Practical knowledge for Swiss SMEs

VAT, closing & reports

Guides for “VAT, closing & reports” in : step by step, with the place in the menu, the steps and the limits.

9 guides

VAT

Finance | base › VAT

Switch VAT on or off per company from a date (effective method or net tax rate, agreed or received consideration), calculate the return per period by form boxes, close it and download it as eCH-0217 V2.0.0 XML.

Step by step

Save the VAT status with valid-from date, VAT number, method and period. In VAT settings, enter the optional FTA activity ID for each net tax rate with its valid-from date.
In the period list choose “Calculate”.
Check boxes and reconciliation, add information outside the accounts.
Choose “Close and post” and upload the XML to the FTA portal.
For earlier years, choose the year and open each closed return, its corrections or the draft; the XML remains available.
Select the year and open every saved version under “Closed returns”, even if VAT registration ends or reporting periods change later.

Terms: VAT method and net tax rate

Finance | base › VAT

Effective: you account for the tax on your invoices and deduct the input tax you have paid. With the net tax rate you instead pay a flat rate approved by the tax administration on your turnover, with no input tax deduction. Agreed: you pay tax as soon as you issue the invoice. Received: you pay tax only once your customer has paid.

Step by step

Clarify with your trustee or from the tax administration’s approval which method applies to you.
Under “Method” choose the method and, for the net tax rate, the approved rates.
Under “Basis of accounting” choose whether you account on agreed or received consideration.

VAT XML V2 and activity IDs

Finance | base › VAT

New VAT XML files follow eCH-0217 V2.0.0. Net tax rate periods from 2025 use a five-digit FTA activity ID per rate; periods through 2024 use netTaxRateMethod without activity IDs.

Step by step

In VAT settings, enter the optional FTA activity ID for each net tax rate with its valid-from date.
Look up the ID under “Reporting modalities” in the FTA portal and preserve leading zeros.
Calculate the return and review the rows per rate and activity.
From 2025, a missing ID blocks XML download and displays a message. Add the ID for the relevant rate and period.
After review, close the return, download the V2 XML and upload it in the FTA portal.

Closing

Finance | base › Closing

Lock months, close the financial year with balance carried forward to the next year and import the opening balance sheet from your previous software.

Step by step

Choose a month and “Lock” – earlier months are locked as well.
Before the year-end closing, check the reconciliation: open receivables and payables against the control accounts, open VAT periods and incoming invoices.
At year end choose “Close year”.
To start, import the balances of your previous software as CSV “Account;Balance”.

Interim closing (month, quarter, half-year)

Finance | base › Accounting › Closing

The assistant guides interim and year-end closings per company. It shows accruals and deferrals with reversals, invoice-based suggestions and cumulatively calculated partial depreciation, with open amounts in the checklist.

Step by step

Choose the company and financial year, then a month, quarter, half-year, year or custom reporting date and show the checklist. Quarters and half-years start relative to the financial year; extended years have additional numbered periods.
Use the links to resolve open items. Receivables and payables are reconciled with control accounts at the reporting date, ignoring subsequent payments.
Provide a reason of up to 1000 characters for open items. Close the period and confirm the irreversible lock of all months from the start of the financial year through the selected month-end.
Download the immutable PDF record on the company’s letterhead including person, date and time, checklist, reason, balance sheet total and period result. Year-end closing uses the existing balance carry-forward into the next year.
Fiduciaries can read closings and records and save a separate comment. Use “Resume closing” after an interrupted closing.
The accruals and deferrals section pairs the original entry with its planned or posted reversal. The form defaults to period-end and reversal on the next day. Repeated submission does not create duplicates.
Suggestions show invoice, service period, net amount excluding VAT, proportional calendar days and accounts. Use suggestion opens a prefilled form for review and confirmation. Accounts 1300/2300 are suggested only when active and of the appropriate account type.
The depreciation section shows book value, amounts already posted in the financial year and the remaining amount. Posting creates a collective entry AB-<date>. The annual run posts only the remainder after partial depreciation.
Report: balance sheet, income statement and ratios: Balance sheet: cumulative balances including brought-forward balances at each period end. The result since the start of the financial year is included in equity; the income statement covers only the selected period. Missing comparison data: –. All amounts in CHF. Budget: sum of available monthly income-statement account budgets (account target). Partial months are included in full, without daily allocation. Accounts without a budget: –. Partial budgets are not extrapolated to missing months. Variance = actual minus budget; ratios use percentage points.
Report (PDF) / CSV. Finalised report (PDF). Notes and fiduciary comment.

Good to know

Closing requires a month-end; reports at a custom date remain available under Reports. Closed months cannot be unlocked.
Reading requires finance.nutzen for the company; closing requires finance.abschluss. Active fiduciaries with read access can comment without changing the archived record.
Invoices without an invoice date are included based on their receipt date. The checklist does not replace accounting review or valuation under Art. 957 et seq. CO, GeBüV or Swiss GAAP FER.
Missing data is never estimated: purchasing has no typed service periods. Purchasing therefore uses only unambiguously linked recorded recurring invoices. Expenses containing VAT without a posted net tax base do not generate suggestions. Foreign currencies, ambiguous account mappings and discounts that cannot be allocated do not generate suggestions. Accounting review remains necessary. Depreciation is cumulative, rounded to cents, using completed calendar months from the acquisition month; no entries after disposal.
Formulas (× 100): cash ratio = cash and short-term securities (1000–1069) / short-term liabilities (2000–2399); quick ratio = (cash + receivables 1100–1199) / short-term liabilities; equity ratio = (28xx–29xx including current result) / total assets; gross margin = (operating revenue class 3 − materials/goods class 4) / operating revenue; EBIT margin = result of classes 3–6 excluding 69xx / operating revenue; net profit margin = period result / operating revenue. Zero denominator or missing data: –. Liabilities use credit minus debit.

PDF closing report

Finance | base › Reports

Download the balance sheet and multi-step income statement with available prior-year values and guidance for financial statement notes.

Step by step

Choose the company and reporting date.
Open “Closing report (PDF)” in the export area.

Reports & planning

Reports

Finance | base › Reports

Balance sheet at a reporting date and income statement with prior year, trial balance, result by cost centre and export for the fiduciary (CSV, Excel, text).

Step by step

Choose the reporting date and “Show”.
Read balance sheet and income statement; the label shows whether the balance sheet balances.
Under “Export for the fiduciary” download the desired format.

Accounting export for any period

Finance › Reports › Export

CSV contains only the journal with direct column headers, amounts with two decimals and exchange rates with six. Excel adds the trial balance and income statement.

Step by step

Choose any start and end dates, including across years.
Download CSV, Excel or tab-separated text.

Budget and cash flow

Finance | base › Budget and cash flow

Shows sales key figures, compares budget and actual per account, cost centre or project and month, and calculates a weekly cash flow forecast.

Step by step

Read the key figures at the top (revenue, open receivables, DSO, payment time).
In the “Budget” tab, choose the year and record a budget with twelve monthly values or spread an annual amount.
In the “Cash flow” tab, enter the opening balance and choose “Calculate”.
Record planned payments such as salaries or rent.

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