Retention periods in Switzerland: What you need to know as a company
Retention periods in Switzerland: What you need to know as a company
Retention periods in Switzerland are not a secondary issue. They are a central part of your legal obligations as an entrepreneur.
If documents are missing, deleted too early or are archived in an incomprehensible manner, this can quickly become problematic during tax audits, revisions or legal disputes.
Anyone who knows the storage periods and implements them properly reduces risks and remains legally on the safe side.
What are the storage periods in Switzerland?
According to Swiss Code of Obligations (OR), business-relevant documents must generally be kept for at least 10 years.
The period usually starts at the end of the respective fiscal year.
This legal storage obligation applies in particular to:
- Accounting documents
- Financial statements
- Invoices and receipts
- Business correspondence
- Tax-related documents
- Contracts with business significance
Not only is the duration important, but also the traceability and availability of the documents.
Which documents do you have to keep for 10 years?
Companies in Switzerland must archive the following documents in particular for at least ten years:
- Financial accounting and subsidiary books
- Accounts receivable and vendor documents
- Cash reports and bank documents
- Payslips and social security documents
- Contracts with financial or legal relevance
The documents must be complete, organized and accessible at all times. This also applies to digital archiving.
Electronic documents are permitted as long as they are stored in an audit-proof manner and cannot be changed in an uncontrolled manner retrospectively.
Common mistakes with retention periods
In practice, there are similar weaknesses time and again:
- Documents are deleted too early
- Digital documents are not stored in an audit-proof manner
- Archiving processes are not clearly regulated
- Responsibilities are not defined internally
- Backups are missing or incomplete
Such omissions are usually only noticed in the case of an audit. It'll be too late then.
Implement retention periods correctly: Practical tips
In order to reliably meet the legal requirements, you should:
- Define clear internal archiving guidelines
- Store digital documents in an audit-proof manner
- Clearly define responsibilities
- Check archive collections regularly
- establish a functioning backup strategy for electronic documents
Structure replaces uncertainty. The clearer your archiving system, the lower your risk.
Conclusion: Retention periods are part of your compliance
The retention periods in Switzerland are not purely administrative acts. They are an essential part of your corporate compliance.
If you know which documents need to be kept and for how long and archive them in a structured way, you protect your company from unnecessary risks.
Clean documentation creates legal certainty, transparency and stability.
