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Budgeting and cash flow legal basis in Concise explained simply

Delegate, digitalise or do it all yourself? Around budgeting and cash flow in Concise, 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.

The Swiss legal frame for budgeting and cash flow

In Switzerland, the duty to keep accounts stems from art. 957 ff. of the Code of Obligations. Legal entities (Sàrl, SA) and sole proprietorships with at least CHF 500,000 in revenue keep full accounts: balance sheet, income statement and notes. Below that threshold, a simplified record of income, expenses and assets is sufficient.

Late books show from the outside: poorly calibrated tax instalments, provisional filings, slow answers to the bank. Staying current is also a matter of image.

Year-end closing: how the mechanics work

The order of operations matters: reconciliations first (bank, cash, receivables, payables), then the closing entries, finally the VAT and AHV consistency checks. Reversing the order means starting over.

For an SME in Concise, the closing is also decision time: distributions, provisions, investments to anticipate. A file ready in February leaves time to decide; one ready in June just endures.

Digitalising budgeting and cash flow: what actually works

Digitising does not mean hoarding PDFs: without the document-entry link, a digital file is as opaque as a box of archives — true in Concise as everywhere.

For an SME in Concise, the real gain of digitalised budgeting and cash flow shows day to day: no paper pile at month-end, VAT prepared continuously, and an owner reading today's figures rather than last quarter's.

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A Swiss SME's accounting calendar

Every deadline has an owner: an obligation “of everyone” is kept by no one. Naming one person per deadline family (VAT, payroll, taxes) closes the gaps.

For budgeting and cash flow, deadline discipline is worth real money: default interest on late VAT, AHV adjustments, tax fines. A shared deadline calendar — fed by up-to-date figures — remains the simplest safeguard.

Concise: what changes, what does not

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

Concise requires no special bookkeeping: the Code of Obligations applies at postal code 1426 as everywhere else, and a well-kept digital file transfers smoothly to any auditor in the canton.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a fiduciary for budgeting and cash flow, or can you do it yourself?

Both are defensible. Below CHF 500,000 of revenue, a sole proprietorship may keep simplified accounts itself. As soon as payroll, VAT and a closing with tax stakes are involved, professional support prevents mistakes that cost more than the fees. With a shared platform, the fiduciary does not even need to be in Concise.

How long must records related to budgeting and cash flow be kept?

Ten years from the end of the financial year concerned (art. 958f CO). Electronic retention is permitted if the integrity and readability of the records are guaranteed — a serious digital archive validly replaces paper binders. A business in Concise can therefore archive fully digitally.

Does MyFiducia.ai work for a business based in Concise?

Yes: the platform runs online, the rules applied are federal (VAT, CO, AHV), and the file can be shared with any fiduciary. A business in Concise manages its documents, VAT and exports exactly as anywhere in Switzerland.

Which documents should be prepared for the year-end closing?

Bank and cash statements at the closing date, the inventory of stock and work in progress, final AHV/LPP/accident settlements, contracts signed or amended during the year, invoices straddling two years and the detail of accruals. With an up-to-date document archive, most of it is already there. The list is identical in Concise: the CO dictates it, not the commune.

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Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date

MyFiducia.ai automates budgeting and cash flow for businesses in Concise: 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.

    Budgeting and cash flow legal basis in Concise — Swiss guide