Social security contributions for the self-employed in Borex: what every SME should know
Social security contributions for the self-employed in Borex 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 social security contributions
Swiss accounting law has been unified in the Code of Obligations since 2013: the same bookkeeping rules (art. 957a CO) and retention rules (art. 958f CO — 10 years for books, vouchers and reports) apply regardless of legal form. Social security contributions sits squarely within this frame, including for companies based in Borex.
Art. 957a CO requires complete, truthful and systematic recording of transactions, each entry backed by a supporting document. For social security contributions, 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 social security contributions: what actually works
The classic digitalisation traps are avoidable: scanning without quality control (unreadable records), stacking disconnected tools (double entry in disguise), or neglecting access rights. One single flow from document to entry, with clear roles, beats five shiny apps.
The selection criterion for a tool is not the length of its feature list but the robustness of the daily flow: reliable bank imports, VAT computed correctly (8.1 / 2.6 / 3.8%), a complete audit trail from document to entry, and a clean export for the auditor or fiduciary. Everything else is secondary.
Outsource social security contributions or keep it in-house?
A fiduciary's cost depends first on the quality of the data received: digitised, filed, reconciled documents are processed fast; a box of loose receipts is billed by the hour. Improving the internal preparation of social security contributions lowers fees more surely than any negotiation.
Three signals say it is time to delegate more: missed deadlines (VAT, AHV), entries running months behind, or an owner spending evenings on receipts instead of the business. Conversely, an SME equipped with modern software can safely take day-to-day entry back in-house.
A Swiss SME's accounting calendar
Three families of deadlines shape the year: federal (VAT within 60 days, salary declaration in January), cantonal (tax return, extensions depending on the canton, including in Borex) and internal (closing, general meeting within six months). Mixing them up is the leading cause of delays.
For social security contributions, 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.
Borex: what changes, what does not
Borex (postal code 1277, canton Vaud) applies the same federal rules as the rest of the country: what changes in Borex are the cantonal counterparts — tax administration, compensation office, commercial register.
Federal deadlines do not move in Borex: VAT within 60 days, salary declaration in January, 10-year record retention — postal code 1277 changes nothing about those rules, only the sender's address.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a limited and an ordinary audit?
The ordinary audit applies to companies exceeding, for two consecutive years, two of three thresholds: CHF 20 million balance sheet total, CHF 40 million revenue, 250 full-time positions. Others fall under the limited audit, and those with no more than ten full-time positions on annual average can opt out with all shareholders' consent. These federal thresholds do not depend on the registered seat — in Borex as anywhere.
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.
Does MyFiducia.ai work for a business based in Borex?
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 Borex manages its documents, VAT and exports exactly as anywhere in Switzerland.
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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MyFiducia.ai automates social security contributions 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.