Advisor handing a document and pen to a client

Fiduciary services for construction companies in Bachs explained simply

Swiss accounting law (art. 957 ff. of the Code of Obligations) sets a precise frame, yet day-to-day practice often stays fuzzy. This guide walks through what actually matters for a business based in Bachs.

The Swiss legal frame for fiduciary services

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. Fiduciary services sits squarely within this frame, including for companies based in Bachs.

Late books show from the outside: poorly calibrated tax instalments, provisional filings, slow answers to the bank. Staying current is also a matter of image.

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 fiduciary services, two dates lock themselves in every year: the January salary declaration and the general meeting within six months — everything else is planned around them.

Outsource fiduciary services 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 Bachs.

For fiduciary services, a quarterly 30-minute check-in with the fiduciary beats an annual marathon: questions get handled while they are small.

Handshake during a business meeting, top view

Year-end closing: how the mechanics work

The closing is prepared all year long: a monthly bank reconciliation and accruals tracked as you go turn the year-end into a formality, for businesses in Bachs too.

The notes complete the figures: valuation principles, liabilities towards pension institutions, contingent liabilities, or the number of full-time positions. Careful notes reduce questions from the auditor and the banks.

Bachs: what changes, what does not

Working with a fiduciary from Bachs no longer depends on geography: the documents of a business in Bachs are shared online, while the canton Zurich keeps its own deadlines for the tax return.

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

Frequently asked questions

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 Bachs, family allowances follow the canton's rates.

Which documents should be prepared for the year-end closing?

Bank and cash statements at the closing date, the inventory of stock and work in progress, final AHV/LPP/accident settlements, contracts signed or amended during the year, invoices straddling two years and the detail of accruals. With an up-to-date document archive, most of it is already there. The list is identical in Bachs: the CO dictates it, not the commune.

How long must records related to fiduciary services 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 Bachs can therefore archive fully digitally.

How much does fiduciary services cost in Bachs?

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.

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Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date

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    Fiduciary services for construction companies in Bachs