Year-end closing in Switzerland: process, deadlines and duties for fiduciaries
As at: · fastview ag, Suhr
Professionally responsible: Marco Zanetti and Reto Ackermann, fiduciaries and auditors, fastview ag
The year-end closing of a Swiss company involves more than the financial statements: closing entries, audit or opting out, general meeting, taxes and retention are part of it. The rhythm is fixed: annual report and ordinary general meeting within six months of the balance sheet date, retention for ten years. This page organises the closing process for fiduciaries and summarises the deadlines in a table.
The closing process in seven stages
- Request documents from the client. Bank statements as at the reporting date, inventory, lists of receivables and payables, payroll records, contracts and vouchers for special transactions.
- Close the accounts. Accruals and deferrals, depreciation, value adjustments, provisions, taxes; reconciliation of the accounts with the supporting documents.
- Take over the trial balance and prepare the financial statements. From the trial balance come the balance sheet, income statement and notes; step by step under Preparing financial statements.
- Check and approve. Four-eyes principle within the team, approval of the closing, signing by the board of directors or management and the person responsible for financial reporting.
- Audit or opting out. With an auditor, the general meeting needs the auditor’s report before it approves the financial statements (Art. 731 CO). Without an auditor, the waiver must be documented.
- General meeting. Convening, approval of the financial statements, appropriation of profit, discharge, elections and minutes.
- Follow-up work. Withholding tax on dividends, commercial register for elections, tax return, archive.
Checklist: documents for the year-end closing
What fiduciaries typically request from the client for a closing. The list is not exhaustive and depends on the industry and legal form.
- bank and postal account statements as at the balance sheet date, interest statements
- inventory of stocks and work in progress with valuation
- open receivables and payables as at the reporting date
- payroll journal, OASI and pension fund statements
- loan, leasing and rental agreements, new contracts of the year
- invoices for investments in and sales of fixed assets
- VAT returns of the year for the revenue reconciliation
- minutes of the board of directors and general meeting
- information on contingent liabilities, guarantees, litigation
Deadlines in the year-end closing
The table applies to a financial year ending on 31 December. For a non-calendar financial year the dates shift accordingly.
| What | Deadline | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Prepare the annual report and submit it to the governing body | within 6 months, i.e. by 30 June | Art. 958 para. 3 CO |
| Convening the general meeting | at least 20 days before the meeting | Art. 700 CO |
| Annual report and auditor’s report accessible to shareholders | at least 20 days before the meeting | Art. 699a CO |
| Ordinary general meeting (AG) | within 6 months, i.e. by 30 June | Art. 699 para. 2 CO |
| Ordinary general meeting of members (GmbH) | within 6 months | Art. 805 para. 2 CO |
| Settle withholding tax on a dividend | within 30 days of the due date | Art. 16 WHTA |
| Tax return of a legal entity | differs by canton, extension on request | cantonal tax law |
| Retain accounting records, vouchers, annual report and auditor’s report | 10 years from the end of the financial year | Art. 958f CO |
The six-month deadline for the general meeting is a procedural deadline; a later meeting does not invalidate the resolutions. Meeting it is nevertheless a duty of the board of directors, and banks, tax authorities and auditors count on it.
Audit requirement and opting out
Whether the financial statements are audited depends on the size and choice of the company. The ordinary audit applies once two of three thresholds are exceeded in two consecutive years: total assets CHF 20 million, revenue CHF 40 million, 250 full-time positions on annual average (Art. 727 CO). Below that, the limited statutory examination applies, which can be waived with the consent of all shareholders if the company has no more than ten full-time positions on annual average (Art. 727a para. 2 CO). The details and the annual check are explained under Opting out and the audit requirement.
General meeting and appropriation of profit
The general meeting approves the financial statements, decides on the balance sheet profit, grants discharge to the board of directors and elects the board of directors and the auditor (Art. 698 CO). Before a dividend is distributed, the allocation to the statutory retained earnings must be observed (Art. 672 CO). How agenda items and minutes are structured is shown in Preparing GM minutes, with a template to download. If the financial statements show that half of the share capital and the statutory reserves is no longer covered, the measures under Art. 725 ff. CO must be examined.
Taxes and commercial register
The approved financial statements are the basis for the company’s tax return. Each canton sets its own filing deadlines, forms and extensions; most offer electronic filing. If a dividend is resolved, the 35 % withholding tax must be settled with Form 103 (AG) or 110 (GmbH) of the Federal Tax Administration. If the general meeting elects new governing bodies or a new auditor, the change must be filed with the commercial register; since 1 October 2026 this can also trigger a report to the transparency register.
Retention under Art. 958f CO
Accounting records, accounting vouchers, annual report and auditor’s report are retained for ten years. The period begins at the end of the financial year. The annual report and auditor’s report must be retained in writing and signed; accounting records and vouchers may be retained electronically if they can be made readable at any time. The details are governed by the Ordinance on Business Records (GeBüV, SR 221.431).
Year-end closing with nunia
nunia is the fiduciary software for this process, not for day-to-day bookkeeping. The client’s accounts stay in the existing program; nunia takes over the closing from the trial balance.
What nunia takes care of
- deadlines per engagement, such as tax return and general meeting, in the deadline calendar and as a calendar subscription
- document requests to the client with upload link and reminder
- closing file with audit areas, supporting documents, checklists, optional four-eyes principle and approval
- financial statements under the CO, GM minutes with deadline reminder, dividend with withholding tax
- read-only access for the auditor to the closing
What you decide
- closing entries and valuation
- audit or opting out
- proposals to the general meeting
- filing the tax return and notifications to the commercial register
The process is shown in the tutorial videos “Welcome to nunia – your workspace” (engagements, tasks, deadline calendar), “The closing process” and “Data exchange with the client and the auditor”. What matters when choosing software for the closing is summarised in Fiduciary software Switzerland.
This page summarises the legal situation in simplified form and does not replace advice in the individual case. The law, the articles of association and current practice are authoritative.
Frequently asked questions
By when must the year-end closing in Switzerland be completed?
The annual report is prepared and submitted within six months of the end of the financial year (Art. 958 para. 3 CO), and the ordinary general meeting takes place within the same period (Art. 699 para. 2 CO). For a calendar year that is 30 June.
What is part of the year-end closing of an AG?
Closing entries, financial statements with balance sheet, income statement and notes, the audit or a documented opting out, the ordinary general meeting with minutes, if applicable the withholding tax on the dividend, the tax return and retention.
How long must closing documents be retained?
Ten years from the end of the financial year (Art. 958f CO). Annual report and auditor’s report in writing and signed, records and vouchers also electronically.
Is nunia an accounting software?
No. nunia takes over the closing from the trial balance of the existing accounts and manages deadlines, closing file, financial statements, GM minutes and share register.
Try nunia
The system tour shows nunia with sample clients and sample figures, no registration and no login required. For questions about your firm, book an online demo.