Handshake during a business meeting, top view

LPP pension reporting for e-commerce in Aarau explained simply

Between VAT, social contributions and the year-end close, a Swiss SME juggles dozens of deadlines a year. This page focuses on LPP pension reporting in Aarau: what the law requires, what can be automated, and when to delegate.

The Swiss legal frame for LPP pension reporting

Swiss accounting law has been unified in the Code of Obligations since 2013: the same bookkeeping rules (art. 957a CO) and retention rules (art. 958f CO — 10 years for books, vouchers and reports) apply regardless of legal form. LPP pension reporting sits squarely within this frame, including for companies based in Aarau.

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.

Digitalising LPP pension reporting: what actually works

Security is part of digitalisation: named access, tested backups, encryption of sensitive data. A digital accounting file is protected like a safe — because it is one.

For an owner in Aarau, 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.

Outsource LPP pension reporting or keep it in-house?

The scope goes down in writing: who enters data, who approves payments, who answers the tax office, who keeps the originals. Every “we'll see” at the start becomes a December misunderstanding — in Aarau as elsewhere.

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.

Smiling advisor with a headset at their workstation

Salaries and social contributions: the rates to know

Family allowances are financed by the employer through a cantonal compensation fund — rates and amounts vary from canton to canton, including in Aarau. They come on top of the federal social insurances and appear on every payslip.

An employer in Aarau does well to fix payday on a set day of the month: funds, employees and cash flow organise around it, and LPP pension reporting becomes routine instead of a sprint.

Aarau: what changes, what does not

Sole proprietorship, Sàrl or SA in Aarau: the AHV contact remains the competent compensation office, and taxes follow the scales of the canton Aargau.

For a business in Aarau, that means VAT returns identical to anywhere in Switzerland, but a tax return and family allowances governed by the canton Aargau.

Frequently asked questions

How long must records related to LPP pension reporting 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 Aarau can therefore archive fully digitally.

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 Aarau, family allowances follow the canton's rates.

What are the legal obligations for LPP pension reporting 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 Aarau: federal law applies.

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 Aarau as anywhere.

Also worth reading

In neighbouring municipalities

Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date

MyFiducia.ai automates LPP pension reporting for businesses in Aarau: 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.

    LPP pension reporting for e-commerce in Aarau | MyFiducia.ai