Everything that matters about sole proprietorship for garages in Puidoux
Whether you run a Sàrl, an SA or a sole proprietorship in Puidoux, sole proprietorship eventually lands on your desk. Here are the practical reference points — legal basis, deadlines and common pitfalls — to decide with a clear head.
Choosing the structure: Sàrl, SA or sole proprietorship
Articles and internal organisation are written to last: circle of shareholders, transfer of shares, signature rights. Templates do the job at first, but every missing clause gets renegotiated later from a weaker position.
Settling in Puidoux also means thinking about insurance from incorporation: professional liability, property, business interruption — the accounts keep track of them and the closing allocates them correctly.
The Swiss legal frame for sole proprietorship
For an owner in Puidoux, 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.
The law also settles the form: accounts may be kept in a national language or in English, on paper or electronically (art. 957a para. 5 CO). That pragmatism lets sole proprietorship run entirely on digital tools — no paper binder is required.
Swiss VAT: rates, threshold and filings
Taxable consideration is not limited to the invoiced price: barter, set-offs and benefits in kind count too. The safe reflex: every economic advantage received is documented and qualified.
For an SME in Puidoux, electronic filing of VAT returns has been mandatory since 1 January 2025; the tax administration's online portal is also where extensions are requested and past periods consulted. Combined with accounts that prepare the return automatically, sole proprietorship stops being a quarterly chore.
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 Puidoux as everywhere.
For sole proprietorship, migrating history must not block the start: begin on day one of the current financial year and import the history later if needed.
Puidoux: what changes, what does not
Sole proprietorship, Sàrl or SA in Puidoux: the AHV contact remains the competent compensation office, and taxes follow the scales of the canton Vaud.
Puidoux requires no special bookkeeping: the Code of Obligations applies at postal code 1070 as everywhere else, and a well-kept digital file transfers smoothly to any auditor in the canton.
Frequently asked questions
How much does sole proprietorship cost in Puidoux?
It depends on document volume, the number of salaries and VAT complexity — no serious figure can be quoted without examining the file. Two levers cut the bill everywhere: digitised, well-filed receipts and software that prepares entries instead of having them re-keyed.
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 Puidoux can therefore archive fully digitally.
What are the legal obligations for sole proprietorship in Switzerland?
The foundation is the Code of Obligations: proper bookkeeping (art. 957a CO), annual accounts (balance sheet, income statement, notes) and 10-year retention of books and records (art. 958f CO). VAT applies from CHF 100,000 of turnover, and social insurance settlements from the first employee. Nothing is different in Puidoux: federal law applies.
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 Puidoux.
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Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date
MyFiducia.ai automates sole proprietorship for businesses in Puidoux: AI-read documents, posting suggestions, VAT and exports ready for your fiduciary. Try the platform or browse our other guides.
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