Advisor handing a document and pen to a client

Online accounting for architecture firms in Saint-Brais: the practical guide

Online accounting for architecture firms in Saint-Brais 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.

Digitalising online accounting: what actually works

A serious accounting document archive links every record to its entry, timestamps versions and logs access — exactly what Swiss bookkeeping regulation expects from probative electronic retention. Chronological filing by financial year becomes an automatic by-product.

For an owner in Saint-Brais, 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.

A well-structured SME chart of accounts

The test of a good chart of accounts is a single question: can the owner find the margins in three clicks? If not, the chart serves the tax office but not the business — even in Saint-Brais.

For a business in Saint-Brais, comparability over time beats sophistication: a chart stable for five years beats a “perfect” one rebuilt every year. Banks and the tax administration read year-on-year movements first.

Outsource online accounting or keep it in-house?

Splitting roles clearly avoids duplication: the company captures documents and approves payments; the fiduciary checks postings, closes the year and defends the file before the authorities. Each side does what it does best — and nobody keys the same invoice twice.

Changing fiduciary is not a drama: the accounting data belongs to the company, and a clean export (entries, chart of accounts, linked documents) allows a transition at year-end. A provider who locks in a client's data says a lot about how it works.

Collaborative desk with laptops and documents, top view

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.

A business in Saint-Brais can collect by QR-bill even without sophisticated software: what matters is that every incoming payment finds its invoice, manually or automatically.

Saint-Brais: what changes, what does not

Sole proprietorship, Sàrl or SA in Saint-Brais: the AHV contact remains the competent compensation office, and taxes follow the scales of the canton Jura.

Federal deadlines do not move in Saint-Brais: VAT within 60 days, salary declaration in January, 10-year record retention — postal code 2364 changes nothing about those rules, only the sender's address.

Frequently asked questions

What are the legal obligations for online accounting 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 Saint-Brais: federal law applies.

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 Saint-Brais.

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 Saint-Brais, family allowances follow the canton's rates.

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 Saint-Brais: the CO dictates it, not the commune.

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Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date

MyFiducia.ai automates online accounting for businesses in Saint-Brais: 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.

    Online accounting for architecture firms in Saint-Brais