Handshake during a business meeting, top view

Bank reconciliation for bars and cafés in Fischingen: rules, deadlines, best practice

Between VAT, social contributions and the year-end close, a Swiss SME juggles dozens of deadlines a year. This page focuses on bank reconciliation in Fischingen: what the law requires, what can be automated, and when to delegate.

Digitalising bank reconciliation: what actually works

A serious accounting document archive links every record to its entry, timestamps versions and logs access — exactly what Swiss bookkeeping regulation expects from probative electronic retention. Chronological filing by financial year becomes an automatic by-product.

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.

The Swiss legal frame for bank reconciliation

AHV audits and VAT audits follow the same logic: start from the documents, trace to the entries, check consistency. A business in Fischingen with a clean audit trail sails through these exercises.

Late books show from the outside: poorly calibrated tax instalments, provisional filings, slow answers to the bank. Staying current is also a matter of image.

A well-structured SME chart of accounts

Nearly all Swiss SMEs rely on the standard SME chart of accounts (Sterchi/Käfer): classes 1 (assets) to 9 (closing), with revenue in class 3 and expenses in classes 4 to 6. Using this standard structure makes conversations with your fiduciary, auditor and tax administration far easier.

For bank reconciliation, a few well-chosen analytical accounts (by activity, by site) beat a forest of sub-accounts nobody ever reads.

Pen pointing at a bar chart on paper

QR-bills and friction-free collections

Supplier invoices benefit from the same standard: the QR code is read on receipt, the payment is staged in e-banking with the desired due date, and the expense entry is proposed with the correct VAT. The purchase-payment-posting chain takes three moves.

For bank reconciliation, the share of collections matched automatically is a metric worth watching: when it drops, it is almost always a matter of misused references.

Fischingen: what changes, what does not

Sole proprietorship, Sàrl or SA in Fischingen: the AHV contact remains the competent compensation office, and taxes follow the scales of the canton Thurgau.

Fischingen requires no special bookkeeping: the Code of Obligations applies at postal code 8374 as everywhere else, and a well-kept digital file transfers smoothly to any auditor in the canton.

Frequently asked questions

Which social contributions does a Swiss employer pay?

AHV/IV/APG: 5.3% employer share (the same is withheld from the employee); unemployment insurance: 1.1% each up to CHF 148,200 a year; occupational pension (LPP) by age and plan (employer at least 50%); occupational accident insurance paid by the employer; family allowances by canton. For an employer in Fischingen, family allowances follow the canton's rates.

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 Fischingen as anywhere.

What are the legal obligations for bank reconciliation 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 Fischingen: federal law applies.

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 Fischingen too.

Also worth reading

In neighbouring municipalities

Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date

MyFiducia.ai automates bank reconciliation for businesses in Fischingen: 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.

    Bank reconciliation for bars and cafés in Fischingen