Salary certificate for Sàrl companies in Bernex: what every SME should know
Salary certificate for Sàrl companies in Bernex rests on three pillars: federal law that applies across Switzerland, cantonal deadlines worth knowing, and tools that eliminate re-keying. This guide puts it all in order, fact by fact.
The Swiss legal frame for salary certificate
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.
Also worth knowing: accounts may be drawn up in the currency most relevant to the business; if that is not the franc, values must additionally be stated in CHF (art. 958d para. 3 CO). Internationally active companies gain books that match their economic reality.
Digitalising salary certificate: 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 Bernex as everywhere.
For an owner in Bernex, a dashboard only has value if the data is fresh: automating data entry means, first of all, buying up-to-date information about your own business.
Outsource salary certificate or keep it in-house?
Outsourcing salary certificate to a fiduciary frees up time and secures compliance; keeping it in-house preserves a continuous view and costs less in fees. The best answer is often hybrid: the company captures and digitises as it goes, the fiduciary supervises, closes the books and represents the company before the authorities.
A business in Bernex is no longer limited to fiduciaries in its canton: with a shared online platform, collaboration works remotely, documents and entries visible to both sides in real time. The choice widens to all of Switzerland — competence becomes the criterion again, not the postcode.
Salaries and social contributions: the rates to know
Two of these contributions are set by law: AHV/IV/APG at 5.3% and unemployment at 1.1%, both payable by the employer. The others — LPP, accident insurance, possibly daily sickness benefits and family allowances — depend on the insurer, the industry and the pension plan. The total surcharge usually falls between 12 and 20% of gross pay, and employee deductions between 10 and 15%: these are orders of magnitude, not statutory rates.
For salary certificate, the gap between agreed gross and paid net surprises every new employer: simulate it BEFORE hiring to avoid misunderstandings with the future employee.
Bernex: what changes, what does not
Sole proprietorship, Sàrl or SA in Bernex: the AHV contact remains the competent compensation office, and taxes follow the scales of the canton Geneva.
Bernex requires no special bookkeeping: the Code of Obligations applies at postal code 1233 as everywhere else, and a well-kept digital file transfers smoothly to any auditor in the canton.
Frequently asked questions
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 Bernex, family allowances follow the canton's rates.
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 Bernex as anywhere.
What are the legal obligations for salary certificate in Switzerland?
The foundation is the Code of Obligations: proper bookkeeping (art. 957a CO), annual accounts (balance sheet, income statement, notes) and 10-year retention of books and records (art. 958f CO). VAT applies from CHF 100,000 of turnover, and social insurance settlements from the first employee. Nothing is different in Bernex: federal law applies.
When must a business register for VAT?
As soon as its worldwide annual turnover reaches CHF 100,000 (CHF 250,000 for non-profit sports or cultural associations). Below that, voluntary registration remains possible and often makes sense to reclaim input VAT on investments. The threshold is federal: it applies in Bernex as everywhere in Switzerland.
Also worth reading
In neighbouring municipalities
Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date
MyFiducia.ai automates salary certificate for businesses in Bernex: 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.