SA incorporation for the self-employed in St. Moritz: what every SME should know
Delegate, digitalise or do it all yourself? Around SA incorporation in St. Moritz, 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.
Choosing the structure: Sàrl, SA or sole proprietorship
Check the company name before any enthusiasm: availability in the commercial register, internet domain, possible trademark. Renaming later costs time and trust, in St. Moritz as elsewhere.
From day one, three administrative tracks open: affiliation to an AHV compensation office, review of VAT liability (CHF 100,000 threshold) and setting up the accounts. Handling SA incorporation from the first month costs far less than reconstructing a whole year in December.
Digitalising SA incorporation: what actually works
Digitising does not mean hoarding PDFs: without the document-entry link, a digital file is as opaque as a box of archives — true in St. Moritz as everywhere.
For SA incorporation, migrating history must not block the start: begin on day one of the current financial year and import the history later if needed.
The Swiss legal frame for SA incorporation
AHV audits and VAT audits follow the same logic: start from the documents, trace to the entries, check consistency. A business in St. Moritz with a clean audit trail sails through these exercises.
Also worth knowing: accounts may be drawn up in the currency most relevant to the business; if that is not the franc, values must additionally be stated in CHF (art. 958d para. 3 CO). Internationally active companies gain books that match their economic reality.
Swiss VAT: rates, threshold and filings
Charging VAT is not a matter of style: the number, the correct rate, the tax amount — the tax administration checks the form as closely as the substance, including at SMEs in St. Moritz.
The right reflex for SA incorporation: file every supplier invoice with its VAT on receipt. Forgotten input VAT is money definitively lost once the limitation period runs out.
St. Moritz: what changes, what does not
St. Moritz (postal code 7500, canton Grisons) applies the same federal rules as the rest of the country: what changes in St. Moritz are the cantonal counterparts — tax administration, compensation office, commercial register.
For a business in St. Moritz, that means VAT returns identical to anywhere in Switzerland, but a tax return and family allowances governed by the canton Grisons.
Frequently asked questions
How long must records related to SA incorporation 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 St. Moritz can therefore archive fully digitally.
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 St. Moritz, family allowances follow the canton's rates.
How much does SA incorporation cost in St. Moritz?
It depends on document volume, the number of salaries and VAT complexity — no serious figure can be quoted without examining the file. Two levers cut the bill everywhere: digitised, well-filed receipts and software that prepares entries instead of having them re-keyed.
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 St. Moritz as everywhere in Switzerland.
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