Team analysing financial charts around a table

Financial dashboard digitalisation in Basel without the stress: how it works

Delegate, digitalise or do it all yourself? Around financial dashboard in Basel, 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.

The Swiss legal frame for financial dashboard

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.

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.

Digitalising financial dashboard: what actually works

Access for the fiduciary, the auditor and employees is set by roles: view, enter, approve, close. Well-set rights protect the data and speed up collaboration.

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.

Outsource financial dashboard or keep it in-house?

A fiduciary's cost depends first on the quality of the data received: digitised, filed, reconciled documents are processed fast; a box of loose receipts is billed by the hour. Improving the internal preparation of financial dashboard lowers fees more surely than any negotiation.

In Basel, as everywhere, the right collaboration rhythm follows the activity: monthly for payroll and data entry, quarterly for VAT, yearly for the closing and tax advice.

Smiling team looking at a laptop

Year-end closing: how the mechanics work

Accrual accounting is the technical heart of the closing: every income and every expense belongs to the year it economically concerns, regardless of the payment date. Rents paid in advance, insurance premiums straddling the date, supplier invoices arriving in January: all flow through accrual accounts.

For financial dashboard, a closing checklist reused every year transforms the exercise: same steps, same checks, same documents — only the year changes.

Basel: what changes, what does not

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

For a business in Basel, that means VAT returns identical to anywhere in Switzerland, but a tax return and family allowances governed by the canton Basel-City.

Frequently asked questions

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 Basel too.

How long must records related to financial dashboard 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 Basel can therefore archive fully digitally.

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 Basel as anywhere.

What are the legal obligations for financial dashboard 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 Basel: federal law applies.

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Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date

MyFiducia.ai automates financial dashboard for businesses in Basel: 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.