FAQ
Accounting
-
1. What does the accounting service include each month?
Each month, all financial activity is processed, accounts are reconciled, expenses classified and documentation reviewed. The result is not a list of transactions but a complete and coherent financial record that remains accurate, compliant and fully traceable.
-
2. In what format can documents be provided?
Any format is acceptable: scanned files, photographs, emails, exports or handwritten notes. All material is standardised and translated into a coherent accounting structure, regardless of its origin or quality.
-
3. How is accuracy and traceability ensured?
Accuracy is maintained through disciplined categorisation, evidence checks and systematic reconciliations. Each transaction must be explainable and supported by documentation. This creates a clear audit trail and strengthens the reliability of the financial record.
-
4. Are tax and VAT submissions included in the accounting fee?
Yes. Standard tax declarations and VAT submissions are included, as they rely directly on the accuracy of the monthly records. The underlying data is prepared, checked and structured accordingly. Fiscal advice and tax planning remain outside the scope of the mandate.
-
5. How are missing or incomplete receipts handled?
Missing or unclear items are assessed, and the required evidence is identified. When alternatives are acceptable, they are proposed; when specific forms of proof are required, they are communicated early to preserve compliance.
-
6. Can accounting be taken over mid-year?
Yes. A mid-year transition is routine. Existing records are reviewed, gaps identified and all material migrated into a structured environment. A one-time onboarding fee equal to one monthly tier supports this consolidation.
-
7. Can accounting continue if bookkeeping was handled internally?
Yes. Internal bookkeeping can be taken over at any stage. The material is reviewed, corrected where necessary and aligned with a consistent structure before ongoing work continues.
-
8. What if past accounting is inconsistent or incomplete?
The material is analysed, irregularities identified and the necessary components rebuilt. This may include reconciling balances, reclassifying entries or retrieving missing documentation so that the financial record becomes coherent and defensible.
-
9. Which accounting system is used? Do you work inside client systems?
Records are maintained in a controlled internal environment to ensure consistency and quality. Client systems may be accessed only to retrieve statements or documents; all processing, reconciliation and documentation occur internally.
-
10. Is this service suitable for very small companies or startups?
Yes. Activity-based tiers accommodate low-volume and high-volume environments alike. Early-stage organisations gain structure without building internal infrastructure; larger entities gain scalability and continuity.
-
11. How often are the accounts updated?
Monthly updates provide the optimal balance between practicality and accuracy. They ensure timely documentation, regular reconciliations and aligned VAT and tax cycles. More frequent updates can be arranged if required.
-
12. Are management summaries or snapshots provided?
Yes. Clear summaries highlighting key developments, spending patterns and balance positions can be prepared. They translate detailed records into concise information for decision-making.
-
13. Do you coordinate with auditors or tax advisors?
Yes. Required documentation is provided, and factual questions about the underlying data are addressed. Advisory interpretation remains with the auditor or tax specialist.
-
14. How are expenses categorised to ensure compliance?
Each expense is reviewed for deductibility, VAT treatment and regulatory requirements. Categorisation follows evidence and documentation, ensuring accuracy and consistency across periods.
-
15. What security measures apply to financial data?
All data is stored in controlled environments with strict access limitations. Digital files, exports and handwritten material are treated with the same confidentiality standards.
-
16. Do you provide tax advice or personal tax returns?
No. The mandate covers accurate records, structured documentation and compliant submissions. Personal tax returns, optimisation and interpretive advice remain outside the scope.
FAQ
Payroll
-
1. What does the payroll service include each month?
Monthly salaries are processed, social-security requirements applied, withholding tax managed where applicable and outputs prepared for payments, authorities and internal records.
-
2. In what format can payroll information be provided?
Any practical format is accepted: spreadsheets, PDFs, photographs, emails or handwritten notes. The information is standardised into a structured workflow.
-
3. How is accuracy and compliance ensured?
Each cycle includes controlled checks of contract terms, allowances, deductions, social-security rules and withholding tax requirements. Calculations must align with both law and employment agreements.
-
4. Are social-security, pension and insurance obligations managed?
Yes. Contributions are calculated, processed and documented. Authorities and insurers receive coherent and compliant records.
-
5. Is withholding tax handled for foreign or non-resident employees?
Yes. Applicable rates are applied based on the factual information provided. Interpretive tax advice remains outside the mandate.
-
6. How are employee entries and departures managed?
Registrations, deregistrations, contract changes and final settlements are carried out according to documented terms. All changes are recorded to maintain a complete payroll history.
-
7. Are allowances, benefits and reimbursements processed?
Yes. These items are integrated into payroll when clearly defined and documented. Expense reimbursements remain separate from taxable components.
-
8. Are salary statements and year-end confirmations included?
Yes. All year-end employer duties are included in the monthly fee. Personal tax returns are not provided.
-
9. Can payroll be handled for very small teams?
Yes. The structure accommodates organisations with one or two employees as well as growing teams. Fees scale proportionately.
-
10. What happens if employment terms change?
Contract changes are integrated into the next cycle, and their effect on deductions or allowances is verified. All adjustments are documented.
-
11. How are corrections to past payroll cycles handled?
Discrepancies are analysed, the earliest compliant correction period is identified and appropriate adjustments are documented. Updates may be required for authorities.
-
12. Do you coordinate with insurers, pension funds and authorities?
Yes. Administrative communication is handled when documentation or clarification is required.
-
13. Do you work inside client payroll systems?
No. Processing occurs in a controlled internal environment. Client systems may be accessed only to retrieve information.
-
14. How is salary data secured?
Sensitive information is stored and processed in strictly controlled environments with clearly defined access rights.
-
15. Do you process contractor or freelancer payments?
Contractor payments can be documented in accounting but do not form part of payroll unless the individuals qualify as employees under Swiss law.
-
16. Do you provide employee tax guidance or tax advice?
No. Payroll is processed based on documented facts and statutory requirements. Tax interpretation remains with the employee’s or employer’s advisor.
FAQ
Year-End Preparation & Reconciliation Work
-
1. What is the purpose of the year-end closing?
A complete, accurate and defensible record of the fiscal year. It includes reconciliations, adjustments, documentation checks and preparation of statements required for tax filing.
-
2. What information is required?
Material may be provided in any form. All information is reviewed, organised and structured; gaps are identified and missing elements reconstructed.
-
3. Is the entire year reviewed?
Yes. Even when only parts require correction, the full record must be aligned to ensure consistency and compliance.
-
4. Are irregularities from earlier periods corrected?
Yes. Misclassifications, inconsistencies or missing items are resolved so the final year-end is complete and coherent.
-
5. Why is year-end more expensive than monthly accounting?
Year-end condenses a full fiscal cycle into a single engagement and often requires retrospective reconstruction. The intensity and scope are therefore greater.
-
6. Are documents for the corporate tax return prepared?
Yes. The full financial package is produced. The tax return itself is submitted by the designated tax advisor.
-
7. Do you coordinate with tax advisors?
Yes. Documentation is provided, and factual questions are addressed. Advisory interpretation remains with the tax specialist.
-
8. Can year-end be handled if bookkeeping was done by someone else?
Yes. Year-end is a stand-alone service designed for this scenario.
-
9. Is the completed year-end handed back to the previous fiduciary?
Only on explicit request. To avoid incompatibility of methods, the standard practice is to deliver the closing directly to the client or tax advisor.
-
10. Do you work inside client accounting systems for year-end?
No. Source data may be retrieved from client platforms, but all reconciliation, adjustments and documentation occur internally.
-
11. What if bookkeeping is incomplete?
Missing sections are reconstructed using available evidence, bank or card transactions, and statements. The record is made complete.
-
12. How are foreign currency, loans or non-standard items handled?
These items are reconciled and documented according to the evidence provided and incorporated into the final statements.
-
13. How are documentation gaps managed?
Gaps are identified early. When acceptable alternatives exist, they are noted; when specific evidence is required, it is requested directly.
-
14. Can year-end be requested without monthly accounting?
Yes. Many clients use year-end as a separate service regardless of how bookkeeping was maintained during the year.
-
15. Do you offer tax planning or optimisation?
No. The focus is the factual financial record. Tax planning remains with the client’s advisor.
-
16. Is year-end suitable for all company sizes?
Yes. The method applies to small entities, high-growth ventures and complex structures alike.
FAQ
Expense Control with Supporting Documentation
-
1. What does the expense control service include?
Expenses are reviewed, classified and documented to ensure correctness, regulatory alignment and internal coherence. Receipts are validated, matched to payments and organised into a clear expense structure.
-
2. How should documents be sent?
Any format is acceptable. All material is standardised and integrated into a coherent record.
-
3. Is every expense verified?
Yes. Each item is checked for support, accuracy, date, description and payment reference. Missing elements trigger targeted clarification.
-
4. Are items requiring special treatment identified?
Yes. Travel, meals, mixed-use items, subscriptions and foreign-currency expenses are reviewed for correct categorisation according to their rules.
-
5. Are employee expense reports handled?
Yes. Employees may submit in any format. Reports are structured, evidence validated and results integrated into accounting or payroll as required.
-
6. How are missing or unclear receipts handled?
Context is analysed, acceptable alternatives are proposed and required documentation is requested when necessary.
-
7. Are expenses reconciled with bank and card transactions?
Yes. Each expense is matched to its payment to maintain internal consistency.
-
8. Can data from expense apps be integrated?
Yes. Structured exports from third-party tools are imported and aligned with the financial record.
-
9. Do you manage categories and internal policies?
Yes. Categories are defined or refined, and transactions are aligned with the established structure.
-
10. How is regulatory compliance ensured?
Documentation standards, evidence checks, classification logic and reconciliation are applied consistently.
-
11. Can spending summaries or analyses be provided?
Yes. Structured summaries can be prepared on request
-
12. Is this service available to non-accounting clients?
Yes. Expense control can be provided independently.
-
13. How does it link to accounting or payroll?
Outputs are integrated into accounting or payroll as required or delivered as a structured stand-alone package.
-
14. Is tax advice provided for deductibility?
No. Classification is factual; interpretive tax advice remains with the tax advisor.
-
15. Can high volumes be handled?
Yes. The workflow supports both occasional and high-volume environments.
-
16. Who benefits most?
Any organisation requiring disciplined, well-documented and traceable expense management.
FAQ
Foreign VAT on Business-Travel Expenses
-
1. What does the foreign VAT service do?
Foreign VAT on eligible travel and operational expenses is identified, structured and reclaimed. Evidence is collected, eligibility reviewed, claims prepared and the administrative process handled until completion.
-
2. Which countries are covered?
Primarily the EU, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. Other jurisdictions can be handled case-by-case depending on rules and administrative feasibility.
-
3. Who is eligible to reclaim VAT?
Companies VAT-registered in their home country that incur business-related expenses abroad without being VAT-registered in that country. Original invoices are normally required.
-
4. Which expenses are usually eligible?
Hotel stays, ground transport, event participation, exhibition fees, certain meals (depending on local rules), supplier services abroad and equipment rental. Eligibility depends on national legislation.
-
5. What types of companies use this service?
Organisations with regular cross-border travel or operational activity—consulting, technical, professional services, events, media, manufacturing and others.
-
6. Which sectors find it most relevant?
Technology, crypto, creative industries, design, architectural and medical services, professional services, events and B2B trade.
-
7. How is the necessary data collected?
Clients may send invoices and evidence in any practical form. Files, photographs, emails, platform exports and physical originals are all accepted.
-
8. Can documents be retrieved directly from client systems?
Yes. Access can be used to retrieve information from most modern accounting, card or expense platforms.
-
9. Must documents be pre-organised?
No. Raw material is acceptable. Relevant elements are extracted, structured and matched to jurisdictions.
-
10. What is the role with foreign tax authorities?
Claims are prepared, submitted and monitored. Procedural questions, follow-ups and outcomes are handled within local frameworks.
-
11. How are fees structured?
Purely success-based: 35% on recovered VAT up to CHF 50’000 per year and 33% above that threshold. There are no minimum fees and no costs for unsuccessful claims..
-
12. Are outcomes or timelines guaranteed?
No. Decisions and timelines depend on the foreign authorities. Submissions are completed thoroughly to maximise recoverability.
-
13. Must the client use your accounting service?
No. Foreign VAT recovery is a stand-alone service.
-
14. Why do companies leave VAT unclaimed?
Complexity, fragmented evidence, varying rules, multiple languages and the perceived administrative burden lead to unclaimed amounts.
-
15. Is this handled through an app or automation?
No. The work relies on evidence analysis, rules and documentation. No dashboards or apps are sold.
-
16. Who benefits most, and how is the process started?
Organisations with recurring international activity benefit most. The process begins by reviewing a sample of invoices to estimate potential recovery.
FAQ
Case-Specific Tasks in Finance or Data Management
-
1. What do case-specific tasks include?
Assignments that fall outside routine accounting or payroll and require structured data preparation. These typically involve extracting data from client platforms, consolidating information, structuring it and preparing a clean financial dataset.
-
2. What types of data can be extracted?
Bank and card transactions, invoices, bills, employee expenses, payout reports, subscriptions and other financial material.
-
3. From which systems can data be retrieved?
Most modern accounting, card, payment, marketplace and expense platforms. Additional systems can be accommodated when they allow access to transaction data.
-
4. Must data be prepared beforehand?
No. Raw material is interpreted, cleaned and standardised.
-
5. Can data be integrated into any accounting system?
No. We integrate data only into systems that allow structured imports under controlled conditions – typically modern SME accounting platforms. We do not import data into large enterprise systems such as SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics or similar environments.
-
6. Is processing done inside client systems?
No. Processing occurs in a controlled internal environment.
-
7. Why do clients request data extraction?
Typical reasons include system changes, platform migrations, backlogs, consolidation of multiple sources, recovery of historical data or establishing a clean baseline.
-
8. Can large volumes be handled?
Yes. High-volume datasets are processed routinely.
-
9. Can data be cleaned and reorganised?
Yes. Categories are normalised, inconsistencies resolved, duplicates removed and supplier information aligned.
-
10. Can missing periods be reconstructed?
Yes. Available evidence is retrieved from connected systems or providers; remaining gaps are identified and clarified.
-
11. Can information from multiple systems be unified?
Yes. Data from several platforms can be combined into one coherent dataset.
-
12. Can platforms be accessed directly?
Yes. Access may be used strictly for retrieving information.
-
13. Is advisory work included?
No. The mandate is technical: extraction, structuring, reconciliation and import.
-
14. How are results delivered?
The final dataset is imported directly into the accounting environment. No raw files are provided for client processing.
-
15. Is a long-term engagement required?
No. These tasks are project-based.
-
16. Who benefits most?
Any organisation that works with financial data from multiple sources - banks, cards, payment platforms, accounting tools or legacy systems - and needs that information transformed into a coherent, reliable dataset without internal manual work. Most systems cannot interpret mixed inputs correctly, which leads to re-typing, inconsistency and avoidable errors.
FAQ
Pricing
-
1. How are your accounting fees structured?
Accounting is priced per full fiscal year, because the work covers the entire cycle: reconciliations, controls, documentation, VAT periods and year-end readiness. The monthly fee is simply an instalment of this annual mandate. Tiers are based on yearly transaction and account volume.
-
2. Why is accounting billed for twelve months even if activity is low or seasonal?
Accounting is a continuous system rather than a collection of isolated monthly tasks. Even with fluctuating activity, the framework must remain intact and ready for VAT, reporting and year-end. The yearly fee is just spread over twelve months for cash-flow convenience.
-
3. Do you charge an onboarding fee for new clients?
Yes. The onboarding fee equals one month of the selected tier and covers the initial review, alignment of categories and accounts, import of relevant historical data and setup of a controlled structure. It is charged once at the start of a mandate.
-
4. How are payroll fees calculated?
Payroll fees are tiered by number of employees. They include all standard monthly duties: salary processing, social-security handling, benefits, reimbursements and year-end employer statements. There are no separate charges for regular annual tasks.
-
5. How is year-end pricing determined?
Year-end preparation is a separate service linked to the accounting tier that matches transaction volume. It includes reconciliations, adjustments, documentation checks and the full closing package. Pricing is higher than a single monthly instalment because the work is retrospective and often corrective.
-
6. How do you price foreign VAT recovery?
Foreign VAT recovery is success-based: 35% on recovered VAT up to CHF 50’000 per year and 33% above that. There are no minimum fees and no charges for unsuccessful claims.
-
7. How do you price expense management and data-integration work?
Pricing depends on document volume, number of data sources and system complexity. We retrieve, structure, validate and integrate the data into the accounting environment, and the fee scales with the depth and scope of processing required.
-
8. Do clients ever need to import or format data themselves?
No. Clients never receive raw files, structured files or import templates. All processing, formatting and integration occur entirely on our side, using internal methods that are not shared externally. The client receives only the resulting records inside the accounting environment, never the underlying files or structure.