Everything that matters about sole proprietorship for agencies in Dalpe
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 Dalpe: what the law requires, what can be automated, and when to delegate.
Choosing the structure: Sàrl, SA or sole proprietorship
Check the company name before any enthusiasm: availability in the commercial register, internet domain, possible trademark. Renaming later costs time and trust, in Dalpe as elsewhere.
Settling in Dalpe also means thinking about insurance from incorporation: professional liability, property, business interruption — the accounts keep track of them and the closing allocates them correctly.
Salaries and social contributions: the rates to know
Expense claims are payroll in the broad sense: actual reimbursements against receipts, or flat rates approved by the cantonal tax office in an expense policy. Without a clear rule, every reimbursement becomes a debate.
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
Digitising does not mean hoarding PDFs: without the document-entry link, a digital file is as opaque as a box of archives — true in Dalpe as everywhere.
For an owner in Dalpe, 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.
Swiss VAT: rates, threshold and filings
A VAT return is prepared, not endured: clean VAT accounts, one code per rate and a monthly variance check make the deadline trivial — for registered businesses in Dalpe too.
The net tax rate method simplifies life for small structures: one flat industry rate applied to turnover, with semi-annual filing. In exchange, input VAT is not deducted separately. The effective-versus-flat-rate choice should be reviewed periodically against the cost structure.
Dalpe: what changes, what does not
Sole proprietorship, Sàrl or SA in Dalpe: the AHV contact remains the competent compensation office, and taxes follow the scales of the canton Ticino.
For a business in Dalpe, that means VAT returns identical to anywhere in Switzerland, but a tax return and family allowances governed by the canton Ticino.
Frequently asked questions
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 Dalpe: the CO dictates it, not the commune.
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 Dalpe.
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 Dalpe as anywhere.
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 Dalpe can therefore archive fully digitally.
Also worth reading
In neighbouring municipalities
Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date
MyFiducia.ai automates sole proprietorship for businesses in Dalpe: 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.