Assurance
Statutory audit
Whether you need an ordinary audit, a limited audit, or can opt out, and arranging it through a licensed auditor.
Statutory auditSwiss accounting
& bookkeeping
Swiss companies must keep books and file statutory annual accounts to the Code of Obligations. The value is in keeping them so the corporate tax return, the VAT returns and the financial statements all come off one reconciled record, not reconstructed separately each year. We run the day-to-day bookkeeping and prepare the statutory accounts, with the tax and VAT treatment built in, audit-ready from the start.
At a glance
One clean record that feeds everything.
Tax, VAT and statutory accounts off the same books — audit-ready.
- Standard
- Code of Obligations (or GAAP/IFRS)
- Double-entry
- Above CHF 500,000 turnover
- Statutory accounts
- Balance sheet, P&L, notes
- Retention
- Ten years
- Feeds
- Tax return + VAT + audit
The essentials
What Swiss bookkeeping requires
Swiss companies keep their books and file annual financial statements under the Code of Obligations. A company, and any business above CHF 500,000 turnover, keeps full double-entry accounts producing a balance sheet, income statement and notes; the records must give a reliable picture and be retained for ten years. The discipline that matters is keeping the books so the tax return, the VAT returns and the statutory accounts all reconcile to one record, which is what makes them cheap to run and able to withstand a tax audit.
Who this is for
- Swiss companies needing their statutory books and accounts kept;
- foreign-owned entities running their Swiss accounting from abroad;
- businesses whose tax and VAT returns do not reconcile to the books;
- companies preparing accounts for an audit or a financing.
Where it fits
The books feed the VAT returns and the tax position, support the audit, and underpin the substance behind corporate administration.
The principle
One record feeding everything
The difference between cheap, audit-ready accounting and expensive, error-prone accounting is whether the returns come off the books or are rebuilt beside them. One record, structured right, feeds all three outputs.
| Output | Comes off the books when… |
|---|---|
| Statutory annual accounts | Entries reconcile to the trial balance |
| Corporate tax return | Deductibility is flagged in the accounts |
| VAT returns | VAT codes are captured per transaction |
| Audit file | Records support every entry, retained |
When the bookkeeping captures the tax and VAT treatment as it goes, each output is produced rather than reconstructed: fewer errors, lower cost, and a file that stands up. Disconnected books and returns are where audit findings and wasted fees come from. We keep the one record that makes the rest follow.
How it runs
From entries to accounts
Bookkeeping is continuous; the year-end accounts are its product. We run both as one process.
- Set-up
Chart & coding
A chart of accounts and VAT and deductibility coding built to the entity’s tax and reporting needs.
- Ongoing
Day-to-day entries
Invoices, payments, payroll and bank movements recorded and reconciled through the year.
- Periodic
Returns off the books
The VAT returns produced directly from the records, reconciled to the accounts.
- Year-end
Statutory accounts
The balance sheet, income statement and notes prepared to the Code of Obligations for approval.
- After
Tax & audit
The corporate tax return off the same accounts, and the audit file where an audit applies.
Budget
What it costs
Bookkeeping is scoped to volume and reporting standard: a small holding company with few transactions is far lighter than a trading company with payroll, VAT and high transaction counts, or one reporting under Swiss GAAP FER. The recurring bookkeeping is priced separately from the year-end statutory accounts.
We scope and quote against the entity’s activity and standard. Pricing is on request.
Discuss your books
What you need
What the books require
Compliant, useful Swiss accounting rests on:
- double-entry accounts where turnover exceeds CHF 500,000;
- a chart and coding that capture tax deductibility and VAT;
- statutory annual accounts to the Code of Obligations;
- records that support every entry, retained for ten years;
- reconciliation between the books, the returns and the accounts.
The Code of Obligations is not “true and fair”
Foreign owners sometimes assume Swiss statutory accounts follow the same “true and fair view” logic as IFRS. They do not entirely: the Code of Obligations permits prudent valuation and certain hidden reserves, which can make CO accounts look conservative against an international group’s expectations, and which matter for distributable profit and tax. Treating CO accounts as if they were IFRS, or vice versa, leads to misread results and mistaken dividends. We keep the accounts to the right framework and explain where it differs from what an international parent expects.
Why Goldblum
Bookkeeping, in detail
Clean books are the foundation everything else (tax, VAT, audit, dividends) rests on. Keeping them to the Swiss standard, with the returns built in, is the day-to-day fiduciary work this firm has done since 2007.
One record
Returns built in, not bolted on
The tax and VAT treatment captured as the books are kept, so the returns reconcile by construction and audits find a clean file.
Right standard
CO, GAAP or IFRS
The accounts kept to the framework the entity actually needs, with the differences from an international parent’s expectations made clear.
In Switzerland
Local, for foreign owners
The Swiss books kept here, in the right format and language, more reliable than running Swiss accounts from abroad.
Related
What the books feed
Indirect tax
VAT registration & compliance
The periodic returns produced directly from the bookkeeping record, reconciled and on time.
VAT complianceThe other half
Corporate administration
The substance, directorship and entity management the bookkeeping supports, keeping the company compliant.
Corporate administration
FAQ
Swiss accounting & bookkeeping: FAQ
01What are the Swiss bookkeeping requirements?
Swiss companies must keep books and file annual financial statements under the accounting rules of the Code of Obligations. A company, and any business above CHF 500,000 in annual turnover, must keep full double-entry accounts producing a balance sheet, an income statement and notes; smaller sole proprietorships and associations below that threshold can keep simplified records of income, expenditure and asset position. The accounts must give a reliable picture and be retained for ten years. We keep the books to the standard the entity actually requires.
02What accounting standard applies to a Swiss company?
The default is the financial-reporting rules in the Code of Obligations, which most SMEs use. Larger companies, or those that choose to, may report under a recognised standard such as Swiss GAAP FER or IFRS, and listed or economically significant entities face additional requirements. The CO rules permit certain prudent reserves and a degree of conservatism that pure 'true and fair' standards do not. We keep the accounts to the appropriate framework and advise where a higher standard is needed or worthwhile.
03Why keep the books so the tax return comes off them?
Because the corporate tax return, the VAT returns and the financial statements should all reconcile to a single record, not be reconstructed separately. When the bookkeeping is structured with the tax and VAT treatment built in (correct accounts, VAT codes, deductibility flags), the returns are produced from the books rather than re-derived, which removes errors, saves cost and stands up to a tax audit. Disconnected books and returns are where most accounting problems and audit findings originate. We keep one clean record that feeds everything.
04What are the annual statutory accounts?
Every Swiss company must prepare annual financial statements (a balance sheet, an income statement and notes) within the period set by law, approved by the governing body and, for larger companies, with a management report. They form the basis of the tax return, any dividend, and the audit where one applies. The statutory accounts are a legal obligation, not just management information. We prepare them to the Code of Obligations from the year's bookkeeping, ready for approval, audit and filing.
05Can bookkeeping be outsourced for a foreign-owned company?
Yes, and it commonly is. A foreign-owned Swiss company can have its bookkeeping and statutory accounts run by a Swiss fiduciary, which keeps the records in Switzerland, in the right format and language, and aligned with the tax and VAT obligations. This is often more reliable than running Swiss accounts from abroad, where local requirements and the language are easy to miss. We keep the books for foreign-owned entities as part of the substance and administration that keep the company compliant here.
06What records and retention does Swiss law require?
The books, accounting records and the annual financial statements must be kept for ten years, and must be available and legible, increasingly in electronic form, subject to integrity requirements. The records must support every entry and reconcile to the statements. Poor record-keeping is itself a compliance failure and weakens the company in a tax audit. We maintain the records to the retention and integrity standard, so the company can always substantiate its accounts and returns.
07How does bookkeeping connect to VAT?
Directly. The VAT returns are produced from the same accounting records, so the books must capture the correct VAT rate and treatment on each transaction and the recoverable input tax on costs. When VAT coding is built into the bookkeeping, the periodic returns reconcile to the accounts automatically; when it is bolted on afterwards, errors and mismatches follow. We keep the books and the VAT returns on one record, so they agree by construction rather than by reconciliation after the fact.
08What is the difference between bookkeeping and accounting here?
Bookkeeping is the ongoing recording of transactions (invoices, payments, payroll, bank movements) into the accounts through the year. Accounting, in the statutory sense, is the periodic work of turning that record into the annual financial statements, with the judgements on valuation, accruals, provisions and reserves the law allows. Both matter: clean bookkeeping makes the year-end accounts straightforward, and the year-end accounts are only as good as the bookkeeping beneath them. We run both as one continuous process.
09When does a company need an audit of its accounts?
It depends on size. A company exceeding two of three thresholds (CHF 20 million balance sheet, CHF 40 million turnover, 250 full-time staff) needs an ordinary audit; most others need a limited audit; and a company with no more than ten full-time employees can opt out of the limited audit with all shareholders' consent. The accounts are prepared the same way regardless, but the audit requirement shapes how they are reviewed and filed. We confirm the audit position and prepare the accounts to suit it.
10What does Goldblum do on accounting and bookkeeping?
We run the day-to-day bookkeeping and prepare the statutory annual accounts to the Code of Obligations, with the tax and VAT treatment built into the records so the returns come straight off the books. We keep the records to the retention and integrity standard, prepare the accounts for approval and any audit, and keep one reconciled record feeding the tax return, the VAT returns and the financial statements. The aim is books that are clean, current and audit-ready, not reconstructed each year-end.
Need your Swiss books kept right?
Tell us the entity and its volume. A partner sets up bookkeeping with the tax and VAT treatment built in, and prepares the statutory accounts so the returns come straight off the books.