Year-end closing is rarely complicated, but almost always tightly scheduled. If you know in January what needs doing, you save nerves in spring and fees at the fiduciary.
All 16 modules · CHF 29 per month
Try free for 14 days — no credit card.
Preparation: before you start the closing
1. All documents captured
Sounds banal, but it is the most common reason for late entries. Check filing trays, inboxes and December's credit-card statement. Whatever is missing costs input tax and distorts the result.
2. Bank and cash reconciled
The balance in the books must match the bank statement at the reporting date. Differences are almost always duplicate or missing entries and can still be found now with reasonable effort. For the cash account there is one more rule: a negative cash balance is arithmetically impossible and jumps out at any audit immediately.
3. Receivables and payables cleaned up
Go through the open items: which receivable is realistically still collectible? Uncollectibles are written off, doubtful ones value-adjusted via a del credere. And both belong in the VAT return if you file on agreed consideration.
4. Inventory taken
Stock, materials, work in progress. The count must be documented and traceable – quantity, rate, valuation basis. A number without derivation survives no audit.
Closing entries
5. Accruals made
The core of a clean closing. Typical cases:
- Insurance premiums and subscriptions reaching into next year – prepaid expenses.
- December wages, bonuses and holiday balances only paid out in the new year – accrued liabilities.
- Services rendered but not yet invoiced.
- Advances received for next year's services.
6. Depreciation booked
Document method and useful life for every asset. Once you depreciate straight-line, you stick with it – a switch without justification stands out. Assets no longer in operation should be derecognised, not dragged along at residual value.
7. Provisions reviewed
Provisions exist for uncertain obligations: warranty cases, pending litigation, major repairs. They need a substantiated cause. Provisions no longer needed are released – even if that increases profit.
8. Private shares settled
Company car, phone, flat in the business building: whatever is used privately does not belong in business expenses. These items are looked at in practically every tax audit and are relevant for VAT at the same time.
Reconcile and close
9. VAT revenue reconciliation
Reconcile the revenue declared in the returns against the income statement, and the input tax claimed against the input-tax accounts. Correct differences at the latest in the reporting period into which the 180th day after the end of the financial year falls.
10. Wages and social insurance reconciled
The wage expense in the income statement must match the wage totals in the annual statements of AHV, accident and daily sickness insurance and occupational pension. Deviations lead to queries, in doubt to an employer audit.
11. Balance sheet and income statement prepared
The minimum structure under Art. 959a and 959b CO must be observed, plus the notes where required. The prior-year comparison is part of it – not just because it is required, but because it is the best plausibility check you have.
12. Signed and filed
The annual report and, where available, the audit report are kept in written, signed form. The retention period is ten years from the end of the financial year.
Working through this list in January instead of April shortens the fiduciary's work considerably – and fees are billed by effort.
Where it usually gets stuck
From daily mandate work it is almost always the same four points:
- Missing documents, above all for credit-card payments and small cash outlays.
- Unreconciled bank accounts, because reconciliation was left lying during the year.
- Forgotten accruals for holiday balances and overtime.
- Private sharesthat nobody calculated.
All four can be avoided if the books run throughout the year instead of in one go in spring. That is exactly what Accounty is built for: capture documents with AI, reconcile the bank continuously, and the guided year-end closing ticks off the steps in order. If you look after several mandates, it is worth a look at the Fiduciary terms.
Frequently asked questions
By when must the annual accounts be ready?
The Swiss Code of Obligations sets no calendar deadline but requires the accounts within a reasonable period. In practice, the dates of the general meeting for legal entities and the cantonal tax-return deadlines are decisive. For VAT, finalisation runs until the reporting period into which the 180th day after the end of the financial year falls.
Which documents does my fiduciary need?
Bank statements and balance confirmations as of the balance-sheet date, open receivables and payables lists, inventory values, leasing and loan agreements, payroll records with social-insurance statements, the year's VAT returns and the documents for extraordinary transactions.
What are accruals and why do they matter?
Accruals assign expenses and income to the year they belong to – regardless of when payment happened. Without them, the income statement shows a random picture driven by payment dates instead of performance.
How is depreciation calculated?
Either straight-line over the useful life or declining-balance on the book value. The tax authorities generally accept the rates in the FTA's depreciation leaflet. What matters is sticking to the method once chosen and documenting it.
How long do I have to keep the records?
Ten years from the end of the financial year – accounting records, vouchers, annual report and audit report (Art. 958f CO). The annual report and audit report must be kept in written, signed form.
Do I need an audit?
That depends on legal form and size. Smaller companies can opt out of the limited audit under certain conditions if all shareholders agree and the company averages no more than ten full-time positions per year. Your fiduciary can tell you whether that applies based on your actual figures.
Read next: VAT return step by step · Swiss SME chart of accounts explained · Accounty for fiduciaries
This article reflects the position as of August 2026 and is for general guidance. The publications of the Swiss Federal Tax Administration and the applicable laws are authoritative. It does not replace individual advice.
Related reading
Swiss SME chart of accounts: structure explained simply
How the SME chart of accounts is structured and where to book what.
Read article →Swiss VAT return: step-by-step guide
From accruals to filing in the FTA portal.
Read article →Swiss accounting software: 2026 comparison
Ten providers compared head to head – pricing, modules, payroll and VAT.
Read article →All articles on the blog → · Software comparisons → · Accounting by industry →
Guided year-end closing instead of an Excel list
Accounty guides you with a checklist through accruals, depreciation and closing entries – traceable for auditors and the tax office.
Try free for 14 days No credit card · cancel monthly · questions? info@accounty.ch