Annual financial statements
Financial statements under the Swiss Code of Obligations, with an eye on tax and the bank.
Why this matters
Your annual accounts help determine how much tax you pay, whether the bank renews your loan and whether you can trust your own figures. If you can only present provisional numbers in a credit meeting, you negotiate from the weaker position; if you leave accruals and depreciation to chance, you give away legitimate room for manoeuvre or invite queries from the tax authorities. And accounts thrown together at the last minute under deadline pressure contain, in our experience, the most errors – which then live on in the books for years.
For legal entities such as the GmbH and AG, the Code of Obligations requires annual accounts with a balance sheet, income statement and notes; business records must be kept for ten years. Smaller companies can waive the limited audit if all shareholders agree and the business averages no more than ten full-time positions over the year – then the accounts carry the responsibility alone. Clean accounts therefore matter precisely for small companies without an auditor, for businesses with bank financing, and for anyone who wants to use the accounts as a steering tool rather than a mere formality.
What you get out of it
Financial statements that stand up to the tax authorities and your bank.
Hidden reserves and depreciation used wisely for tax purposes.
Deadline pressure in spring? Not yours any more.
What we take care of for you
- Annual financial statements under the Swiss Code of Obligations (OR)
- Tax optimisation within the legal framework
- The company's tax return
- Discussing the figures — in plain language, not jargon
The advice is free for you — we are remunerated by the insurance companies through brokerage commissions and will disclose these on request.
Tips from our consultations
What we tell our clients time and again – free of charge, even before the first meeting.
Invoices that concern the old year but only arrive in the new one – and vice versa – need to be properly accrued. Missing accruals and deferrals distort the result and catch the tax authorities’ attention. A short checklist in December saves a lot of tidying up in spring.
Within the rates accepted for tax purposes, you have leeway over when and how much you depreciate. More in good years, less in weak ones – that way you smooth the result within the legal framework. What matters is continuity: erratic changes without justification raise questions.
If you complete the groundwork in the old year – inventory, open items, filing of receipts – you have the accounts weeks earlier and the tax return without the rush. Deadline extensions for the tax return are usually possible, but they should be planned rather than becoming a habit.
Put the figures next to last year’s and next to your budget: margin, staff costs, liquidity. A single annual conversation about these key figures often achieves more than any gut decision. The accounts are already paid for – so use them.