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Salary certificate required documents in Furna: what every SME should know

Whether you run a Sàrl, an SA or a sole proprietorship in Furna, salary certificate 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 salary certificate

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.

The law also settles the form: accounts may be kept in a national language or in English, on paper or electronically (art. 957a para. 5 CO). That pragmatism lets salary certificate run entirely on digital tools — no paper binder is required.

Outsource salary certificate or keep it in-house?

The scope goes down in writing: who enters data, who approves payments, who answers the tax office, who keeps the originals. Every “we'll see” at the start becomes a December misunderstanding — in Furna as elsewhere.

In Furna, 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.

Salaries and social contributions: the rates to know

Two of these contributions are set by law: AHV/IV/APG at 5.3% and unemployment at 1.1%, both payable by the employer. The others — LPP, accident insurance, possibly daily sickness benefits and family allowances — depend on the insurer, the industry and the pension plan. The total surcharge usually falls between 12 and 20% of gross pay, and employee deductions between 10 and 15%: these are orders of magnitude, not statutory rates.

For salary certificate, the gap between agreed gross and paid net surprises every new employer: simulate it BEFORE hiring to avoid misunderstandings with the future employee.

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Digitalising salary certificate: what actually works

Accounting digitalisation always follows the same path: capture documents at the source (photo or PDF upload), let automatic recognition extract supplier, amount, date and VAT, approve the proposed entries, then archive each document linked to its entry. Every step removes a re-keying — and therefore an error source.

An SME in Furna 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 salary certificate.

Furna: what changes, what does not

Furna (postal code 7232, canton Grisons) applies the same federal rules as the rest of the country: what changes in Furna are the cantonal counterparts — tax administration, compensation office, commercial register.

Furna requires no special bookkeeping: the Code of Obligations applies at postal code 7232 as everywhere else, and a well-kept digital file transfers smoothly to any auditor in the canton.

Frequently asked questions

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 Furna as everywhere in Switzerland.

What is simplified bookkeeping and who can use it?

Sole proprietorships and partnerships under CHF 500,000 of revenue may limit themselves to recording income, expenses and assets (art. 957 para. 2 CO). Once over the threshold — or upon founding a Sàrl or an SA — full accounts with balance sheet, income statement and notes become mandatory. The CHF 500,000 threshold is assessed the same way in Furna.

What are the legal obligations for salary certificate 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 Furna: federal law applies.

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 Furna.

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    Salary certificate required documents in Furna — Swiss guide