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Sole proprietorship checklist in Gilly: 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 sole proprietorship in Gilly: what the law requires, what can be automated, and when to delegate.

Choosing the structure: Sàrl, SA or sole proprietorship

Contributions in kind (vehicle, equipment, client portfolio) are possible when founding a Sàrl or an SA, but they follow strict valuation and disclosure rules. Cash contribution remains the simple route, in Gilly as elsewhere.

Incorporating in Gilly opens the same toolbox: banks, funds, fiduciaries and online tools work everywhere — the choice of seat is strategic, not technical, for sole proprietorship.

Swiss VAT: rates, threshold and filings

The most frequent VAT mistakes are well known: the wrong rate among 8.1%, 2.6% and 3.8%, forgotten self-supplies, and a rushed annual reconciliation. Corrections are due at the latest in the return for the period containing the 180th day after the year-end — the earlier you correct, the less default interest runs.

Also useful for sole proprietorship: some supplies are excluded from VAT (health, education, property rental) — with no corresponding input VAT right. Qualifying revenues correctly from the start avoids surprises.

Salaries and social contributions: the rates to know

Family allowances are financed by the employer through a cantonal compensation fund — rates and amounts vary from canton to canton, including in Gilly. They come on top of the federal social insurances and appear on every payslip.

For sole proprietorship, the practical challenge is the calendar: AHV instalments during the year, salary declaration to the compensation office in January, salary certificates for staff, and final LPP/accident settlements. A clean payroll base avoids unpleasant catch-up invoices.

Smiling advisor with a headset at their workstation

Digitalising sole proprietorship: what actually works

Automation is judged on the exceptions: what happens when the document is unreadable, the supplier unknown, the amount divergent? A good tool isolates those cases and lets a human decide fast — precious for teams in Gilly.

The winning pair for sole proprietorship: a single inbox (e-mail, scan, photo) and one simple rule — no document sits more than a few days without a proposed entry.

Gilly: what changes, what does not

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

Federal deadlines do not move in Gilly: VAT within 60 days, salary declaration in January, 10-year record retention — postal code 1182 changes nothing about those rules, only the sender's address.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a fiduciary for sole proprietorship, or can you do it yourself?

Both are defensible. Below CHF 500,000 of revenue, a sole proprietorship may keep simplified accounts itself. As soon as payroll, VAT and a closing with tax stakes are involved, professional support prevents mistakes that cost more than the fees. With a shared platform, the fiduciary does not even need to be in Gilly.

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 Gilly: the CO dictates it, not the commune.

Can sole proprietorship 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 sole proprietorship.

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 Gilly.

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Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date

MyFiducia.ai automates sole proprietorship for businesses in Gilly: AI-read documents, posting suggestions, VAT and exports ready for your fiduciary. Try the platform or browse our other guides.

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