QR-bill invoicing for photographers in Aarau: the practical guide
Delegate, digitalise or do it all yourself? Around QR-bill invoicing in Aarau, every SME draws its own line. The reference points below — federal law, cantonal practice and lessons from the field — help you place the cursor well.
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.
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.
The Swiss legal frame for QR-bill invoicing
A small business does not mean small obligations: from the first salary or the first VAT return, mistakes get expensive — in Aarau as anywhere.
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.
Outsource QR-bill invoicing or keep it in-house?
A good test before choosing: ask the fiduciary HOW it wants to receive the documents. A precise answer (formats, frequency, platform) says more than any brochure — including in Aarau.
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.
QR-bills and friction-free collections
Reminders work best graduated: a neutral first reminder, a firm second, then formal notice — each generated from exact balances, never from memory.
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.
Aarau: what changes, what does not
Working with a fiduciary from Aarau no longer depends on geography: the documents of a business in Aarau are shared online, while the canton Aargau keeps its own deadlines for the tax return.
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
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 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.
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.
How long must records related to QR-bill invoicing 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.
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.