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Balance sheet preparation legal basis in Borex: what every SME should know

Delegate, digitalise or do it all yourself? Around balance sheet preparation in Borex, every SME draws its own line. The reference points below — federal law, cantonal practice and lessons from the field — help you place the cursor well.

Year-end closing: how the mechanics work

The closing turns day-to-day bookkeeping into annual accounts: balance sheet, income statement and notes (art. 958 CO). Mandatory stops: accruals and deferrals, depreciation, commercially justified provisions, inventory of stock and work in progress, then VAT and AHV reconciliations.

The notes complete the figures: valuation principles, liabilities towards pension institutions, contingent liabilities, or the number of full-time positions. Careful notes reduce questions from the auditor and the banks.

A well-structured SME chart of accounts

The test of a good chart of accounts is a single question: can the owner find the margins in three clicks? If not, the chart serves the tax office but not the business — even in Borex.

The chart of accounts is also the hinge to VAT: every revenue account carries its rate (8.1%, 2.6%, 3.8% or exempt), every expense account its input-tax right. Set those attributes once in the tool and every subsequent return becomes reliable.

Outsource balance sheet preparation or keep it in-house?

Splitting roles clearly avoids duplication: the company captures documents and approves payments; the fiduciary checks postings, closes the year and defends the file before the authorities. Each side does what it does best — and nobody keys the same invoice twice.

In Borex, as everywhere, the right collaboration rhythm follows the activity: monthly for payroll and data entry, quarterly for VAT, yearly for the closing and tax advice.

Smiling team looking at a laptop

The Swiss legal frame for balance sheet preparation

For an owner in Borex, the question is never “do we need accounts?” but “at what level of detail?”. The CO sets the floor; the bank, the tax office and the shareholders set the rest.

One simple principle drives balance sheet preparation: every franc in or out must be explainable by a document, an entry and an account. All of Swiss accounting law fits inside that traceability requirement.

Borex: what changes, what does not

Working with a fiduciary from Borex no longer depends on geography: the documents of a business in Borex are shared online, while the canton Vaud keeps its own deadlines for the tax return.

Borex requires no special bookkeeping: the Code of Obligations applies at postal code 1277 as everywhere else, and a well-kept digital file transfers smoothly to any auditor in the canton.

Frequently asked questions

Effective VAT method or net tax rate: how to choose?

The effective method deducts actual input VAT and files quarterly; the net tax rate method applies a flat industry rate to turnover, semi-annually, with no separate input VAT deduction. The flat rate suits low-cost structures; as investments grow, the effective method usually wins again. The choice rests on the company's own figures, in Borex as anywhere.

Can balance sheet preparation be automated with AI?

Largely, yes: automatic document reading, posting suggestions, bank reconciliation via QR references and VAT exports. Human approval remains essential — AI prepares, the professional checks. That is exactly how MyFiducia.ai approaches balance sheet preparation.

How much does balance sheet preparation cost in Borex?

It depends on document volume, the number of salaries and VAT complexity — no serious figure can be quoted without examining the file. Two levers cut the bill everywhere: digitised, well-filed receipts and software that prepares entries instead of having them re-keyed.

What is simplified bookkeeping and who can use it?

Sole proprietorships and partnerships under CHF 500,000 of revenue may limit themselves to recording income, expenses and assets (art. 957 para. 2 CO). Once over the threshold — or upon founding a Sàrl or an SA — full accounts with balance sheet, income statement and notes become mandatory. The CHF 500,000 threshold is assessed the same way in Borex.

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Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date

MyFiducia.ai automates balance sheet preparation for businesses in Borex: AI-read documents, posting suggestions, VAT and exports ready for your fiduciary. Try the platform or browse our other guides.

The application is operated in French.

    Balance sheet preparation legal basis in Borex — Swiss guide