Advisor handing a document and pen to a client

SME chart of accounts for Sàrl companies in Concise without the stress: how it works

Between VAT, social contributions and the year-end close, a Swiss SME juggles dozens of deadlines a year. This page focuses on SME chart of accounts in Concise: what the law requires, what can be automated, and when to delegate.

The Swiss legal frame for SME chart of accounts

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 Concise.

Art. 957a CO requires complete, truthful and systematic recording of transactions, each entry backed by a supporting document. For SME chart of accounts, that means in practice: no movement without a receipt, and an audit trail that can be reconstructed at any time — including during a VAT or AHV inspection.

A well-structured SME chart of accounts

Shareholder current accounts demand strict hygiene: every private withdrawal documented, interest at the rates accepted by the tax administration, and a clean-up at closing.

In an SME in Concise, the chart of accounts is also a delegation tool: clear posting rules let a non-accountant prepare most entries without error.

Outsource SME chart of accounts 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 SME chart of accounts lowers fees more surely than any negotiation.

Changing fiduciary is not a drama: the accounting data belongs to the company, and a clean export (entries, chart of accounts, linked documents) allows a transition at year-end. A provider who locks in a client's data says a lot about how it works.

Smiling advisor with a headset at their workstation

A Swiss SME's accounting calendar

Every deadline has an owner: an obligation “of everyone” is kept by no one. Naming one person per deadline family (VAT, payroll, taxes) closes the gaps.

Delays rarely come alone: neglected bookkeeping postpones the closing, hence the tax return, hence the recalculated instalments — and the business flies blind for months. Keeping the books current as you go is the only sustainable way to hold every cascading deadline.

Concise: what changes, what does not

Concise (postal code 1426, canton Vaud) applies the same federal rules as the rest of the country: what changes in Concise are the cantonal counterparts — tax administration, compensation office, commercial register.

Federal deadlines do not move in Concise: VAT within 60 days, salary declaration in January, 10-year record retention — postal code 1426 changes nothing about those rules, only the sender's address.

Frequently asked questions

How long must records related to SME chart of accounts 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 Concise can therefore archive fully digitally.

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

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 Concise manages its documents, VAT and exports exactly as anywhere in Switzerland.

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 Concise, family allowances follow the canton's rates.

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 Concise as everywhere in Switzerland.

Also worth reading

In neighbouring municipalities

Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date

MyFiducia.ai automates SME chart of accounts for businesses in Concise: 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.