Duty to keep accounts
Double-entry bookkeeping is required of all businesses entered in the commercial register from CHF 500,000 of annual turnover, and of all legal entities; sole proprietorships and partnerships below that keep only a statement of receipts, payments and net assets.
Definition
The reduced variant is often called, in Swiss German, «Milchbüechlirechnung» — milk-book accounting. It is not sloppiness but the form the law provides for — yet it demands the same documents, completeness and traceability. Whoever keeps it does not have to draw up a balance sheet.
Associations and foundations are required to keep books if they are entered in the commercial register or subject to audit; otherwise the simple statement suffices. The line is therefore not the purpose but the size.
The wording
The duty to keep accounts and file financial reports in accordance with the following provisions applies to: 1. sole proprietorships and partnerships that achieved sales revenue of at least CHF 500,000 in the last financial year; 2. legal entities.
The numbers
- CHF 500,000
- annual turnover from which double-entry bookkeeping is required Art. 957 para. 1 CO
Where to read it
What the software must be able to do
Whoever stays below the threshold needs no program with a balance sheet and chart of accounts — an orderly record of receipts and payments is enough. That distinction decides half the shortlist, and comparisons rarely make it.
Checked Aug 2026
More terms under Bookkeeping and retention: Accrual principle Accrued liabilities Annual accounts Association accounting Balance sheet Balance sheet total Book value Break-even point Business assets Business expenses Cash book Cash flow statement Cash receipts Contribution margin Cost centre Current assets Debit and credit Depreciation Double-entry bookkeeping EBIT EBITDA Equity Equity ratio Financial year Fixed assets Fixed costs Foreign currency General ledger Gross profit Hidden reserves Income statement Inventory count Journal Journal entry Liabilities Liquidity Loss carry-forward Membership dues Net profit Opening balance sheet Overheads Pass-through item Prepaid expenses Provision Record-keeping ordinance Reserves Retained profit Simple accounts Swiss SME chart of accounts Tamper resistance Turnover Value adjustment Variable costs Volunteer-run structure Voucher Year-end closing modules