Sole proprietorship required documents in Arbon: 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 Arbon: 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 Arbon as elsewhere.
Settling in Arbon also means thinking about insurance from incorporation: professional liability, property, business interruption — the accounts keep track of them and the closing allocates them correctly.
Swiss VAT: rates, threshold and filings
Since 1 January 2024, Swiss VAT rates are 8.1% (standard), 2.6% (reduced — food, books, medicines) and 3.8% (accommodation). Registration becomes mandatory from CHF 100,000 of worldwide annual turnover. For sole proprietorship, step one is therefore checking the threshold and choosing the right reporting method.
Input VAT deduction is the flip side of VAT charged: tax paid on purchases and investments comes back through the return, receipt in hand. Rigorous entry of supplier invoices therefore translates directly into cash.
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 Arbon. They come on top of the federal social insurances and appear on every payslip.
For sole proprietorship, the gap between agreed gross and paid net surprises every new employer: simulate it BEFORE hiring to avoid misunderstandings with the future employee.
Digitalising sole proprietorship: 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.
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.
Arbon: what changes, what does not
Working with a fiduciary from Arbon no longer depends on geography: the documents of a business in Arbon are shared online, while the canton Thurgau keeps its own deadlines for the tax return.
Federal deadlines do not move in Arbon: VAT within 60 days, salary declaration in January, 10-year record retention — postal code 9320 changes nothing about those rules, only the sender's address.
Frequently asked questions
How long must records related to sole proprietorship 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 Arbon can therefore archive fully digitally.
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 Arbon.
When is entry in the commercial register mandatory?
A Sàrl and an SA only come into existence with their registration. A sole proprietorship must register from CHF 100,000 of annual revenue; below that, registration stays voluntary but adds credibility and protects the business name. Registration goes through the canton's commercial register office — for Arbon too.
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.
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MyFiducia.ai automates sole proprietorship for businesses in Arbon: AI-read documents, posting suggestions, VAT and exports ready for your fiduciary. Try the platform or browse our other guides.
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