An initiative by OSAM
OBSERVATORY
OF SWISS SALARIESOSAM
SALARIES BY OCCUPATION · MANAGEMENT

Finance director salary
in Switzerland

A finance director offer should be assessed through the organisation’s scope, financial responsibilities and decision-making authority. Use the salary as a broad family reference.

Average, median and salary trends in Switzerland. Refine your comparison by city, canton or region.

YOUR COMPARISON

Salary calculator: Finance director

Adjust the location, employment percentage and pay period.

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Pay
All SwitzerlandFSO : Switzerland · 2024 · 100 %

Reference median salary

10’375CHF

Standardised gross monthly salary

FSO 2024 · CH-ISCO group 12
Switzerland

Reference average salary

12’669CHF

Gross monthly equivalent

Eurostat 2022 · ISCO major group 1
All Switzerland, regardless of the selected location

Change over 10 years2014–2024

+5.7%

Median for the occupational group

Nominal change
Not adjusted for inflation
What these figures measure

The median covers the occupational group ‘Administrative and commercial managers’ (CH-ISCO 12), to which this occupation belongs. Average coverage: ISCO major group 1 — managers, Switzerland. These benchmarks cover groups broader than the individual occupation searched for. The two indicators have different populations and reference years.

OVER TIME

How has the reference salary changed?

Median for the occupational group · Switzerland · current francs

Salary over time

9’0009’50010’00010’50011’0002014201620182020202210’375 CHF2024
Median salaryCHF gross / month
View the chart values
CHF gross / month · 100 % · Switzerland
YearP25MedianP75
20147’6859’81912’527
20167’4279’55112’271
20187’5009’77512’835
20207’61810’00013’234
20227’75010’04613’383
20247’98610’37513’606

FSO data retrieved: 1 November 2026. The survey is conducted every two years; intervening years are not invented. The five-year view shows the observations available within that window.

LOCATION MATTERS

Compare salaries across Swiss regions

The 26 cantons belong to the seven FSO major regions. The ranking covers this occupational group in the reference year 2024.

GEOGRAPHICAL COMPARISON

Where are median salaries highest?

Administrative and commercial managers · 2024

Ranking of the 7 FSO regions for this occupational group. The listed cantons make up each region; the amount is not a separate measurement for each canton.

  1. 1
    Zurich10’912 CHF
    Zurich
  2. 2
    Central Switzerland10’739 CHF
    Lucerne · Nidwalden · Obwalden · Schwyz · Uri · Zug
  3. 3
    Northwestern Switzerland10’626 CHF
    Aargau · Basel-Landschaft · Basel-Stadt
  4. 4
    Lake Geneva region10’308 CHF
    Geneva · Valais · Vaud
  5. 5
    Espace Mittelland10’196 CHF
    Bern · Fribourg · Jura · Neuchâtel · Solothurn
  6. 6
    Eastern Switzerland9’549 CHF
    Appenzell Innerrhoden · Appenzell Ausserrhoden · Glarus · Graubünden · St. Gallen · Schaffhausen · Thurgau
  7. 7
    Ticino8’573 CHF
    Ticino

CHF gross / month · 100%

Indicative ordering by descending median. * Statistically uncertain value: the regional order does not establish a statistically significant difference.

FSO checked on 1 November 2026
ASSESSING A JOB OFFER

Establish the financial leadership mandate

Leading finance for one company and overseeing a group can involve different responsibilities. The remit extends beyond preparing accounts or providing accounting expertise.

Financial scope

Clarify the entities covered and responsibility for treasury, reporting, planning and financial control. Ask which functions sit within the role and which are shared elsewhere.

Team and governance

Compare team size, reporting lines and involvement in management decisions. Establish responsibilities towards the board, auditors and other internal or external stakeholders.

Remuneration structure

Separate fixed salary, bonuses and any long-term remuneration. Review performance measures, payment conditions and the period over which variable components are assessed.

Occupational reference : FSO · Swiss Standard Classification of Occupations CH-ISCO-19. Comparison guidance: SalarioStat editorial team.

CONTINUE YOUR COMPARISON
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YOUR NEXT STEP

Grow your skills. And your salary.

Develop your skills with OSAM or explore SalarioStat programmes to increase your income in Switzerland.

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THE WIDER PICTURE

Salary is only a starting point

YOUR QUESTIONS

Answers to your questions

Useful explanations to interpret the figures and prepare your comparison.

What is the salary for ‘Finance director’ in Switzerland?

The benchmark shown is the median for the occupational group ‘Administrative and commercial managers’: CHF 10’375 gross per month at full-time hours in 2024. This is a group statistic, not a median isolating this occupation alone. Consider duties, responsibilities and employment conditions when comparing an offer.

How can salaries be compared by workplace location in Switzerland?

The calculator lets you select Switzerland as a whole, a major region, a canton or a city. For cities and cantons, the median displayed is that of their FSO major region. The average remains a national benchmark. Selecting a location does not turn these figures into a statistic for that municipality.

What is the difference between average and median salary?

The median divides jobs into two halves: one earns less and the other more. The average adds up earnings and divides them by the number of observations. Here, the Eurostat average (2022) covers ‘ISCO major group 1 — managers, Switzerland’; it should not be compared directly with the FSO median for group 12 (2024).

Are the figures gross or net? Is the 13th-month salary included?

Amounts are gross. The FSO median is standardised to full-time work of 40 hours a week and includes one twelfth of the 13th-month salary and annual special payments. Its annual equivalent is calculated by multiplying by 12, without adding a 13th month. Net income depends on personal deductions and is not calculated here.

Is a senior accountant automatically comparable to a finance director?

No. Accounting expertise and responsibility for directing the finance function are different dimensions. Compare control over budgets, teams, treasury and governance decisions. The broad salary benchmark cannot establish an executive remit from the job title alone.

How are the data on this page updated?

This page uses the same official datasets as the main calculator. They are checked automatically each month; the last valid data are retained if a check fails. A recent check does not change the statistical year: surveys publish results according to their own schedules.

VERIFIABLE FIGURES

Sources and calculation method

Sources, populations and reference years remain visible for every indicator.

Full methodology
01 · FSO

Median, distribution and trends

Swiss Earnings Structure Survey. CH-ISCO group 12, all ages and sexes, public and private secondary and tertiary sectors. The primary sector is excluded. Data standardised to full-time employment; current francs.

Latest statistical year
2024
Last valid data retrieval
1 November 2026
View the FSO table
02 · EUROSTAT

Swiss reference average

Structure of Earnings Survey. Coverage: ISCO major group 1 — managers, Switzerland. Mean gross annual earnings in full-time equivalents, divided by 12 for the monthly view. This group is broader than the FSO group. Economic activities B–S: primary sector excluded.

Statistical year
2022
Last valid data retrieval
1 November 2026
View the Eurostat table

Editorial team: SalarioStat, an OSAM initiative · Occupational content reviewed on 2 November 2026. Amounts follow the calculator’s latest validated datasets.