Tax advisory for Sàrl companies in Bassins without the stress: how it works
Tax advisory for Sàrl companies in Bassins raises the same questions for most Swiss SME owners: which obligations apply, which deadlines are running, which documents to prepare. This page covers the federal rules in force — without unnecessary jargon.
The Swiss legal frame for tax advisory
Three documents summarise the health of a Swiss business: the balance sheet (what it owns), the income statement (what it earns) and the notes (what else you should know). All the work of tax advisory converges on those three pages, in Bassins too.
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.
Year-end closing: how the mechanics work
The income statement reads as a cascade: gross margin, operating result, financial result, extraordinary result. Each level answers a different question — mixing levels blurs the steering.
For tax advisory, a closing checklist reused every year transforms the exercise: same steps, same checks, same documents — only the year changes.
Outsource tax advisory 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.
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
Every deadline has an owner: an obligation “of everyone” is kept by no one. Naming one person per deadline family (VAT, payroll, taxes) closes the gaps.
For tax advisory, two dates lock themselves in every year: the January salary declaration and the general meeting within six months — everything else is planned around them.
Bassins: what changes, what does not
Sole proprietorship, Sàrl or SA in Bassins: the AHV contact remains the competent compensation office, and taxes follow the scales of the canton Vaud.
Bassins requires no special bookkeeping: the Code of Obligations applies at postal code 1269 as everywhere else, and a well-kept digital file transfers smoothly to any auditor in the canton.
Frequently asked questions
How long must records related to tax advisory 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 Bassins can therefore archive fully digitally.
What are the legal obligations for tax advisory 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 Bassins: 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 Bassins.
What are the current Swiss VAT rates?
Since 1 January 2024: 8.1% (standard), 2.6% (reduced — for example food and medicines) and 3.8% (accommodation). Returns must be filed and paid within 60 days after the period ends (quarterly under the effective method, semi-annually under the net tax rate method). These federal rates apply unchanged in Bassins.
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