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Salary certificate for architecture firms in Herrliberg without the stress: how it works

Whether you run a Sàrl, an SA or a sole proprietorship in Herrliberg, salary certificate eventually lands on your desk. Here are the practical reference points — legal basis, deadlines and common pitfalls — to decide with a clear head.

The Swiss legal frame for salary certificate

For an owner in Herrliberg, 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.

Art. 957a CO requires complete, truthful and systematic recording of transactions, each entry backed by a supporting document. For salary certificate, that means in practice: no movement without a receipt, and an audit trail that can be reconstructed at any time — including during a VAT or AHV inspection.

Digitalising salary certificate: what actually works

Security is part of digitalisation: named access, tested backups, encryption of sensitive data. A digital accounting file is protected like a safe — because it is one.

For salary certificate, migrating history must not block the start: begin on day one of the current financial year and import the history later if needed.

Outsource salary certificate or keep it in-house?

Outsourcing does not exempt you from understanding: an owner who can read the balance sheet and the income statement challenges the fiduciary better — and pays for advice, not re-keying.

For salary certificate, the internal-external duo works when both sides see the same file: same entries, same documents, same deadlines. Misunderstandings are born from parallel copies.

Meeting in a bright conference room

Salaries and social contributions: the rates to know

Family allowances are financed by the employer through a cantonal compensation fund — rates and amounts vary from canton to canton, including in Herrliberg. They come on top of the federal social insurances and appear on every payslip.

An employer in Herrliberg does well to fix payday on a set day of the month: funds, employees and cash flow organise around it, and salary certificate becomes routine instead of a sprint.

Herrliberg: what changes, what does not

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

Herrliberg requires no special bookkeeping: the Code of Obligations applies at postal code 8704 as everywhere else, and a well-kept digital file transfers smoothly to any auditor in the canton.

Frequently asked questions

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 Herrliberg.

What are the current Swiss VAT rates?

Since 1 January 2024: 8.1% (standard), 2.6% (reduced — for example food and medicines) and 3.8% (accommodation). Returns must be filed and paid within 60 days after the period ends (quarterly under the effective method, semi-annually under the net tax rate method). These federal rates apply unchanged in Herrliberg.

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 Herrliberg: the CO dictates it, not the commune.

Which social contributions does a Swiss employer pay?

AHV/IV/APG: 5.3% employer share (the same is withheld from the employee); unemployment insurance: 1.1% each up to CHF 148,200 a year; occupational pension (LPP) by age and plan (employer at least 50%); occupational accident insurance paid by the employer; family allowances by canton. For an employer in Herrliberg, family allowances follow the canton's rates.

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Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date

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    Salary certificate for architecture firms in Herrliberg