1. Why Foreign-Owned Swiss Companies Need Specialised Accounting
A foreign-owned Swiss GmbH or AG sits at the intersection of two tax systems: Swiss federal and cantonal law on the Swiss side, and the shareholder's home-country tax law on the other. Your home accountant cannot file Swiss tax returns or close a Swiss statutory account. A purely local Swiss accountant who has never dealt with cross-border structures will miss things on the integration side. The right answer is a Swiss-licensed firm that operates in English and understands the international founder context.
2. Swiss GAAP Basics (and Why Your Home Accountant Cannot Do This)
Swiss accounting is governed by the Swiss Code of Obligations (Articles 957 and following) and, for many companies, by Swiss GAAP FER (Fachempfehlungen zur Rechnungslegung). The framework is conservative, prudence-driven, and deliberately different from IFRS or US GAAP. Statutory accounts must be prepared in CHF, denominated in a Swiss official language (German, French, Italian — though English working papers are widespread), and filed in line with cantonal corporate tax requirements. Audit thresholds apply once turnover, balance sheet total, or headcount cross specific levels. This is not adaptable to a Xero export from your home country.
3. VAT, Withholding Tax, and Reporting Cadence
The Swiss compliance calendar is predictable but unforgiving on deadlines.
- VAT (MWST/TVA) — quarterly returns where registration is required (worldwide turnover with Swiss connection above CHF 100,000)
- Corporate tax — annual cantonal filing, deadlines vary by canton
- Withholding tax (Verrechnungssteuer) — 35% on dividends, partially or fully reclaimable under treaty by foreign shareholders
- AHV/social insurance — monthly or quarterly payroll filings for any Swiss employees
- Annual statutory accounts — filed with the Handelsregister where required
- Pillar 2 / pension fund administration where employees are involved
4. AlpVera's Accounting Service: What's Included
A full statutory and management accounting service operated by an internal Swiss team.
- Monthly bookkeeping in a Swiss-compliant chart of accounts
- Quarterly VAT returns and submissions
- Annual statutory accounts under Swiss CO / Swiss GAAP FER
- Annual cantonal corporate tax return
- Withholding tax declarations on dividends
- AHV / social insurance / payroll administration where applicable
- Audit liaison where statutory audit is required
- English-language management reporting on a monthly cadence
5. English-Language Financial Reporting
All client communication, management reports, and working papers are delivered in English by default. German/French/Italian filings are produced where required by Swiss authorities, but you do not need to read them.
6. Integration with Your Home-Country Tax Filing
Your Swiss numbers feed into your home-country tax filing — controlled foreign company rules, dividend reporting, beneficial-ownership reporting, and (where you have moved to Switzerland) home-country exit-tax positions. We coordinate directly with your home-country tax adviser. We do not operate in isolation. The output of our work is designed to be usable in another jurisdiction without translation cost.
7. Pricing Model
Fixed monthly retainer based on transaction volume, complexity, and scope (statutory only vs statutory + management reporting + payroll). Quoted upfront after a scoping call. No per-transaction or per-letter surcharges. Holding companies with low transaction volume but high reporting complexity are quoted differently from operating companies with high transaction volume — because the actual workload is different.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my home accountant just do this?
No. Swiss statutory accounts and cantonal tax filings can only be done by a firm operating under Swiss law. Cross-border integration is the join — that is where we add value.
Do you operate in English?
Yes — all client communication and management reporting is in English by default. Statutory filings to Swiss authorities are produced in the relevant Swiss official language.
When is a statutory audit required?
Above defined thresholds for turnover, balance-sheet total, and headcount, an "ordinary audit" is required. Below those thresholds a "limited audit" may apply, or it can be opted out of in some cases. We confirm in scoping.
How is VAT handled?
Quarterly VAT returns where registration is required. We register the company, prepare returns, and submit through the Federal Tax Administration's e-portal.
How is withholding tax on dividends handled?
Switzerland levies 35% federal withholding tax on dividends. Foreign shareholders typically reclaim partially or fully under the relevant double tax treaty. We prepare the declarations and the supporting reclaim documentation.
Can you coordinate with my home-country accountant?
Yes — and we usually do. Cross-border integration is built into the scope.