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A worker in dungarees at a control cabinet in a dairy production room, among stainless-steel tanks, pipework and a trolley of metal milk churns.

Accounting for processing and preserving of fish, crustaceans and molluscs: rules, deadlines, best practice

NOGA code 102000 · MANUFACTURING

Whether you run a Sàrl, an SA or a sole proprietorship, accounting 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 accounting

The same federal law applies — one of the strengths of the Swiss system for accounting. Cantonal differences concentrate on taxation (rates, filing deadlines); bookkeeping itself follows art. 957 ff. CO everywhere.

One simple principle drives accounting: 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.

Digitalising accounting: what actually works

A serious accounting document archive links every record to its entry, timestamps versions and logs access — exactly what Swiss bookkeeping regulation expects from probative electronic retention. Chronological filing by financial year becomes an automatic by-product.

The selection criterion for a tool is not the length of its feature list but the robustness of the daily flow: reliable bank imports, VAT computed correctly (8.1 / 2.6 / 3.8%), a complete audit trail from document to entry, and a clean export for the auditor or fiduciary. Everything else is secondary.

Outsource accounting or keep it in-house?

Outsourcing accounting to a fiduciary frees up time and secures compliance; keeping it in-house preserves a continuous view and costs less in fees. The best answer is often hybrid: the company captures and digitises as it goes, the fiduciary supervises, closes the books and represents the company before the authorities.

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.

A worker in dungarees at a control cabinet in a dairy production room, among stainless-steel tanks, pipework and a trolley of metal milk churns.

A Swiss SME's accounting calendar

The typical annual cycle: monthly or quarterly AHV instalments, VAT returns (quarterly under the effective method, semi-annual under the net tax rate), the final salary declaration in January, closing in the first half-year, then the tax return and the annual VAT reconciliation. Each link depends on the quality of the previous one.

For accounting, two dates lock themselves in every year: the January salary declaration and the general meeting within six months — everything else is planned around them.

A well-structured SME chart of accounts

A good chart of accounts tells the story of the business: classes 1 and 2 describe what it owns and owes, class 3 what it sells, classes 4 to 6 what it consumes. Private accounts (sole proprietorships) and shareholder current accounts (Sàrl/SA) must stay spotless: they are the first thing examined in a tax audit.

The Sterchi/Käfer structure also eases benchmarking: banks and fiduciaries reason on those standard classes to situate an SME's accounting.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a fiduciary for accounting, or can you do it yourself?

Both are defensible. Below CHF 500,000 of revenue, a sole proprietorship may keep simplified accounts itself. As soon as payroll, VAT and a closing with tax stakes are involved, professional support prevents mistakes that cost more than the fees.

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.

Can accounting be automated with AI?

Largely, yes: automatic document reading, posting suggestions, bank reconciliation via QR references and VAT exports. Human approval remains essential — AI prepares, the professional checks. That is exactly how MyFiducia.ai approaches accounting.

Does MyFiducia.ai work for a business anywhere in Switzerland?

Yes: the platform runs online, the rules applied are federal (VAT, CO, AHV), and the file can be shared with any fiduciary. Cantonal specifics (taxes, allowances) are configured in your file.

Professions in the same sector

This guide by municipality

Also worth reading

Switch to accounting that keeps itself up to date

MyFiducia.ai automates accounting for Swiss SMEs: 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.

Source: NOGA 2008 nomenclature, Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO). A statistical nomenclature: it describes an activity and is not a commercial register entry.