Team analysing financial charts around a table

Social security contributions in real time in Furna without the stress: how it works

Delegate, digitalise or do it all yourself? Around social security contributions in Furna, 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 social security contributions

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.

The annual accounts (art. 958 CO) consist of the balance sheet, the income statement and the notes; they must be drawn up within six months of the year-end so the general meeting can approve them. A delay here cascades into the tax return and the final social insurance settlements.

A Swiss SME's accounting calendar

January: salary declaration to the compensation office and salary certificates. End of February, May, August, November: quarterly VAT returns (effective method), each to be filed and paid within 60 days after the quarter ends. Within six months of year-end: approved annual accounts. Then: the tax return under cantonal deadlines, with extensions possible.

Handing deadline monitoring to a tool is no luxury: automatic reminders, a status per obligation, and an “all green” view that clears the mind. What matters is not who ticks the box — but that the box exists and everyone can see it.

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.

A business in Furna 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.

Meeting in a bright conference room

Salaries and social contributions: the rates to know

Hiring the first employee triggers everything at once: affiliation to AHV and LPP funds, accident insurance, family allowances, working-time rules. A complete payroll file from day one avoids catch-ups.

For social security contributions, the practical challenge is the calendar: AHV instalments during the year, salary declaration to the compensation office in January, salary certificates for staff, and final LPP/accident settlements. A clean payroll base avoids unpleasant catch-up invoices.

Furna: what changes, what does not

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

For a business in Furna, that means VAT returns identical to anywhere in Switzerland, but a tax return and family allowances governed by the canton Grisons.

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 Furna as anywhere.

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 Furna as anywhere.

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

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 Furna manages its documents, VAT and exports exactly as anywhere in Switzerland.

How long must records related to social security contributions 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 Furna can therefore archive fully digitally.

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Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date

MyFiducia.ai automates social security contributions for businesses in Furna: 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.

    Social security contributions in real time in Furna