Bookkeeping services in Zürich — Swiss GAAP, fixed monthly fees

Art. 957 of the Swiss Code of Obligations requires every company with annual revenue above CHF 500,000 to keep double-entry accounts (Doppelte Buchhaltung) and produce annual financial statements. Smaller companies must maintain income and expense records plus a record of assets and liabilities. Art. 958 requires accounts to be retained for 10 years. Failure to comply is a criminal offence under Art. 325 of the Swiss Criminal Code and can result in personal liability for directors. We ensure your records satisfy the legal requirement at every revenue level and retain all documentation in the format required by Swiss commercial law.

We work primarily with Bexio, Banana Accounting, and AbaPro. Bexio is our recommendation for most Swiss SMEs — it connects directly to Swiss bank accounts via open banking, automates VAT return preparation, integrates with the Swiss payroll module, and produces financial statements in the format required by the commercial registry. Banana Accounting suits smaller entities with fewer than 500 transactions per year — it is Swiss-built, low cost, and widely accepted by cantonal tax authorities. AbaPro handles multi-currency, consolidation, and IFRS requirements for larger groups. Software setup, chart-of-accounts configuration, and team training are included in our onboarding at no extra charge.

Every transaction in a foreign currency is converted to CHF at the exchange rate published by the Swiss Federal Tax Administration (ESTV) for the relevant period. Monthly ESTV rates apply for ongoing transactions; the year-end rate is used for balance sheet revaluation of outstanding positions. Exchange rate gains and losses are recognised in the income statement. We maintain the full conversion audit trail — including source rates and calculation — for your records and for the cantonal tax authority. For companies with significant multi-currency exposure, we can also prepare a functional currency analysis to support a tax ruling application.

Yes. Mid-year transitions are straightforward and do not affect the continuity of your accounts. We request an export of your bookkeeping data and working papers from your outgoing accountant, review all entries from the start of the financial year, identify and correct any errors or inconsistencies, and take over from the agreed date. We handle all communication with your previous accountant directly. If VAT returns are outstanding, we file them before handing over. No VAT deadline is missed during the switchover. Most transitions complete within two weeks of receiving the prior-year data. There is no setup fee for transitions.

Each month you receive a standard management pack: profit and loss statement (actual vs prior year and vs budget if you provide one), balance sheet at month-end vs prior year-end, cash position summary by bank account, aged debtors and creditors reports with days outstanding, and any KPIs or ratios you specify at onboarding. All reports are delivered by the 10th of the following month. For SME and Enterprise clients, the pack includes a short written commentary on key movements. Reports are delivered in Excel and PDF. Additional ad-hoc analysis — cost centre reports, project profitability, cash flow forecasts — can be added at a fixed monthly fee.