Implementing Swiss accounting law Implementing Swiss accounting law

The current Swiss accounting law entered into force on 1 January 2013, with mandatory application for the fiscal year 2015 (separate financial statements) or 2016 (consolidated financial statements). Our latest editions of popular publications support you in applying and implementing the legal requirements, with key points illustrated by easy-to-follow examples.

This publication sets out the main principles of Swiss accounting law in a clearly structured way, explaining the key provisions through illustrative figures and decision trees. An appendix at the end of the brochure provides the full text of margin references to Swiss accounting law. This publication is also designed to offer foreign stakeholders a quick overview of the main aspects of Switzerland's legal framework in this area.

The content has been completely revised and restructured compared to the 1st edition and includes supplementary content in some sections. This edition no longer compares the provisions of the old law and the new one.

This publication contains illustrative financial statements for the following three scenarios:

Illustrative financial statements of Industry Ltd

• Swiss public limited company (AG/SA) with operating activities (production, parent company structure)
• Not listed
• Additional provisions for larger companies (Art. 961-961b CO) apply (legally required to undergo statutory audit, consolidated financial statements in accordance with CO)

Illustrative financial statements of Holding Ltd

• Holding company without operating activities (holding interests, group financing)
• Listed (additional requirements of Art. 663c CO apply)
• Additional provisions for larger companies do not apply (exemption from these duties as the company prepares consolidated financial statements in accordance with Swiss GAAP FER)

Illustrative financial statements of Non-Profit Foundation

• Charitable foundation (receipt and distribution of voluntarily contributed funds)
• Additional provisions for larger organizations do not apply (legal requirement to undergo a limited statutory examination only)

An appendix provides a disclosure checklist to verify the completeness of disclosures made in a specific case. The current edition has been updated and the layout revised. Content remains unchanged compared to the 2nd edition.

This publication is a practical guide on how to convert accounting and/or financial reporting into a foreign currency in accordance with commercial law. It starts by introducing the criteria for determining the functional currency. The second section focuses on the conversion process and explores the steps needed through illustrative examples. Finally, the publication explores the generally accepted methods for determining the additional disclosures to be made in Swiss francs in the separate financial statements prepared in a foreign currency in accordance with commercial law.

This 2nd edition has been updated and extended to include a new section dealing with dividends distributed from fiscal capital contribution reserves from a tax perspective. Dividends from capital contribution reserves can increase the complexity as the Swiss Federal Tax Administration (FTA) carries them in Swiss francs, regardless of the financial reporting currency used. The FTA translates distributions at the exchange rate prevailing on the date of the distribution, i.e. at a rate that is unknown when the general meeting passes its resolution. An example shows how this issue can be resolved in practice.