Financial statements under the CO from the trial balance
As at: · fastview ag, Suhr
Professionally responsible: Marco Zanetti and Reto Ackermann, fiduciaries and auditors, fastview ag
Financial statements under the Code of Obligations consist of the balance sheet, income statement and notes. The basis is the trial balance from the client’s accounts. This page briefly explains what the CO requires and shows which steps nunia takes care of from import to PDF.
What the CO requires
The rules on commercial accounting and financial reporting are set out in Art. 957 ff. CO, financial reporting in the narrower sense from Art. 958 CO. For the financial statements, these provisions are decisive above all:
- Balance sheet with minimum structure under Art. 959a CO: current and fixed assets, short- and long-term liabilities, equity.
- Income statement with minimum structure under Art. 959b CO.
- Notes under Art. 959c CO: accounting principles, information and explanations on items as well as further disclosures where applicable, for example on the number of full-time positions, lease liabilities or the net release of hidden reserves.
- Prior-year figures: balance sheet, income statement and notes show the prior year’s values alongside the financial year (Art. 958d CO).
Larger companies subject to an ordinary audit additionally prepare a cash flow statement and a management report (Art. 961 CO). Valuation is governed by Art. 960 ff. CO. The general process with minimum structure, adjustments and approval is described in Preparing financial statements; what a trial balance contains, on its own page.
Step 1: import the trial balance
In nunia every import belongs to an engagement and a financial year. You drag the trial balance as CSV, Excel (.xlsx) or PDF into the field of the year. For a PDF, nunia first reads the text layer; only if none is present, such as with a scan, is AI text recognition used. Before saving, you confirm the type and year of the file and, under “Check columns”, how account number, name and balance were read.
nunia then assigns each account to a balance sheet or income statement item, according to the Swiss SME chart of accounts or, with a different chart of accounts, by account name. nunia remembers corrections per client and applies them again on the next import. If the balance sheet does not balance or a sign is conspicuous, nunia shows this instead of correcting it silently. Only with the mapping approval can the financial statements be prepared.
Step 2: prior year from its own file
In nunia the prior year is a separate financial year with its own import. The prior-year column thus comes from the prior year’s file, not from a secondary column of the current file. If the prior year changes later, nunia does not take over the change silently but asks. Non-calendar, long or short financial years are recorded with “from” and “to”.
Step 3: balance sheet, income statement and notes
From the approved mapping, nunia builds the balance sheet and income statement under Art. 959a and 959b CO. The amounts remain tied to the import; you adjust names directly in the table. With “Compact”, “Detailed” and “Account level” you choose the depth of the structure, plus columns for the share in per cent and the change from the prior year if desired.
In the notes, nunia compiles the disclosures under Art. 959c CO. Preselected are the accounting principles with an adaptable standard text and the number of full-time positions. Further disclosures, for example on investments, own shares, leasing, pension liabilities, collateral, contingent liabilities or events after the balance sheet date, you select yourself. If there is a net release of hidden reserves or a loss of capital or over-indebtedness, nunia proposes the corresponding disclosure.
In addition, the cash flow statement (indirect method, with prior-year figures), statement of changes in equity and fixed asset movement schedule are available. With imported account statements, the fixed asset movement schedule shows additions, disposals and depreciation individually; otherwise depreciation is a residual figure.
Step 4: standard, language and PDF
For each client you choose the standard, CO or Swiss GAAP FER. In nunia FER is a presentation; it requires figures recorded in conformity with FER, and valuation remains with the fiduciary. The financial statements appear in German, French, Italian, English or Romansh. For the PDF you define the template, font, accent colour, cover page and logo; large amounts are shown without decimal places or in thousands of francs. nunia stores the PDF in the document store; a new version replaces the previous one.
What nunia takes care of
- Read the trial balance from CSV, Excel or PDF and present the columns for confirmation
- Map accounts according to the SME chart of accounts or by name, remember corrections per client
- Balance sheet and income statement under Art. 959a/959b CO with prior year from its own file
- Compile the notes under Art. 959c CO with standard texts
- Show differences and conspicuous signs openly
- Generate the PDF in five languages and store it in the document store
What you decide
- whether the mapping of the accounts is correct and the mapping approval is granted
- which further disclosures belong in the notes and how they are worded
- valuation, accruals and closing entries
- whether the CO or Swiss GAAP FER applies and whether the figures have been recorded for it
- design and language of the PDF for the client
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.
Read on and watch
Frequently asked questions
Can nunia prepare the financial statements directly from the trial balance?
Yes. After import, mapping and mapping approval, nunia builds the balance sheet and income statement under Art. 959a and 959b CO and compiles the notes under Art. 959c CO. The amounts remain tied to the import.
Which file formats can I import?
CSV, Excel (.xlsx) and PDF. For a PDF without a text layer, such as a scan, AI text recognition is used.
Where do the prior-year figures come from?
From the prior year’s file. The prior year is imported and checked as a separate financial year; nunia takes over later changes only after asking.
Which disclosures in the notes are preselected?
The accounting principles and the number of full-time positions. You select all further disclosures yourself; in the case of a net release of hidden reserves or a loss of capital, nunia proposes the appropriate disclosure.
Does nunia support non-calendar financial years?
Yes. Non-calendar, long or short financial years are recorded with the start and end of the reporting period.
Try nunia
The system tour shows nunia with sample clients and sample figures, no registration required. For questions about your firm, book an online demo.