Preparation of financial statements
Gaapex manages your closing process and prepares your annual financial statements using your company’s software. We work with various accounting standards (Swiss Code of Obligations, Swiss GAAP FER and IFRS) and can also prepare your consolidated financial statements.
Statutory financial statements
In brief…
- Accounting in accordance with the provisions of the Swiss Code of Obligations, as required for all legal entities in Switzerland (especially public limited companies and limited liability companies).
- Statutory financial statements are prepared by the board of directors and approved by the company’s Annual General Meeting.
- They form the tax base for the company.
Legal framework
- Statutory financial statements comprise a balance sheet, an income statement and notes. The proposal for the appropriation of profit is also part of the financial statements.
- The Swiss Code of Obligations sets out the minimum structure for the balance sheet and income statement and defines the obligatory disclosures to be made in the notes to the financial statements.
- The general rules set out in the Swiss Code of Obligations are fleshed out by theory and practice. The standard reference work in this field is the Swiss Manual of Auditing published by EXPERTsuisse.
Swiss GAAP FER
In brief…
- Generally recognized Swiss accounting standards.
- Provide a true and fair view of the company’s situation. In particular, Swiss GAAP FER prohibits the establishment of hidden reserves (i.e. non-justified provisions).
- Requirements and implementation costs are substantially lower compared with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
- Strong recognition because they are applied by certain listed Swiss companies, especially Bobst, Swatch Group and Ascom.
Mainly suitable for …
- Listed companies or companies considering a listing on the stock market in Switzerland.
- SMEs that want to provide high-quality, low-cost information for their shareholders.
- Not-for-profit organizations aiming for certification by Zewo.
IFRS
In brief…
- Accounting standards recognized in Switzerland and internationally.
- Provide a true and fair view of the company’s situation. IFRS prohibits the establishment of hidden reserves (i.e. non-justified provisions).
- Implementing IFRS can be a particularly complex process because of the level of detail and technical requirements of some standards. Moreover, the notes involve a high level of volume and complexity.
- Strong recognition and mandatory for companies listed on a stock exchange in the European Union.
Mainly suitable for …
- Companies that are listed or seeking a stock exchange listing in Switzerland or abroad.
- Subsidiaries of companies that prepare IFRS financial statements and require IFRS-compliant reporting.