Collaborative desk with laptops and documents, top view

Accounting software required documents in Diegten: what every SME should know

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

Digitalising accounting software: what actually works

Accounting digitalisation always follows the same path: capture documents at the source (photo or PDF upload), let automatic recognition extract supplier, amount, date and VAT, approve the proposed entries, then archive each document linked to its entry. Every step removes a re-keying — and therefore an error source.

Electronic archiving is fully recognised: Swiss bookkeeping regulation admits electronic retention of records provided integrity and readability are guaranteed for the 10 years of art. 958f CO. A paper binder is no longer an obligation — provided the archiving system is serious.

Outsource accounting software 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 Diegten as elsewhere.

A business in Diegten can combine the models: internal day-to-day entry, monthly external supervision, closing and taxes with the specialist — accounting software splits very well.

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.

A business in Diegten can collect by QR-bill even without sophisticated software: what matters is that every incoming payment finds its invoice, manually or automatically.

Collaborative desk with laptops and documents, top view

A well-structured SME chart of accounts

The test of a good chart of accounts is a single question: can the owner find the margins in three clicks? If not, the chart serves the tax office but not the business — even in Diegten.

For a business in Diegten, the Sterchi/Käfer structure also eases benchmarking: banks and fiduciaries reason on those standard classes to situate an SME's accounting software.

Diegten: what changes, what does not

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

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

Frequently asked questions

How long must records related to accounting software 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 Diegten can therefore archive fully digitally.

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 Diegten: the CO dictates it, not the commune.

Effective VAT method or net tax rate: how to choose?

The effective method deducts actual input VAT and files quarterly; the net tax rate method applies a flat industry rate to turnover, semi-annually, with no separate input VAT deduction. The flat rate suits low-cost structures; as investments grow, the effective method usually wins again. The choice rests on the company's own figures, in Diegten as anywhere.

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 Diegten, family allowances follow the canton's rates.

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Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date

MyFiducia.ai automates accounting software for businesses in Diegten: 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.