Changing fiduciary in Switzerland: a 2026 guide
Changing fiduciary in Switzerland in 2026? Plan your notice, data transfer, year-end accounts and access rights for a clear, well-controlled handover.
To change fiduciary in Switzerland in 2026, clarify how the existing engagement will end, obtain usable accounting records and assign every outstanding task in writing. You can switch during the financial year: January is convenient, but there is no general legal requirement to wait until then. The priority is to establish who finishes the previous year, who handles new transactions and who meets the next deadlines.
When should you start planning a change of fiduciary?
For a handover on 1 January 2027, starting in October 2026 is a reasonable planning approach, not a statutory deadline. Review your contract earlier if necessary: October may be too late for some contractual arrangements or a complicated transition.
Year-end already brings bank reconciliations, payroll checks, stocktaking and requests for missing documents. Starting early gives the incoming fiduciary—your accounting and administrative service provider—time to assess the records before confirming a quote.
A mid-year change is also possible. Choose a precise cut-off date, ideally at month-end, and check how it fits with VAT periods and payroll processing. Changing fiduciary does not necessarily mean changing accounting software.
What should you check before ending the engagement?
Read the engagement letter, contract and applicable terms and conditions. Do not assume that a supposed industry practice determines your exit arrangements.
Check in particular:
- termination arrangements and possible financial consequences;
- work already completed, invoiced or still outstanding;
- how long software access continues after the engagement ends;
- available export formats and historical periods;
- charges for transfer, archiving or assistance;
- existing powers of attorney and authorisations.
Ask for written confirmation of the handover scope and timetable. A promise to “transfer the accounts” does not specify supporting documents, historical data or returns still to be filed.
If a dispute arises, have the contract and the applicable Swiss legal rules on mandates reviewed. A contractual clause alone does not necessarily settle every question about termination or the return of documents.
Who should complete the previous financial year?
The outgoing fiduciary can finish the year-end accounts, or the incoming provider can take over that work too. What matters is a written allocation accepted by those involved and confirmed by the business.
| Task | Decision to record |
|---|---|
| Final transactions | Cut-off date and remaining documents to process |
| Bank reconciliations | Accounts covered and latest checked date |
| Year-end accounts | Responsibility for preparation, review and approval |
| VAT returns | Responsibility for each outstanding period and its submission |
| Payroll | Responsibility for cumulative figures, declarations and salary certificates |
| Tax | Financial years and returns remaining within the engagement |
Add a deadline, status and contact person for each task. Separate preparation, approval and submission: a prepared return has not necessarily been filed.
A January handover can begin with provisional balances. Agree how final balances will replace them, how adjustments will be documented and who will check for duplicate entries.
Which documents does the incoming fiduciary need?
The handover package must explain the balances and allow supporting documents to be found. A balance sheet in PDF format is generally not enough.
Which accounting exports should you request?
Prepare the chart of accounts, transaction journal, general ledger, trial balances and available annual accounts. Include detailed lists of unpaid customer and supplier invoices at the cut-off date, with references and any partial payments.
Also provide the fixed asset register and depreciation schedules. Where relevant, include stock records and the information used to value inventory.
Request reusable formats, such as CSV where the software supports it, alongside readable documents. Check that account numbers, dates, currencies and document references are included. An export is not necessarily ready for direct import into another system.
Which supporting documents and additional records are needed?
Collect:
- invoices, credit notes and expense receipts;
- statements for every business bank account;
- loan and leasing agreements and other significant commitments;
- submitted VAT returns, confirmations and relevant correspondence with the Federal Tax Administration, or FTA;
- tax assessments and outstanding requests for information;
- necessary payroll records, particularly cumulative figures and relevant AVS/AHV and LPP/BVG information.
For a mid-year payroll handover, pay particular attention to totals already reported and corrections still pending. Official information on Swiss social insurance is available at ahv-iv.ch.
Personnel records may contain sensitive personal data. Limit access to authorised recipients and use a secure sharing space rather than a group email.
How can you check that the handover is accurate?
Before transferring everything, test a sample of transactions, their supporting documents and unpaid invoices. This helps identify missing fields or broken links between entries and documents.
At handover, request at least these checks:
- Bank balances agree with statements at the agreed date.
- Outstanding invoice lists explain the accounts receivable and payable balances.
- Opening balances match the closing balances supplied.
- Provisional figures are clearly distinguished from final figures.
- Submitted returns are separated from drafts and work in progress.
Maintain a shared list of discrepancies, with an owner and next action for each item. For example, a supplier invoice recorded in December but paid in January should be cleared against the payment. It should not be recorded as an expense a second time.
Finish with an acknowledgement identifying the files received and unresolved questions. Receipt of the data does not mean that the entire accounting record has been reviewed and approved.
Which access rights and authorisations should change?
List access to accounting software, payroll, archives, government portals and any banking services. Check each organisation’s procedures: a new engagement does not automatically transfer existing authorisations.
Use named user accounts and restrict permissions to the tasks required. Do not simply share the previous contact’s password. For payments, specify who prepares payment instructions and who approves them.
Remove the outgoing provider’s access on an agreed date after its final authorised tasks. If a later intervention is necessary, grant limited access rather than leaving broad permissions active indefinitely.
Who must retain the accounting records?
Outsourcing does not remove the business’s obligations. Articles 957 onwards of the Swiss Code of Obligations govern bookkeeping and financial reporting. Article 958f notably requires accounting books and supporting accounting records to be retained for ten years, starting at the end of the financial year.
The official source is the Swiss Code of Obligations on Fedlex, admin.ch.
Before closing a software subscription, check that archives and supporting documents remain accessible, readable and organised. Establish who holds them, how you can retrieve them and what it costs. A backup or a basic CSV export does not, by itself, guarantee compliant archiving. Additional requirements may apply depending on the records and the business activity.
How should you compare handover proposals?
Compare the same scope: day-to-day bookkeeping, annual accounts, VAT, tax, payroll and answers to routine questions. Separate recurring charges from initial handover costs and corrections to previous periods.
A fixed fee should specify inclusions, exclusions and assumptions about transaction or document volumes. Also ask how missing documents are tracked and who will answer your questions.
Sequence Accounting is one option to include in that comparison: clients upload their documents and the team handles the bookkeeping as part of a fixed-price accounting service. As with any proposal, confirm the precise scope, access to archives and handover conditions.
What checklist should you follow for January 2027?
- Before or during October 2026: review the contract, choose the provider and define the scope.
- In November: test exports and allocate year-end work.
- In December: gather documents and confirm access arrangements and deadlines.
- At handover: check balances and document outstanding issues.
- After the final tasks: confirm archive arrangements and remove unnecessary access.
The transition is under control when every deadline has an owner, every balance can be explained and every document has a known location.
Frequently asked questions
Can you change fiduciary during the financial year?+
Yes. Set a cut-off date, allocate responsibility for VAT periods and payroll, and check the transferred balances. There is no general requirement to switch on 1 January.
Is there a standard notice period for every Swiss fiduciary?+
Do not assume a uniform notice period. Review the contract and the applicable legal rules on mandates. If there is a disagreement, have the legal position checked.
Do you need to change software when changing fiduciary?+
Not necessarily. Check whether the incoming provider can use your current system. If a migration is planned, test exports, document links and outstanding invoices before the full transfer.
Who keeps the records after the change?+
The business remains responsible for meeting its retention obligations. Article 958f of the Code of Obligations notably requires accounting books and supporting records to be kept for ten years from the end of the financial year.
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