When is a company obliged to keep accounts?
All legal entities as well as sole proprietorships and partnerships with a turnover of more than CHF 500,000 are required to keep accounts (Art. 957 OR). All other companies are only required to keep simplified accounts, which only include income and expenses as well as the asset situation.
Legal Entities
Legal entities, such as limited liability companies or corporations, are required to keep double-entry books, regardless of their turnover. Double-entry bookkeeping means that they have to draw up annual accounts with a balance sheet and a profit and loss account each time.
Sole Proprietorships & General Partnerships
Sole proprietorships and partnerships (e.g. general partnerships) with a turnover of less than CHF 500,000, on the other hand, only have to keep simplified accounts. This includes only income, expenses and assets.
Regulation until 2013
Previously (until 2013), the obligation to keep accounts was linked to registration in the commercial register. This meant that all companies entered in the commercial register were automatically required to keep accounts. This is no longer the case.
Current Regulation
The obligation to keep accounts now depends on whether the company is a legal person and, if not, on the amount of turnover. Consequently, even a sole proprietorship entered in the commercial register is not required to keep double-entry accounts as long as its annual turnover is below CHF 500,000.
However, it goes without saying that it is advisable to keep accounts even if the annual turnover is lower and thus keep an eye on the financial situation.
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