Company administration in Switzerland: bookkeeping, payroll and VAT from one team

Administration is where most foreign-owned Swiss companies need ongoing local support: the accounting and payroll rules are federal and predictable, but they come with registrations, cantonal contact points and deadlines that are hard to manage from abroad. A typical mandate bundles bookkeeping, VAT, payroll and corporate housekeeping into one fixed monthly package, scaled to transaction volume.

What outsourced administration includes

A fiduciary administration mandate in Zug or Zurich typically covers six recurring workstreams:

Bookkeeping duties under the Code of Obligations

Art. 957 CO obliges every legal entity — GmbH, AG, cooperative, registered association — to keep full double-entry accounts, whatever its size. Sole proprietorships and partnerships with revenue below CHF 500'000 may instead keep simplified records of income, expenditure and asset position. Financial statements follow the minimum structure of Art. 958 ff. CO: balance sheet, profit and loss statement and notes, prepared in one of the national languages or English and in francs or the functional currency.

Accounting records may be kept electronically but must remain readable and accessible for ten years (Art. 958f CO). An ordinary audit only applies to companies exceeding two of three thresholds — CHF 20 million balance sheet total, CHF 40 million revenue, 250 full-time positions — in two successive years; everyone else needs a limited audit, and companies with no more than ten full-time positions can opt out entirely with the consent of all shareholders.

VAT: registration, rates and returns

VAT registration becomes mandatory once worldwide turnover from taxable supplies reaches CHF 100'000 per year (Art. 10 MWSTG). Since 1 January 2024 the rates are 8.1 percent standard, 2.6 percent reduced and 3.8 percent for accommodation. Companies below the threshold often register voluntarily to recover input VAT on start-up costs.

Returns are filed quarterly under the effective method, or twice a year under the net tax rate method, within 60 days of the period end. Since 1 January 2025, businesses with turnover up to CHF 5'005'000 may opt for a single annual return with instalments — a genuine simplification for small companies. The applicable rates and the wider federal tax picture are summarised under taxes in Switzerland.

Payroll and social insurance

Swiss payroll is contribution-heavy but mechanical. AHV/IV/EO (old-age, disability and income compensation) takes 10.6 percent of gross salary, split equally between employer and employee; unemployment insurance adds 2.2 percent on salaries up to CHF 148'200 per year. Occupational pension contributions (BVG) apply from an annual salary of CHF 22'680, with rates depending on age and the chosen pension plan, and accident insurance (UVG) is mandatory for all employees (figures as of July 2026).

For foreign employees without a C permit, the employer must deduct withholding tax at source every month, at rates set by the canton of residence. The employer registers with the cantonal compensation office, settles contributions and issues the annual salary certificate each employee needs for their tax return.

Who outsources administration — three scenarios

A foreign founder with a Swiss GmbH and no local staff outsources bookkeeping, VAT and payroll from day one, usually combined with a registered address and a resident director mandate to satisfy the residency requirement of Art. 814 CO.

A holding or asset-holding company has few transactions and books a small annual package: accounts, one VAT check, minutes of the annual general meeting and register upkeep.

A buyer of a ready-made company needs accounting continuity from the day of the transfer: opening balance sheet, new chart of accounts, VAT re-registration and payroll set-up for the first hires — typically within one to two weeks.

When outsourcing is not the right choice

Company administration by an external fiduciary is not always the best answer. An e-commerce business with thousands of monthly transactions is better served by an integrated ERP and an in-house bookkeeper, with the fiduciary reduced to year-end statements and tax returns. Businesses under FINMA supervision need specialised regulatory reporting that general fiduciary packages do not cover. And a one-person service company with twenty invoices a year can reasonably keep its own records in year one and hand over once VAT registration or the first employee arrives.

Volume decides the price. If you send a short description of your company, activity and expected number of bookings through the contact form, you receive a fixed quote — not an hourly estimate — within one working day.