Sàrl incorporation for the self-employed in Hemmiken: the practical guide
Sàrl incorporation for the self-employed in Hemmiken 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.
Choosing the structure: Sàrl, SA or sole proprietorship
Contributions in kind (vehicle, equipment, client portfolio) are possible when founding a Sàrl or an SA, but they follow strict valuation and disclosure rules. Cash contribution remains the simple route, in Hemmiken as elsewhere.
First accounting reflex for Sàrl incorporation: open the document numbering with the very first expense, even before registration. Founding costs are deductible — if documented.
Swiss VAT: rates, threshold and filings
The most frequent VAT mistakes are well known: the wrong rate among 8.1%, 2.6% and 3.8%, forgotten self-supplies, and a rushed annual reconciliation. Corrections are due at the latest in the return for the period containing the 180th day after the year-end — the earlier you correct, the less default interest runs.
The right reflex for Sàrl incorporation: file every supplier invoice with its VAT on receipt. Forgotten input VAT is money definitively lost once the limitation period runs out.
Digitalising Sàrl incorporation: what actually works
Automation is judged on the exceptions: what happens when the document is unreadable, the supplier unknown, the amount divergent? A good tool isolates those cases and lets a human decide fast — precious for teams in Hemmiken.
Migrate in stages: supplier invoices first (high volume, immediate gain), then receivables with the QR-bill, finally payroll and the closing. At each stage, comparing one month before/after is enough to prove the gain — no theoretical promises needed.
The Swiss legal frame for Sàrl incorporation
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.
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.
Hemmiken: what changes, what does not
Sole proprietorship, Sàrl or SA in Hemmiken: the AHV contact remains the competent compensation office, and taxes follow the scales of the canton Basel-Country.
Hemmiken requires no special bookkeeping: the Code of Obligations applies at postal code 4465 as everywhere else, and a well-kept digital file transfers smoothly to any auditor in the canton.
Frequently asked questions
What are the legal obligations for Sàrl incorporation 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 Hemmiken: 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 Hemmiken.
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 Hemmiken as anywhere.
How much does Sàrl incorporation cost in Hemmiken?
It depends on document volume, the number of salaries and VAT complexity — no serious figure can be quoted without examining the file. Two levers cut the bill everywhere: digitised, well-filed receipts and software that prepares entries instead of having them re-keyed.
Also worth reading
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Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date
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