Short answer
The template is an income and expense statement in Excel with a journal, freely adjustable categories, a report per category and month, and a sheet for the financial position. This simple bookkeeping is sufficient for sole proprietorships and partnerships with less than CHF 500,000 revenue in the last financial year (Code of Obligations, art. 957 para. 2). GmbH and AG must always use double-entry bookkeeping.
Who simple bookkeeping is enough for
Swiss law has two levels. Sole proprietorships and partnerships with less than CHF 500,000 revenue in the last financial year, as well as associations and foundations not required to register, only need to keep accounts of income, expenses and their financial position (Code of Obligations, art. 957 para. 2).
Everyone else, in particular every GmbH and AG, keeps double-entry accounts with a balance sheet and income statement. This template is not meant for that.
How to work with the template
- Adjust the categories. The «Categories» sheet has 18 typical categories, each marked as income, expense or private. Rename them or add your own.
- Record receipts. In the «Journal» each receipt goes on one row: date, receipt number, description, category, payment method and amount. Record gross amounts, as they appear on the receipt.
- Choose the VAT rate. If you are VAT-registered, enter the rate per receipt. The template calculates the VAT included.
- Keep private items separate. Private withdrawals and contributions use the «Private» categories. They change your cash, but not your profit.
- Read the report. Set the year in the «Report» and see income, expenses and result per category and month.
- Financial position as at 31 December. At year end, enter cash, bank, open invoices, inventory, fixed assets and liabilities. The difference is your equity.
What the tax office wants to see
For the tax return of a sole proprietorship, the summary from the «Report» together with the financial position is sufficient. Keep receipts filed by receipt number. Business records, receipts and reports must be kept for ten years (art. 958f).
When Excel is no longer enough
At the latest when you reconcile several bank accounts, file VAT returns or change legal form, the Excel list becomes a source of errors. In Saldio, entries are created from invoices and bank imports, and the VAT return comes as an eMWST export. For cash there is the matching cash book.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I keep my books in Excel as a sole proprietor?
- Yes, as long as your revenue in the last financial year was below CHF 500,000. Then a statement of income and expenses and of the financial position is sufficient (Code of Obligations, art. 957 para. 2). The tool is up to you, what matters is completeness, receipts and retention.
- What belongs in the financial position?
- What your business owns on the reporting date (cash, bank, open customer invoices, inventory, vehicles and equipment) and what it owes (open supplier invoices, VAT, loans). The difference is equity.
- Do my AHV contributions belong in the books?
- Yes. Your personal AHV/IV/EO contributions as a self-employed person are business-related and reduce profit. The template has a separate category for them.
- I run a GmbH. Can I still use the template?
- No. A GmbH or AG must keep double-entry accounts with a balance sheet and income statement, regardless of revenue. For that you need accounting software or a fiduciary.
