7'258 (guide figure for tax year 2025, with a pension fund).

I check that calculation against the cantons' own tax calculators, franc by franc. How that runs and what it doesn't cover, I've written up here: Verified to the franc.

Full preparation is currently available for seven cantons, namely Aargau, Bern, Lucerne, Solothurn, Schwyz, Zug and Zurich. If you live in another canton, you can join the waitlist. You still submit through the official cantonal portal; TaxWize does not file. Your tax documents and the data extracted from them stay in Switzerland (hosted in Switzerland, under the Swiss data protection act nDSG) and are not used to train AI models.

• Strengths: takes over the most tedious part (deciphering documents, mapping values, checking deductions), CHF 39 for one declaration of one tax year with unlimited edits, Swiss data location, German and English.
• Limits: no submission, full preparation for seven cantons so far, and not built for complex cases (self-employment, complicated property structures).

Verdict: the option that fits if you live in one of the cantons TaxWize covers, work from a stack of documents, and want to be more confident that no deduction gets left behind before you file in the official portal.

03 Dr. Tax Privat: the desktop classic for all 26 cantons

Dr. Tax Privat is downloadable desktop software, developed by Ringler Informatik, the same company that stands behind many official cantonal solutions (see rank 1). One licence for CHF 39.90 incl. VAT covers all 26 cantons and the form sets for individuals, by default for two tax returns (expandable), with selectable tax years. According to the product page (as of 26.07.2026), electronic submission is provided for 23 cantons: AG, AI, AR, BE, BL, BS, FR, GE, GL, GR, LU, NE, NW, OW, SG, SO, SZ, TG, TI, UR, VD, VS and ZG. Zurich is not on that list. That does not mean the canton rules out third-party software: in its media release of 06.01.2026, Zurich states explicitly that using software from third-party providers remains possible. If you live in the canton of Zurich and want to submit electronically, check this point before you buy.

The price comparison you'd make anyway: CHF 39.90 for two declarations works out at roughly CHF 20 per declaration, against CHF 39 per declaration for TaxWize. On price per form Dr. Tax Privat wins, and I'd rather say it myself than let you discover it while comparing. The difference is not the price but the division of labour: Dr. Tax Privat is forms software you type your values into, TaxWize reads the documents, maps the values and points out deductions worth checking. If you're happy to type and you need several cantons or several years, Dr. Tax Privat is the cheaper route.

• Strengths: one purchase, every canton, two declarations; practical for couples with residences in different cantons, for late filings of earlier years, or if you also handle a relative's return.
• Limits: desktop instead of browser, and like the official portals it is a forms solution. Reading documents and suggesting deductions is not part of the concept.

Verdict: the most flexible DIY software besides the official cantonal portal, especially for multi-canton situations and several declarations.

04 iqtax: an AI platform with online submission in the canton of Zurich

iqtax (iqtax AG, Rotkreuz ZG) is an AI platform for the tax return: photograph your documents on the web or with the "iqdocs" companion app, have them read, get a declaration. The introductory price, per the provider, is "iqtax Smart für nur CHF 49.– statt 99.–". Above it sits a second tier with a human review ("Experten-Steuererklärung"); the company is a fiduciary business and states the corresponding qualification.

The interesting part for you: iqtax writes on its own site that you can then submit the finished return "über unsere Plattform beim Steueramt" (through our platform to the tax office). On the German homepage, Zurich is shown as available, with Zug, St. Gallen, Lucerne and Vaud listed as "soon"; further cantons are to follow "step by step during 2026". On data protection the provider names Swiss data centres and the ISO/IEC 27001, 27017 and 27018 certifications. Interface languages are German and English.

• Strengths: direct submission in the canton of Zurich per the provider, one clear price tier, an additional tier with human review.
• Limits: exactly one canton is currently shown as available, and the others appear as announcements. The regular price is CHF 99, and an introductory price can end at any time.

Verdict: for people in Zurich who care more about filing from a single tool than about the price, iqtax is currently the closest offering in this comparison. Outside Zurich, check the canton list before you buy.

05 Bärli Tax: the app with ten interface languages

Bärli Tax (Bode Information Corporation, Frick) is a web app for the tax return with AI support. Prices are tiered by situation: CHF 50 for apprentices and students, CHF 100 for individuals, CHF 120 for married couples, each per tax year. The provider states "Alle 26 Kantone", with the addition: "Einige Kantone erfordern möglicherweise zusätzliche Papierformulare" (some cantons may require additional paper forms). I found no statement about electronic submission on the website (as of 26.07.2026); if that point matters to you, ask before you buy.

The language range is what stands out. Bärli Tax runs its interface in ten languages, among them Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish, Albanian, Serbian and Ukrainian. That is unusual in the Swiss tax market: the official cantonal portals of the seven cantons TaxWize covers are German-language (Bern also French), and none offers an English interface.

• Strengths: by some distance the widest language range in this comparison, a low entry price for apprentices, prices tiered by household situation.
• Limits: the canton coverage carries the caveat of additional paper forms, and I found no statement about electronic submission on the website (as of 26.07.2026).

Verdict: the obvious pick if German, French, Italian or English is not the language you find easiest for thinking about taxes.

06 steuermacher.ch: the cheapest filing service

steuermacher.ch (FINWIWO AG, St. Gallen) prepares your return remotely: online form, personal contact, documents by upload or post, finished declaration within 10 to 14 days, submission included. Prices are among the lowest in the service segment: apprentices and students CHF 35, employees CHF 99, married couples CHF 149, plus CHF 65 per property and CHF 100 for 72-hour express. All 26 cantons are covered.

• Strengths: lowest entry price among the services, nationwide, clear package prices.
• Limits: remote only, no branch. As with every service, quality depends on the person handling your case, and you still have to gather your own documents.

Verdict: the value-for-money pick among filing services for standard cases.

07 taxea.ch: the digital filing service with representation

taxea.ch (operated by Findea, part of the Nexus Group) works fully digitally and tiers by speed and scope: Basic from CHF 99 excl. VAT (incl. deadline extension and deduction optimisation), Bestseller CHF 299 excl. VAT (within 5 weeks, adds review of the assessment and representation before the authorities), Prime CHF 499 excl. VAT (within 10 working days, adds a personal consultation). For source-taxed persons there is the subsequent ordinary assessment from CHF 80 excl. VAT. When that is even worth requesting is covered in my guide on tax at source.

• Strengths: tiered packages up to representation before the tax authorities, clearly digital process.
• Limits: prices are excl. VAT, so they are not directly comparable with the incl. VAT prices elsewhere in this list. The Bestseller and Prime tiers sit well above the competition, and Basic states no turnaround time, unlike the two dearer tiers.

Verdict: interesting if you want to hand off not just the preparation but also the assessment review and representation.

08 SimpleTax: the filing service with branches

SimpleTax combines around 10 branches in the Zurich, Aargau and St. Gallen regions with online and postal document submission. Singles pay CHF 140, couples CHF 170; each residential property adds CHF 30, and additional work is billed at CHF 180 per hour. There is a CHF 90 package for apprentices and a CHF 50 express service (as of 12.07.2026). The finished return goes to you for review and is then submitted digitally.

• Strengths: in-person hand-over possible, transparent fixed prices, a review step before submission.
• Limits: the highest entry price on this list, and the branch network is concentrated in German-speaking Switzerland.

Verdict: the right choice if you prefer handing your paperwork across a desk instead of uploading it.

What the eight routes cost the Keller family

Take the Keller family: married, two children, homeowners in Baden in the canton of Aargau, both employed, tax year 2025. Here is what the eight options would cost (guide figures, as of 26.07.2026):

So the family pays between CHF 0 and a good CHF 300 (taxea Bestseller with property effort would sit above that) for the same tax return. The real difference is who does the work and how reliably the deductions get used: one forgotten deduction, say CHF 2'000 of childcare costs at a marginal tax rate around 25 %, costs roughly CHF 500, quickly more than any solution on this list.

All the amounts above are guide figures for tax year 2025/2026. Deduction limits, tariffs and provider prices change. The current figures sit with your canton and with the provider.

Doing your Swiss tax return with AI: what actually works in 2026

Two things get mixed up here: general chatbots and Swiss tax software that uses AI.

General chatbots such as ChatGPT often answer concept questions usefully. For the actual tax return there are two structural limits: they do not compute with the real cantonal tariffs and municipal multipliers, and on consumer plans your salary and wealth data leaves Switzerland by default. What is notable is what has not happened: I found no Swiss tax product of their own from the large international AI providers (as of 26.07.2026). The well-known partnerships between AI providers and tax software concern the US market, where there was a national provider to integrate. Switzerland has 26 cantonal filing routes and no single national provider. The full side-by-side is at TaxWize vs. ChatGPT.

Swiss tax software that uses AI is the other category, and it moved in 2026: TaxWize (rank 2), iqtax (rank 4) and Bärli Tax (rank 5) all use AI to read documents. More useful than the word "AI" on a homepage are these questions. Where does the AI run, and under which data protection law? Where does the AI stop and an inspectable calculation begin? And which cantons are covered today rather than announced? For TaxWize I draw the line like this: AI for reading the documents, hosted in Switzerland, and the tax calculation as a deterministic rule set, checked against the cantons' own calculators.

Which option fits which situation

• Simple situation and some time: the official online portal of your canton. Free, direct, available in every canton, and new in several cantons since January 2026.
• You live in a canton TaxWize covers, have a stack of documents and do not want to miss deductions: TaxWize as the preparation layer for CHF 39, then file in the official portal.
• You need several cantons, several declarations or earlier tax years: Dr. Tax Privat.
• You live in the canton of Zurich and want to file from a single tool: iqtax.
• German, French, Italian and English are not your languages: Bärli Tax.
• You want to do as little as possible yourself: a filing service; steuermacher.ch is the cheapest entry, SimpleTax the pick for in-person hand-over, taxea.ch the broadest package model.
• Your situation is genuinely complex (self-employment, international elements, complicated property): professional tax advice, which is a different price class and a different job than anything on this list.

By the way: how much your municipality changes the bill is visible in the free TaxWize tax comparison for every municipality in the seven cantons covered.

Why I built TaxWize

TaxWize sits on this list as the layer before the official cantonal portal, and it isn't meant to stand in for it: upload your documents, let them be read automatically, check and correct the values, walk through the deduction pointers, see your expected tax burden, and then head into your canton's portal with a clean template. CHF 39, once per declaration per tax year, full preparation for Aargau, Bern, Lucerne, Solothurn, Schwyz, Zug and Zurich. If that sounds like your situation, try it at taxwize.ch.