Online accounting how to choose in Saxon: the practical guide
Delegate, digitalise or do it all yourself? Around online accounting in Saxon, 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.
Digitalising online accounting: what actually works
Accounting digitalisation always follows the same path: capture documents at the source (photo or PDF upload), let automatic recognition extract supplier, amount, date and VAT, approve the proposed entries, then archive each document linked to its entry. Every step removes a re-keying — and therefore an error source.
For online accounting, migrating history must not block the start: begin on day one of the current financial year and import the history later if needed.
Outsource online 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 online accounting, a quarterly 30-minute check-in with the fiduciary beats an annual marathon: questions get handled while they are small.
QR-bills and friction-free collections
Technically, two routes coexist: the classic IBAN with an optional reference, or the QR-IBAN which requires a structured 27-position QR reference. Only the second route makes matching truly automatic — every payment carries the exact identifier of its invoice.
For an SME in Saxon, receivables are an asset to manage: a weekly ageing balance, graduated reminders and a provision for doubtful cases — online accounting provides the numbers, discipline does the rest.
The Swiss legal frame for online accounting
For an owner in Saxon, 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.
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.
Saxon: what changes, what does not
Saxon (postal code 1907, canton Valais) applies the same federal rules as the rest of the country: what changes in Saxon are the cantonal counterparts — tax administration, compensation office, commercial register.
Saxon requires no special bookkeeping: the Code of Obligations applies at postal code 1907 as everywhere else, and a well-kept digital file transfers smoothly to any auditor in the canton.
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 Saxon as anywhere.
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 Saxon, family allowances follow the canton's rates.
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 Saxon.
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 Saxon as anywhere.
Also worth reading
In neighbouring municipalities
Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date
MyFiducia.ai automates online accounting for businesses in Saxon: 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.