Sole proprietorship for carpenters in Centovalli explained simply
Whether you run a Sàrl, an SA or a sole proprietorship in Centovalli, 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
Partners from day one? A shareholders' agreement settles what the articles do not: exit, deadlock, valuation. Signing it while everything is fine costs an evening; negotiating it in a crisis costs the company.
Incorporating in Centovalli opens the same toolbox: banks, funds, fiduciaries and online tools work everywhere — the choice of seat is strategic, not technical, for sole proprietorship.
The Swiss legal frame for sole proprietorship
In Switzerland, the duty to keep accounts stems from art. 957 ff. of the Code of Obligations. Legal entities (Sàrl, SA) and sole proprietorships with at least CHF 500,000 in revenue keep full accounts: balance sheet, income statement and notes. Below that threshold, a simplified record of income, expenses and assets is sufficient.
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.
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.
For businesses in Centovalli, VAT is in practice the most audited tax: punctual returns consistent with the books markedly reduce the odds of a deep audit of sole proprietorship.
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 Centovalli. They come on top of the federal social insurances and appear on every payslip.
For sole proprietorship, the winning mechanics are simple: one single payroll database (salaries, rates, allowances), monthly slips generated from it, and an annual declaration that is little more than a sum. Painful catch-up invoices almost always stem from scattered data.
Centovalli: what changes, what does not
Centovalli (postal code 6655, canton Ticino) applies the same federal rules as the rest of the country: what changes in Centovalli are the cantonal counterparts — tax administration, compensation office, commercial register.
Federal deadlines do not move in Centovalli: VAT within 60 days, salary declaration in January, 10-year record retention — postal code 6655 changes nothing about those rules, only the sender's address.
Frequently asked questions
What are the current Swiss VAT rates?
Since 1 January 2024: 8.1% (standard), 2.6% (reduced — for example food and medicines) and 3.8% (accommodation). Returns must be filed and paid within 60 days after the period ends (quarterly under the effective method, semi-annually under the net tax rate method). These federal rates apply unchanged in Centovalli.
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 Centovalli: the CO dictates it, not the commune.
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 Centovalli.
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 Centovalli as anywhere.
Also worth reading
In neighbouring municipalities
Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date
MyFiducia.ai automates sole proprietorship for businesses in Centovalli: 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.