Handshake during a business meeting, top view

SME chart of accounts example in Sion: 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 SME chart of accounts in Sion: what the law requires, what can be automated, and when to delegate.

The Swiss legal frame for SME chart of accounts

For an owner in Sion, the question is never “do we need accounts?” but “at what level of detail?”. The CO sets the floor; the bank, the tax office and the shareholders set the rest.

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.

Digitalising SME chart of accounts: what actually works

The classic digitalisation traps are avoidable: scanning without quality control (unreadable records), stacking disconnected tools (double entry in disguise), or neglecting access rights. One single flow from document to entry, with clear roles, beats five shiny apps.

For an owner in Sion, 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.

Outsource SME chart of accounts or keep it in-house?

A fiduciary's cost depends first on the quality of the data received: digitised, filed, reconciled documents are processed fast; a box of loose receipts is billed by the hour. Improving the internal preparation of SME chart of accounts lowers fees more surely than any negotiation.

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

Smiling advisor with a headset at their workstation

A well-structured SME chart of accounts

Shareholder current accounts demand strict hygiene: every private withdrawal documented, interest at the rates accepted by the tax administration, and a clean-up at closing.

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

Sion: what changes, what does not

Sion (postal code 1950, canton Valais) applies the same federal rules as the rest of the country: what changes in Sion are the cantonal counterparts — tax administration, compensation office, commercial register.

Federal deadlines do not move in Sion: VAT within 60 days, salary declaration in January, 10-year record retention — postal code 1950 changes nothing about those rules, only the sender's address.

Frequently asked questions

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 Sion.

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 Sion as anywhere.

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 Sion as everywhere in Switzerland.

Can SME chart of accounts be automated with AI?

Largely, yes: automatic document reading, posting suggestions, bank reconciliation via QR references and VAT exports. Human approval remains essential — AI prepares, the professional checks. That is exactly how MyFiducia.ai approaches SME chart of accounts.

Also worth reading

In neighbouring municipalities

Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date

MyFiducia.ai automates SME chart of accounts for businesses in Sion: 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.