Accounting for Self-Employed in Switzerland
Understand your accounting obligations, the VAT threshold and the tools to manage your self-employed activity in Switzerland.
Are you self-employed, a freelancer, consultant, craftsperson or service provider in Switzerland? This page explains the basics of self-employed accounting: legal obligations, simplified accounting, VAT threshold, supporting documents, balance sheet, tax return and choosing suitable software.
Start your activity with clear tracking of your income, expenses and supporting documents.
Up to CHF 500,000 in annual turnover, accounting obligations may be simplified depending on your situation.
The Federal Tax Administration indicates that a business generally becomes subject to VAT from CHF 100,000 in turnover from taxable services.
With suitable software, you can manage a large part of your accounting independently, while retaining the option of using an accountant for more complex cases.
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Accounting for self-employed in Switzerland involves tracking your income, expenses and tax obligations such as VAT or tax returns. From the start of your activity, it is important to keep supporting documents and be able to explain the income and expenses related to your activity.
What Are the Accounting Obligations?
In Switzerland, keeping accounts is a legal obligation for self-employed individuals. Accounting rules are notably defined by the Swiss Code of Obligations and explained on the
Confederation’s SME portal. For self-employed individuals and sole proprietorships, the threshold of CHF 500,000 generally determines whether simplified accounting is sufficient or whether complete accounting is necessary.
Good news: in most cases, a self-employed person can manage their accounting alone, without an accountant. However, between VAT, supporting documents and returns, it can quickly become complex.
A common mistake: underestimating the rigor required by the Swiss administration.
Tax and accounting rules may depend on your situation, your canton, your status and your activity. Official sources and, if necessary, a tax advisor remain the references for specific cases.
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Up to CHF 500,000 in annual turnover, legal obligations may be simplified. With Fiduly, you can still track your activity in a structured double-entry accounting system.
From CHF 500,000 in annual turnover, complete accounting according to the rules of the Code of Obligations becomes necessary. Fiduly is designed to support this double-entry management.
A self-employed person may be subject to VAT when their annual turnover from taxable services reaches CHF 100,000 in principle. Below this threshold, voluntary registration remains possible depending on the situation.
Once subject to VAT, you must notably be able to:
Fiduly allows you to manage VAT in invoicing, expenses and accounting reports to more easily prepare your returns.
For more details, also consult our page Swiss VAT return.
A self-employed person must track their income, but also their business expenses. These expenses help understand the profitability of the activity and prepare more complete accounting.
Common expenses may notably include:
With Fiduly, you can add your expenses, attach your supporting documents and keep a clear record of your business expenses.
When a self-employed person operates a sole proprietorship without employees, they generally do not pay themselves a salary in the traditional accounting sense. Amounts withdrawn from the business bank account for personal use are considered private withdrawals.
These amounts should therefore not be recorded as a business expense or payroll charge. They must be recorded via account 2850 – Private account, used in the Swiss chart of accounts for sole proprietorships.
Example of accounting entry for a private withdrawal:
If you import your bank transactions into Fiduly, manually or via EBICS, you can also directly reconcile the bank transaction to account 2850 – Private account. The corresponding accounting entry will then be created during bank reconciliation.
Important: this logic applies to self-employed individuals in a sole proprietorship. The situation may be different for an LLC or a corporation, where the director’s salary may be treated as payroll charges. In case of doubt, it is recommended to seek advice from an accountant.
Even when obligations are simplified, it is useful to maintain a clear view of your activity’s financial situation: income, expenses, result, assets, liabilities and cash flow.
With structured accounting, you can more easily prepare:
Fiduly operates as double-entry accounting software, which allows you to produce more structured reports than a simple manual spreadsheet.
Accounting software automates a large part of these steps, reduces the risk of errors and better structures your accounting tracking.
Result: time saved each month and fewer risks of errors.
Fiduly brings together accounting, expenses, VAT, reports and Swiss invoicing software adapted to self-employed individuals.
| Option | Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| Excel Spreadsheet | Simple at first, low cost | Risk of errors, difficult VAT tracking, no automation |
| Accountant | Personal support, possible delegation | Higher cost, less real-time visibility |
| Accounting Software like Fiduly | Automation, payment tracking, supporting documents, VAT, reports | Requires initial familiarization |
Fiduly allows you to maintain control of day-to-day management, while keeping structured, usable accounting that is compatible with accountant support if necessary.
Software like Fiduly allows you to structure these elements from the start and avoid having to rebuild your accounting at year-end.
Do you have questions about accounting for self-employed individuals in Switzerland? Discover our answers to frequently asked questions here. We have gathered essential information to help you better understand your accounting obligations.
In Switzerland, a self-employed person must be able to track their income, expenses and keep their supporting documents from the start of their activity. Depending on turnover, obligations may remain simplified or require complete accounting.
Yes, in most cases. A self-employed person with a simple activity can manage their accounting alone, provided they regularly track their income and expenses, keep their supporting documents and comply with their tax obligations. Accounting software can greatly simplify these tasks.
VAT registration generally becomes mandatory once your annual turnover from taxable services reaches CHF 100,000. Certain exceptions exist depending on the type of activity or organization. Below this threshold, voluntary registration remains possible.
If you are subject to VAT, you must apply the correct VAT rates in Switzerland, for example 8.1% or 2.6% depending on the case, regularly declare your VAT and maintain precise tracking of your transactions. Good management is essential to avoid errors and penalties.
Up to CHF 500,000 in annual turnover, a self-employed person can generally be subject to simplified accounting obligations. Beyond this threshold, complete accounting becomes necessary. Fiduly operates as double-entry accounting software, which allows you to maintain structured accounting even when legal obligations are simpler.
Yes, but it is strongly discouraged. Manual accounting is time-consuming, prone to errors and complex to manage, particularly for VAT. Using software automates tasks, reduces the risk of errors and better structures your accounting.
An accountant allows you to delegate part or all of the accounting management, while accounting software allows you to manage routine tasks yourself at lower cost. The right choice depends on the complexity of your activity, your budget and the desired level of support.
It is recommended to use software adapted to Swiss rules in order to correctly manage VAT and legal obligations. Several solutions exist such as Fiduly, Bexio or Klara. The choice depends on your need for simplicity, automation and budget.
Yes. Accounting obligations are defined at the federal level, but certain practices may vary by canton, particularly regarding taxation or support. For example, Geneva has a very international environment, while the canton of Vaud is dynamic for SMEs and startups.
To manage your accounting, you must record your income, track your expenses, manage your VAT if applicable, keep your supporting documents and prepare your return. Accounting software automates these steps and saves time.
A self-employed person must track expenses related to their activity: equipment, software, bank fees, business travel, office costs, insurance, external services and other business expenses. Supporting documents must be kept to be able to explain accounting entries and prepare the return.
Depending on turnover and situation, obligations may be simplified or require complete accounting. Even when obligations are simplified, a balance sheet and structured reports can help track activity and prepare the tax return.
Yes. Fiduly operates as double-entry accounting software. This allows self-employed individuals to maintain structured accounting, even when their legal obligations are simplified.
You generally need to be able to present income, expenses, supporting documents, VAT information if applicable, account balances, activity result and useful elements for the return. Specific requirements may vary depending on the situation and canton.
These answers provide a general overview for self-employed individuals in Switzerland. For a specific situation, check official sources or seek advice from a specialist.
Fiduly is designed for self-employed individuals, freelancers, SMEs and startups in Switzerland. The software manages the common needs of a self-employed activity: invoices, payments, expenses, supporting documents, VAT, accounting reports and balance sheet.
You can start with simple management, then maintain structured accounting if your activity develops or if your obligations become more complete.
Sign-up for 30 days free trial, no credit card needed.
