Keeping accounting records in Switzerland: retention periods and digital archiving

Which accounting records should you keep for ten years?

The records you retain must explain your transactions and accounts: sales invoices, purchase invoices, credit notes, expense claims, bank statements, accounting entries, journals and relevant year-end working papers. Payroll records and the tax documents needed for your file also require consistent organisation.

The CO retention period starts at the end of the financial year. For a year ending on 31 December 2026, the ordinary ten-year period runs until the end of 2036. Do not automatically destroy the entire file on the following 1 January: first check for ongoing proceedings and any special rules.

Important contracts, ownership documents, capital transactions and evidence supporting long-term rights may need to be kept longer. The ten-year accounting rule is not a universal instruction to delete every document once that period ends.

Retention periods and exceptions: what to check

The twenty-year period does not apply indiscriminately to every invoice issued or received by a property business. It covers the documents needed to calculate own-use VAT adjustments or subsequent input tax relief relating to immovable property. These adjustments can arise when the use of a property changes. The end of twenty years is therefore not always the date when records can be destroyed: the Federal Tax Administration explains that retention continues if the relevant absolute limitation period has not expired (source in French).

Can digital files replace the paper originals?

Article 958f CO allows accounting books and supporting documents to be retained electronically if their connection to the transactions remains reliable and they can still be read. The Swiss ordinance on keeping and retaining accounting records, known as Olico in French and GeBüV in German, sets out the organisational and integrity requirements.

A scan must be complete, legible and correctly linked to the file. A cropped image, an unreadable receipt or a file without a reference does not meet that practical need simply because it exists on a drive.

Before destroying an original, also check whether it has a particular legal value or is subject to a rule requiring its retention. The printed and signed reports required by the CO, certain title documents and original contractual documents cannot automatically be treated like an ordinary till receipt.

PDF/A can help preserve long-term readability, but the format alone does not guarantee the integrity of the entire archiving system.

For company expenses, also keep the information that explains their business purpose. Our article on tax-deductible expenses for a Swiss LLC or corporation explains the supporting evidence useful for different types of expenditure.

What makes a reliable digital archive?

Article 3 of the accounting records ordinance requires any alteration of a record to remain detectable. Archives must also be protected, organised and accessible to authorised people within a reasonable time. A shared folder in which anyone can replace a PDF without leaving a trace does not, by itself, meet these requirements.

Cloud storage is possible, subject to conditions

For modifiable storage media, Article 9 of the ordinance requires additional safeguards:

• a technical process that protects the integrity of the information;
• verifiable evidence of when the information was recorded that cannot be falsified;
• compliance with the requirements applicable to the process used;
• documented procedures and retention of the necessary protocols and logs.

Electronic signatures and timestamps are examples of technical measures, not a reason to skip reviewing the complete system. Ask your provider how these safeguards work, how access is logged and how you can retrieve the archive when the contract ends. A PDF/A file supports long-term readability; it does not make a cloud folder compliant on its own.

Keep a clear trail from the document to the accounting entry

1. Capture: retain the complete document and any relevant attachments.
2. Organise: assign an identifier linked to the accounting entry and separate archived records from working files.
3. Protect: restrict access, log consultations and make changes detectable.
4. Document: appoint a responsible person and retain working instructions and required logs.
5. Test: regularly check integrity, readability and the ability to retrieve records.

A backup allows data to be restored after an incident. An archive preserves evidence for the full retention period. A rolling backup that overwrites older versions is therefore not a substitute for an archive.

Changing accounting software without losing your history

Before cancelling a software subscription, export the journals, general ledgers, trial balances, annual accounts and supporting documents, together with the links between them. A balance sheet export alone will not allow you to reconstruct the accounts.

Check the export format, whether documents can be read without an active subscription, access rights and any retrieval costs. Test an older period: finding an invoice from its accounting entry is a useful practical check. Under Article 10 of the ordinance, a migration must preserve information that is complete, accurate, available and readable. A record of the transfer must be retained with the data. Note the date, tools used, files transferred and checks performed before closing access to the old system.

Your accounting firm may keep a working copy, but your business must ensure lasting access to the records for which it is responsible. When changing accountants, include the handover of supporting documents and exports in the transition schedule.

The accounting cycle does not end when the financial statements are produced: it also includes preserving the evidence behind them.

Prepare for an audit without rebuilding the whole file

A complete year-end accounting file includes the approved accounts, closing entries, bank reconciliations, VAT returns, import documents and explanations of unusual transactions. Add an index that lets someone trace a reported figure back to its supporting document.

For a Swiss VAT audit, reconciling sales, VAT returns and supporting documents is particularly useful. A large archive that cannot be searched can create as many difficulties as an incomplete file.

Assign responsibility for archiving and document the destruction procedure. Check retention periods by document type and keep a record of what was destroyed, after reviewing the exceptions.

Build an archive you can actually use

Before discarding paper or cancelling software, check three things: the right retention period for each file, evidence of its integrity and the ability to read it again. Start with an older financial year and address any gaps before extending the approach to all your records.

Further reading

• Year-end accounting in Switzerland: preparing a complete file
• Keeping accounts in Switzerland: obligations and practical benefits
• VAT audits in Switzerland: preparation, process and follow-up

Frequently asked questions