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Accounting comparison in Aigle without the stress: how it works

Whether you run a Sàrl, an SA or a sole proprietorship in Aigle, accounting 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 accounting

A small business does not mean small obligations: from the first salary or the first VAT return, mistakes get expensive — in Aigle as anywhere.

The good news: the Swiss frame is stable and predictable. Structure accounting once — chart of accounts, document flow, calendar — and the same organisation pays off for years.

A well-structured SME chart of accounts

A good chart of accounts tells the story of the business: classes 1 and 2 describe what it owns and owes, class 3 what it sells, classes 4 to 6 what it consumes. Private accounts (sole proprietorships) and shareholder current accounts (Sàrl/SA) must stay spotless: they are the first thing examined in a tax audit.

For a business in Aigle, the Sterchi/Käfer structure also eases benchmarking: banks and fiduciaries reason on those standard classes to situate an SME's accounting.

Outsource accounting or keep it in-house?

Responsibility stays with the client: the fiduciary executes with care, but the signed accounts bind the company. Understanding what you sign is not optional.

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

Smiling team looking at a laptop

A Swiss SME's accounting calendar

The typical annual cycle: monthly or quarterly AHV instalments, VAT returns (quarterly under the effective method, semi-annual under the net tax rate), the final salary declaration in January, closing in the first half-year, then the tax return and the annual VAT reconciliation. Each link depends on the quality of the previous one.

An SME in Aigle that holds its calendar twelve months straight changes its position: fewer official reminders, easier extensions — and accounting stops being a source of worry.

Aigle: what changes, what does not

Aigle (postal code 1860, canton Vaud) applies the same federal rules as the rest of the country: what changes in Aigle are the cantonal counterparts — tax administration, compensation office, commercial register.

Federal deadlines do not move in Aigle: VAT within 60 days, salary declaration in January, 10-year record retention — postal code 1860 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 Aigle as anywhere.

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 Aigle: the CO dictates it, not the commune.

How long must records related to accounting 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 Aigle can therefore archive fully digitally.

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 Aigle.

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Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date

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