Company administration for Swiss startups

Company administration for Swiss startups includes accounting, taxes, HR administration, commercial register notifications and compliance. Digital tools like Bexio, Abacus or BrainHR optimize administrative processes and save time and costs.

Accounting basics:

Legal requirements:

• Minimum accounting: For companies under CHF 500,000 turnover
• Double-entry bookkeeping: From CHF 500,000 turnover or for LLC/Corp
• Retention obligation: 10 years for all documents
• Inventory: Annual inventory
• Balance sheet: Annual closing within 6 months of fiscal year

Bookkeeping obligations:

• Current entries: Record all business transactions
• Document filing: Systematic archiving
• Account reconciliation: Monthly bank reconciliation
• VAT: Quarterly or annual settlement
• Payroll accounting: Monthly payroll processing

Digital accounting solutions:

Bexio:

• Swiss solution: VAT compliant and German language
• Functions: Accounting, invoicing, CRM
• Costs: CHF 29-79 per month
• Advantages: Simple operation, German support
• Integration: E-banking, fiduciary access

Abacus:

• Enterprise solution: For growing companies
• Modules: Finance, HR, CRM, inventory
• Costs: CHF 100-300 per month
• Scalability: Grows with company
• Automation: Workflows and processes

Sage:

• International: Global standard software
• Variants: Sage 50, Sage Business Cloud
• Costs: CHF 50-200 per month
• Flexibility: Different expansion levels
• Interfaces: To many third-party systems

Cloud solutions:

• Advantages: Available everywhere, automatic updates
• Security: Professional data centers
• Backup: Automatic data backup
• Collaboration: Multiple users simultaneously
• Integration: API interfaces to other tools

HR administration:

Payroll accounting:

• Payroll processing: Monthly calculation
• Social insurance: AHV, BVG, UVG, ALV
• Withholding tax: For foreign employees
• Salary certificate: Annual preparation
• Work certificate: Required upon departure

Personnel files:

• Employment contracts: Centralized management
• Vacation planning: Digital recording
• Expense reports: Mobile apps
• Continuing education: Course planning and management
• Performance: Document employee meetings

HR software:

• BrainHR: Swiss all-in-one solution
• Personio: German HR software
• Sage HR: Integrated with accounting
• Costs: CHF 5-25 per employee/month
• Functions: Recruiting, onboarding, performance

Tax management:

Direct taxes:

• Profit taxes: Federal, cantonal, municipal
• Capital taxes: On equity
• Withholding tax: Foreign employees
• Tax return: Annual by March 31
• Tax planning: Optimization opportunities

Value added tax:

• Registration obligation: From CHF 100,000 turnover
• Settlement periods: Quarterly or annual
• Input tax: Deduction entitlement
• Software: VAT-compliant accounting
• Audits: Regular controls possible

International taxes:

• Double taxation: Use treaties
• Transfer pricing: For international transactions
• Internal transfer prices: Prove appropriateness
• Reporting obligations: International reporting

Commercial register management:

Current notifications:

• Address changes: Within 30 days
• Statute amendments: After shareholder resolution
• Officer changes: New managers/board
• Capital changes: Increases/reductions
• Annual accounts: Submit by June 30

Digitalization:

• Online registrations: Possible in many cantons
• Status tracking: Follow processing status
• Electronic signatures: Qualified certificates
• Automatic reminders: Don't miss deadlines

Compliance management:

Data protection:

• DPA compliance: Swiss Data Protection Act
• GDPR: EU data protection for EU customers
• Privacy policy: Transparent and current
• Data subject rights: Information, deletion, portability
• Data protection officer: For elevated risks

Sector regulation:

• Fintech: FINMA requirements
• Medtech: Swissmedic compliance
• E-commerce: Consumer protection
• Labor law: CBA compliance
• Environmental protection: Sector-specific requirements

Document management:

Digital archiving:

• Cloud solutions: Secure storage
• Search: Intelligent search function
• Versions: Document version management
• Access rights: Permission control
• Compliance: Retention period compliance

Workflows:

• Approval processes: Automated workflows
• Signatures: Electronic signatures
• Notifications: Automatic reminders
• Audit trail: Complete traceability

Process automation:

Invoicing:

• Automatic invoicing: Recurring invoices
• Reminders: Automated reminder process
• Payments: Payment integration
• Reconciliation: Automatic payment allocation

Reporting:

• Dashboards: Real-time indicators
• Automatic reports: Regular generation
• Analytics: Business Intelligence
• Alerts: Notifications for threshold breaches

Integrations and interfaces:

Banking systems:

• E-banking: Automatic transaction import
• Payments: Automated processing
• Reconciliation: Automatic allocation
• Forex: Current exchange rates

Third-party systems:

• CRM: Customer data synchronization
• E-commerce: Automatic order import
• Logistics: Shipment tracking
• Analytics: Data consolidation

Security and backup:

Data security:

• Encryption: Secure transmission and storage
• Authentication: Two-factor authentication
• Access rights: Granular role concept
• Audit log: Recording all access

Backup strategy:

• Automatic backup: Daily backup
• Geo-redundancy: Multiple data centers
• Recovery tests: Regular checks
• Continuity plan: In case of failure

Cost optimization:

Software comparison:

• Needs analysis: What functions are needed?
• Scalability: Planned growth
• Total costs: Beyond license fees
• Trial period: Test before purchase

Outsourcing:

• Fiduciary services: For complex tasks
• Bookkeeping: External bookkeeping
• Payroll: External payroll processing
• Tax advice: Professional expertise

Support and training:

User training:

• Initial training: System introduction
• Continuing education: New functions
• Documentation: Manuals and tutorials
• Support: Hotline and chat

Guidance:

• Implementation: Professional migration
• Customization: Adaptation to needs
• Optimization: Continuous improvement
• Maintenance: Regular updates

International compliance:

Multi-currency:

• Currency accounting: Multiple currency management
• Conversion: Automatic exchange rates
• Currency hedging: Risk management
• Reporting: Currency consolidation

Accounting standards:

• Swiss GAAP FER: Swiss standards
• IFRS: International standards
• Country reports: Local requirements
• Audit: Audit preparation

Performance indicators:

Financial KPIs:

• Cash flow: Cash flow
• Profitability: Margins and profits
• Liquidity: Solvency
• Growth: Revenue development

Operational KPIs:

• Efficiency: Processing times
• Quality: Error rates
• Satisfaction: Customer feedback
• Productivity: Output per employee

Conclusion: Efficient company administration through digital tools allows startups to focus on their core business. Automation of administrative processes frees resources for innovation and growth.