What Are Accounting Services? Key Types and Rules (2026)

Accounting services are professional services that help businesses record, manage, report, and optimise their financial activities. They cover everything from daily bookkeeping to annual tax returns, payroll, VAT declarations, and financial reporting.

In Switzerland, these services are not just useful — they are a legal requirement for most businesses under the Swiss Code of Obligations (CO Art. 957 et seq.). The scope of what a business needs depends on its size, legal structure, number of employees, and growth stage.

This guide from the Fiduciaire Genevoise Blog explains what accounting services include, what Swiss law requires, what they cost, and how to decide whether to handle them in-house or outsource them.

Accounting services are a set of professional financial management tasks that help a business stay organised, legally compliant, and financially informed.

At their core, they cover four functions:

• Recording: Bookkeeping and daily transaction management

• Reporting: Financial statements and management accounts

• Compliance: Tax returns, VAT declarations, and payroll obligations

• Advising: Financial planning, cost analysis, and strategic guidance

In Switzerland, the term is often used interchangeably with "fiduciary services". A Swiss fiduciary is not just a bookkeeper. They handle accounting, tax, payroll, and business administration under one roof.

A business can use accounting services partially. Some companies outsource only their tax returns. Others hand over the full financial function. Most SMEs land somewhere in the middle, depending on their internal capacity and growth stage.

Accounting services are not a single product. They are a collection of distinct services. Most Swiss businesses need several at once.

1. Bookkeeping

Bookkeeping is the foundation of all accounting. It records every financial transaction the business makes — income, expenses, payments, and receipts.

It includes: daily transaction entry, bank reconciliation, supplier and customer account management, and preparation of the general ledger. Monthly or quarterly bookkeeping is standard. High-volume businesses may reconcile more frequently.

In Switzerland, the Swiss Code of Obligations requires that all financial records be kept for 10 years. Accounts must reflect the true financial position of the business at all times.

2. Annual Financial Statements

At year-end, the accounting records produce a full set of financial statements. For most Swiss companies, this includes:

• The balance sheet (bilan)

• The income statement (compte de résultat)

• The notes (annexe)

Swiss law prescribes the minimum structure for these documents under CO Art. 959a and 959b. Larger companies and those applying Swiss GAAP FER also need a cash flow statement and a management report.

3. Tax Services

Switzerland's tax system operates at three levels: federal, cantonal, and municipal. That makes it one of the most complex in Europe — and one where errors are expensive.

Tax services typically include:

• Corporate income tax returns

• Personal income tax returns for business owners and key employees

• Tax optimisation strategies to reduce the effective rate legally

• Withholding tax management

• Representation before tax authorities if questions arise

The effective corporate tax rate in Switzerland ranges from 12% to 25% depending on the canton. Geneva's effective rate sits at approximately 14.7% — significantly lower than France or Germany, but still requiring careful management.

4. VAT Services (MWST / TVA)

VAT registration is mandatory once annual revenue exceeds CHF 100,000. In 2026, the standard rate is 8.1%. The reduced rate is 2.6%, and the accommodation rate is 3.8%.

VAT services cover: registration and deregistration, quarterly or semi-annual declarations, input tax credit management, and compliance with the Swiss QR invoice standard. Structured address data has been mandatory on Swiss QR invoices since November 2025 — any software configured before that date may need updating.

5. Payroll Accounting Services

Swiss payroll is genuinely complex. It involves:

• Monthly salary processing

• AHV/AVS and IV/AI social insurance contributions

• Accident insurance (UVG/LAA)

• Occupational pension fund (BVG/LPP)

• Family allowances

• Source tax (Quellensteuer) for non-resident employees on C-permits or below

Geneva sets a statutory minimum wage adjusted annually. As of 2025, that figure is CHF 24.32 per hour, the highest cantonal minimum in Switzerland. Payroll must reflect this.

Payroll services also produce the annual salary certificates (attestation de salaire). Those documents are submitted to the cantonal tax authority, and the social insurance declarations are filed with the relevant insurance bodies.

6. Advisory and Financial Consulting

Beyond compliance, accounting services extend into business advisory. This covers budgeting, cash flow planning, monthly or quarterly management reporting, cost analysis, and structuring advice for mergers, acquisitions, or succession.

For businesses approaching a financing round or ownership change, this advisory layer connects accounting data to strategic decisions. It often determines how the business looks to banks and investors.

Swiss law sets minimum accounting obligations based on business type and annual revenue.

Three additional obligations apply widely:

• VAT: mandatory once annual revenue exceeds CHF 100,000. Voluntary registration is possible below this threshold and is sometimes advantageous for businesses with significant input costs.

• Payroll: obligations begin with the first employee. AHV, UVG, and BVG registrations must be completed before the first salary is paid.

• Record retention: all accounting documents must be kept for 10 years, in physical or digital form.

The cost depends on transaction volume, number of employees, legal structure, VAT status, and the scope of services required.

Indicative price ranges for Geneva and Switzerland in 2026:

Many fiduciary firms offer monthly flat-rate packages rather than hourly billing. This is more predictable for SME budgets and easier to plan around. In Geneva, costs typically sit at the higher end of these ranges, given the city's cost structure and the added complexity of cantonal tax rules.

The comparison with hiring in-house is direct:

• A full-time Swiss accountant costs CHF 70,000–100,000 per year in salary alone, before social contributions.

• A full fiduciary mandate covering the same scope typically costs CHF 6,000–25,000 per year for most SMEs.

The comparison of in-house and outsourcing accounting teams:

For most Swiss SMEs, outsourcing is the more cost-effective and practical choice.

A fiduciary provides breadth. One point of contact handles bookkeeping, tax, payroll, VAT, and advisory, rather than four separate hires or suppliers. That coordination advantage compounds over time, particularly when deadlines align, and information needs to move quickly between functions.

International businesses setting up a Swiss entity benefit especially from local fiduciary knowledge. Cantonal rules differ significantly. Especially, Geneva is not Zurich; the applicable rates, forms, and deadlines are specific to the canton.

Fiduciaire Genevoise provides the full range of accounting services for businesses in Geneva and across Switzerland. We’ve worked with more than 300 clients, from early-stage startups to established companies and international subsidiaries.

What a mandate typically covers:

• Monthly or quarterly bookkeeping in French and English

• Annual financial statements prepared to Swiss CO and Swiss GAAP FER standards

• Corporate and personal tax returns with cantonal Geneva expertise

• VAT declarations and MWST compliance support

• Complete payroll processing, including AHV, UVG, BVG, and Quellensteuer for foreign employees

• Management reporting and financial advisory

Services are available as full mandates or modular packages. Businesses can outsource only what they need, including tax returns, just payroll, or the full financial function. The team works in French and English to serve Geneva's international business community.

Accounting services cover the full financial life of a business — from day-one record-keeping to year-end reporting, tax filing, payroll, and strategic advice.

In Switzerland, the legal obligations are real and the complexity is genuine. Three levels of tax, mandatory payroll registrations, and strict record-keeping requirements all apply from day one. Getting accounting right from the start protects the business and avoids costly corrections later.