Everything that matters about sole proprietorship for plumbers in Prilly
Delegate, digitalise or do it all yourself? Around sole proprietorship in Prilly, every SME draws its own line. The reference points below — federal law, cantonal practice and lessons from the field — help you place the cursor well.
Choosing the structure: Sàrl, SA or sole proprietorship
A Sàrl requires CHF 20,000 of fully paid-in capital; an SA CHF 100,000 of which at least CHF 50,000 paid in. Both require a notarised deed and entry in the commercial register. A sole proprietorship arises from mere activity — registration only becomes mandatory from CHF 100,000 of annual revenue.
On taxes, corporate profit bears direct federal tax at 8.5% (statutory rate) plus cantonal and communal tax — the total effective burden varies markedly between cantons. A realistic business plan and accounts kept from the start make bank credit noticeably easier.
The Swiss legal frame for sole proprietorship
AHV audits and VAT audits follow the same logic: start from the documents, trace to the entries, check consistency. A business in Prilly with a clean audit trail sails through these exercises.
Art. 957a CO requires complete, truthful and systematic recording of transactions, each entry backed by a supporting document. For sole proprietorship, that means in practice: no movement without a receipt, and an audit trail that can be reconstructed at any time — including during a VAT or AHV inspection.
Salaries and social contributions: the rates to know
The salary certificate is an official tax document: it feeds the employee's tax return and serves as the reference in AHV and tax audits. Issued once a year, it must match payroll accounting and the declaration to the compensation office to the centime.
An employer in Prilly does well to fix payday on a set day of the month: funds, employees and cash flow organise around it, and sole proprietorship becomes routine instead of a sprint.
Digitalising sole proprietorship: what actually works
Security is part of digitalisation: named access, tested backups, encryption of sensitive data. A digital accounting file is protected like a safe — because it is one.
For an SME in Prilly, the real gain of digitalised sole proprietorship shows day to day: no paper pile at month-end, VAT prepared continuously, and an owner reading today's figures rather than last quarter's.
Prilly: what changes, what does not
Working with a fiduciary from Prilly no longer depends on geography: the documents of a business in Prilly are shared online, while the canton Vaud keeps its own deadlines for the tax return.
Prilly requires no special bookkeeping: the Code of Obligations applies at postal code 1008 as everywhere else, and a well-kept digital file transfers smoothly to any auditor in the canton.
Frequently asked questions
Effective VAT method or net tax rate: how to choose?
The effective method deducts actual input VAT and files quarterly; the net tax rate method applies a flat industry rate to turnover, semi-annually, with no separate input VAT deduction. The flat rate suits low-cost structures; as investments grow, the effective method usually wins again. The choice rests on the company's own figures, in Prilly as anywhere.
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 Prilly: the CO dictates it, not the commune.
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 Prilly: federal law applies.
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 Prilly can therefore archive fully digitally.
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