Accounting
Outsource your accounting: ongoing bookkeeping for SMEs and the self-employed
We post your receipts on an ongoing basis, reconcile bank and cash and provide you with up-to-date figures – so you know where your company stands and the annual accounts hold no surprises.
Clean financial accounting is the basis for everything else: for the VAT return, the annual financial statements, the tax return and your day-to-day decisions. Many SMEs and self-employed people do it on the side in the evening or collect their receipts until the end of the year. PROFINIO takes over your accounting: you upload your receipts in the client portal, we post them according to the Swiss SME chart of accounts and keep your figures up to date.
What we take care of for you
Ongoing bookkeeping
- Posting of all receipts
- Bank, cash and credit card reconciliation
- Chart of accounts based on the Swiss SME standard
Reports
- Interim balance sheet and income statement
- Monthly or quarterly figures
- Liquidity in view
Coordination
- Basis for the VAT returns
- Posting of salaries
- Preparation of the annual accounts
Bookkeeping obligations in Switzerland: who has to do what?
Legal entities such as the GmbH (limited liability company) and the AG (public limited company) must always keep double-entry accounts and prepare annual financial statements. Sole proprietorships and partnerships are required to do so once their sales revenue reached CHF 500,000 in the last financial year. Below that, simpler accounts of income, expenditure and financial position are sufficient.
Even where simple bookkeeping is allowed, double-entry accounting often pays off: it shows at any time how much your customers owe you, which invoices are outstanding and how your profit is developing. At the latest once you are subject to VAT or hire your first employees, it becomes practically indispensable.
Outsourcing your accounting: the benefits
Doing your own bookkeeping takes time, expertise and software that is constantly updated. Mistakes often only come to light in the annual accounts or during a VAT audit – and by then correcting them is time-consuming.
- More time for your customers
- No accounting software of your own and no updates
- Expertise in VAT, accruals and depreciation included
- Cover during holidays and absences
- Predictable costs
How your receipts reach us
You photograph receipts with your phone or upload invoices as PDFs in the client portal. We import bank statements as a file from your e-banking. If a receipt is missing, you see it in a list in the portal and can submit it later.
What matters is that every entry is backed by a receipt. A complete flow of receipts saves a lot of time with the annual accounts and with queries from the tax authority.
Retention and digital receipts
In Switzerland, accounting records, receipts and annual financial statements must be kept for ten years. Receipts may be stored electronically as long as they remain unaltered, complete and readable at any time. Longer periods apply to certain VAT records, for example those relating to real estate.
In the client portal, your receipts stay neatly filed. That way you can find any invoice again, even years later.
Up-to-date figures for better decisions
Accounts kept on an ongoing basis are more than an obligation. With monthly or quarterly figures, you can see early on whether turnover, margins and liquidity are developing as planned – and react before things get tight. On request, we go through the figures with you regularly.
Typical bookkeeping mistakes
These are the mistakes we see most often:
- Private and business expenses mixed
- Receipts missing or illegible
- Bank and accounts do not match
- Input tax deducted incorrectly or twice
- Accruals and depreciation only caught up on in the annual accounts
From bookkeeping to the annual accounts
Because we keep your accounts on an ongoing basis, the annual accounts are not a separate project. We prepare accruals, depreciation and provisions during the year, and the figures match your VAT returns and payroll reports. Your company's tax return builds on this.
Frequently asked questions
When do I have to keep double-entry accounts?
Always as a GmbH or AG. Sole proprietorships and partnerships once their sales revenue reached CHF 500,000 in the last financial year. Below that, simple accounts of income, expenditure and financial position are sufficient.
Which accounting software do I need?
None. You upload your receipts in the client portal, we keep the accounts in our solution and provide you with the reports. We take over your existing data when you switch.
How often do I need to submit receipts?
Ideally on an ongoing basis, at least monthly. Then your figures are up to date and the VAT return is quickly prepared.
Can I hand over my accounting in the middle of the year?
Yes. Switching at the start of a new financial year is easiest. During the year, we take over the balances as at a cut-off date and continue the accounts from there.
Do you also keep the accounts of sole proprietorships and the self-employed?
Yes. For the self-employed, we prepare the accounts and the business statements and align both with the personal tax return.
Am I still responsible if my accounting is outsourced?
Yes. Responsibility for the accounting remains with the company and its management. We keep the accounts carefully based on your receipts and point out anything unusual.
Your finances and your administration do not have to be complicated.
Tell us about your situation and receive your personal PROFINIO plan.