Team analysing financial charts around a table

QR-bill invoicing for hotels in Aarau: the practical guide

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

Digitalising QR-bill invoicing: what actually works

Access for the fiduciary, the auditor and employees is set by roles: view, enter, approve, close. Well-set rights protect the data and speed up collaboration.

The selection criterion for a tool is not the length of its feature list but the robustness of the daily flow: reliable bank imports, VAT computed correctly (8.1 / 2.6 / 3.8%), a complete audit trail from document to entry, and a clean export for the auditor or fiduciary. Everything else is secondary.

QR-bills and friction-free collections

Electronic invoicing keeps advancing: the Swiss Confederation requires it from its suppliers for contracts from CHF 5,000, and more and more large Swiss companies ask for structured e-invoices rather than PDFs. Getting equipped early beats improvising under a client's deadline.

For QR-bill invoicing, invoicing fast changes everything: a service billed the week it is delivered gets paid noticeably earlier than a month-end batch invoice.

The Swiss legal frame for QR-bill invoicing

Whether a business sits in Aarau or elsewhere in Switzerland, the same federal law applies — one of the strengths of the Swiss system for QR-bill invoicing. Cantonal differences concentrate on taxation (rates, filing deadlines); bookkeeping itself follows art. 957 ff. CO everywhere.

Art. 957a CO requires complete, truthful and systematic recording of transactions, each entry backed by a supporting document. For QR-bill invoicing, that means in practice: no movement without a receipt, and an audit trail that can be reconstructed at any time — including during a VAT or AHV inspection.

Pen pointing at a bar chart on paper

A well-structured SME chart of accounts

The same chart serves three readings: accounting (accuracy), tax (accepted adjustments) and management (margins by activity). Modern software produces all three views without double entry.

For a business in Aarau, the Sterchi/Käfer structure also eases benchmarking: banks and fiduciaries reason on those standard classes to situate an SME's QR-bill invoicing.

Aarau: what changes, what does not

Aarau (postal code 5000, canton Aargau) applies the same federal rules as the rest of the country: what changes in Aarau are the cantonal counterparts — tax administration, compensation office, commercial register.

Aarau requires no special bookkeeping: the Code of Obligations applies at postal code 5000 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 QR-bill invoicing 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.

Do you need a fiduciary for QR-bill invoicing, or can you do it yourself?

Both are defensible. Below CHF 500,000 of revenue, a sole proprietorship may keep simplified accounts itself. As soon as payroll, VAT and a closing with tax stakes are involved, professional support prevents mistakes that cost more than the fees. With a shared platform, the fiduciary does not even need to be in Aarau.

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 Aarau.

When must a business register for VAT?

As soon as its worldwide annual turnover reaches CHF 100,000 (CHF 250,000 for non-profit sports or cultural associations). Below that, voluntary registration remains possible and often makes sense to reclaim input VAT on investments. The threshold is federal: it applies in Aarau as everywhere in Switzerland.

Also worth reading

In neighbouring municipalities

Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date

MyFiducia.ai automates QR-bill invoicing 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.

    QR-bill invoicing for hotels in Aarau | MyFiducia.ai