Relocating to Aargau: tax, health premiums, rent and naturalisation

Tax

Income and wealth tax in Aargau

Total federal, cantonal and communal tax per year for each tracked commune in Aargau, tax year 2026, computed with the official ESTV calculator. No church tax is included.

Standard profiles: gross employment income with the calculator's standard deductions. Single: one adult aged 35. Married: couple aged 40 and 38, one earner, two children aged 10 and 8. The asset profile adds net taxable wealth to the married profile.

Health insurance

Health insurance premiums in Aargau

Federal Office of Public Health, premium year 2027: adult aged 26 or over, accident cover included, standard model, CHF 300 deductible, CHF per month.

Housing and safety

Rent and safety in Aargau

Rent: Federal Statistical Office structural survey, 2024, net rent excluding service and heating charges. Safety: police crime statistics, 2025; rates in cantons with large city centres reflect visitors and commuters as well as residents.

Cantonal rules

Inheritance, lump-sum taxation, schools and family in Aargau

Inheritance tax for children

Aargau exempts children and other descendants from cantonal inheritance tax.
Source

Inheritance tax for spouses

Aargau exempts spouses and registered partners from inheritance tax.
Source

Gift tax

Gifts to spouses, registered partners and descendants are exempt from Aargau gift tax, as is inheritance.
Source

Lump-sum taxation

Aargau applies expenditure-based (lump-sum) taxation in place of income and wealth tax.
Source

Lump-sum minimum tax base

The Aargau minimum expenditure base is the highest of CHF 400,000, seven times annual rent or rental value, or three times annual board price.
Source

Bilingual public schooling

Aargau state Kantonsschulen offer a bilingual Matura through English immersion, with French immersion at Wohlen and a combined IB Diploma route at two schools.
Source

International schools

Aargau's state schools offering the IB Diploma are Neue Kantonsschule Aarau and Kantonsschule Wettingen.
Source

Family allowance per child

Aargau child allowance is CHF 225 per month and training allowance CHF 278 per month in 2026.
Source

Naturalisation

Becoming Swiss in Aargau

Federal law sets the national minimum. The canton and the commune add their own residence periods, language levels and tests, and they decide on cantonal and communal citizenship.

Residence in the canton

Five years of residence in the canton are required.
Source

Residence in the commune

At least three years of uninterrupted residence in the commune before filing.
Source

Spoken language

German oral skills at least B1 and written at least A2.
Source

Written language

Written German at least A2.
Source

Knowledge test

A civics test run by the communes must be passed before filing, from age 16; it costs CHF 50, can be repeated after a two-month wait, and practice material is at einbuergerungstest-aargau.ch.
Source

Interview

The Gemeinderat conducts a naturalisation interview with the applicants.
Source

Who decides

The competent communal body depends on the commune; the Grand Council's naturalisation commission decides finally at cantonal level unless the Grand Council itself decides.
Source

Cantonal and communal fees

Canton charges CHF 750 per adult and CHF 375 per included child aged 10 or over; the commune charges CHF 1,500 and CHF 750; children under 10 pay no cantonal or communal fee; fees may double for extraordinary effort.
Source

All 26 cantonal requirements compared

Move comparisons

Moves to and from Aargau

Back to all 26 cantons · Methodology and sources

Questions

Living in Aargau: common questions