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Accounting automation for photographers in Pully: the practical guide

Delegate, digitalise or do it all yourself? Around accounting automation in Pully, 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.

Digitalising accounting automation: what actually works

Artificial intelligence has changed the economics of accounting automation: automatic invoice reading reaches recognition rates that make manual entry marginal, and posting suggestions learn from corrections. The accountant does not disappear — the job shifts from data entry to control and advice.

The winning pair for accounting automation: a single inbox (e-mail, scan, photo) and one simple rule — no document sits more than a few days without a proposed entry.

QR-bills and friction-free collections

Since 30 September 2022, the QR-bill has fully replaced the old Swiss payment slips. The Swiss QR Code carries the IBAN (or QR-IBAN), the amount, the debtor and a structured reference: enough to match every incoming payment to its invoice automatically.

For accounting automation, invoicing fast changes everything: a service billed the week it is delivered gets paid noticeably earlier than a month-end batch invoice.

The Swiss legal frame for accounting automation

Responsibility for the books is personal: in an SA, organising the accounting is one of the board's non-transferable duties (art. 716a CO); in a Sàrl, the managing directors carry the same duty. Outsourcing the execution never transfers that underlying responsibility, including for a company based in Pully.

For accounting automation, the classic early mistake remains mixing private and business: a dedicated bank account and documented private withdrawals eliminate half the discussions with the tax office.

Pen pointing at a bar chart on paper

A well-structured SME chart of accounts

A chart of accounts gets documented: one description line per account (what, when, VAT) is enough for two people to post the same way. It is the quality manual of accounting automation, valid in Pully as anywhere.

For a business in Pully, the Sterchi/Käfer structure also eases benchmarking: banks and fiduciaries reason on those standard classes to situate an SME's accounting automation.

Pully: what changes, what does not

Working with a fiduciary from Pully no longer depends on geography: the documents of a business in Pully are shared online, while the canton Vaud keeps its own deadlines for the tax return.

Federal deadlines do not move in Pully: VAT within 60 days, salary declaration in January, 10-year record retention — postal code 1009 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 Pully.

When must a business register for VAT?

As soon as its worldwide annual turnover reaches CHF 100,000 (CHF 250,000 for non-profit sports or cultural associations). Below that, voluntary registration remains possible and often makes sense to reclaim input VAT on investments. The threshold is federal: it applies in Pully as everywhere in Switzerland.

How long must records related to accounting automation 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 Pully can therefore archive fully digitally.

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 Pully: the CO dictates it, not the commune.

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Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date

MyFiducia.ai automates accounting automation for businesses in Pully: 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.

    Accounting automation for photographers in Pully