Fiduciary services for painting contractors: what every SME should know
Delegate, digitalise or do it all yourself? Around fiduciary services, 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.
The Swiss legal frame for fiduciary services
The same federal law applies — one of the strengths of the Swiss system for fiduciary services. Cantonal differences concentrate on taxation (rates, filing deadlines); bookkeeping itself follows art. 957 ff. CO everywhere.
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.
A Swiss SME's accounting calendar
An accounting calendar only lives if it is shared: owner, in-house bookkeeper and fiduciary must see the same deadlines and the same status.
An isolated delay can be caught up; a structural delay is paid in interest, fines and stress. The difference between the two: a system, not good intentions.
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.
A clear mandate agreement states who does what by when: document handover, posting deadlines, filing calendar, and responsibility for delays. A shared platform (same data, same document archive) between the company and its fiduciary eliminates binder ping-pong and duplicate entry.
Year-end closing: how the mechanics work
The closing turns day-to-day bookkeeping into annual accounts: balance sheet, income statement and notes (art. 958 CO). Mandatory stops: accruals and deferrals, depreciation, commercially justified provisions, inventory of stock and work in progress, then VAT and AHV reconciliations.
A clean closing pays beyond the legal duty: it conditions the tax return, bank discussions and the company's value in a succession. Hidden reserves (accelerated depreciation, provisions) remain admissible within cantonal tax limits — document them systematically.
Digitalising fiduciary services: what actually works
A serious accounting document archive links every record to its entry, timestamps versions and logs access — exactly what Swiss bookkeeping regulation expects from probative electronic retention. Chronological filing by financial year becomes an automatic by-product.
The winning pair for fiduciary services: a single inbox (e-mail, scan, photo) and one simple rule — no document sits more than a few days without a proposed entry.
Frequently asked questions
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.
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.
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.
Does MyFiducia.ai work for a business anywhere in Switzerland?
Yes: the platform runs online, the rules applied are federal (VAT, CO, AHV), and the file can be shared with any fiduciary. Cantonal specifics (taxes, allowances) are configured in your file.
Also worth reading
This guide by municipality
Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date
MyFiducia.ai automates fiduciary services for Swiss SMEs: 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.