Advisor handing a document and pen to a client

Bookkeeping for law firms in Chur: rules, deadlines, best practice

Whether you run a Sàrl, an SA or a sole proprietorship in Chur, bookkeeping eventually lands on your desk. Here are the practical reference points — legal basis, deadlines and common pitfalls — to decide with a clear head.

The Swiss legal frame for bookkeeping

For an owner in Chur, 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.

One simple principle drives bookkeeping: every franc in or out must be explainable by a document, an entry and an account. All of Swiss accounting law fits inside that traceability requirement.

A well-structured SME chart of accounts

Account labels deserve as much care as numbers: “Third-party fees” says nothing, “Fiduciary fees” and “IT fees” say everything. Meaningful labels cut posting errors and make dashboards readable without a glossary.

For a business in Chur, comparability over time beats sophistication: a chart stable for five years beats a “perfect” one rebuilt every year. Banks and the tax administration read year-on-year movements first.

Digitalising bookkeeping: what actually works

Automation is judged on the exceptions: what happens when the document is unreadable, the supplier unknown, the amount divergent? A good tool isolates those cases and lets a human decide fast — precious for teams in Chur.

An SME in Chur that digitalises gains owner time first: less filing, fewer “where is that receipt?” questions, more attention to the trade — that is the real return of bookkeeping.

Pen pointing at a bar chart on paper

A Swiss SME's accounting calendar

An accounting calendar only lives if it is shared: owner, in-house bookkeeper and fiduciary must see the same deadlines and the same status — the rule holds for every SME in Chur.

For bookkeeping, year-end is prepared in October: last invoices, investment decisions, provisions to assess — December is too late to act, January is for recording.

Chur: what changes, what does not

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

Federal deadlines do not move in Chur: VAT within 60 days, salary declaration in January, 10-year record retention — postal code 7000 changes nothing about those rules, only the sender's address.

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 Chur as anywhere.

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 Chur too.

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 Chur, family allowances follow the canton's rates.

Does MyFiducia.ai work for a business based in Chur?

Yes: the platform runs online, the rules applied are federal (VAT, CO, AHV), and the file can be shared with any fiduciary. A business in Chur manages its documents, VAT and exports exactly as anywhere in Switzerland.

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Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date

MyFiducia.ai automates bookkeeping for businesses in Chur: 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.

    Bookkeeping for law firms in Chur | MyFiducia.ai