The VAT return
Bilanzi works out the VAT return from the lines you post anyway. You check it position by position and file it with the ESTV yourself.
Where the figures come from
Not from a second round of data entry. Every entry carries its tax details: which rate applies, whether the supply is taxable, exempt or excluded, and whether you can deduct the input tax. The return reads exactly those lines for the period you choose.
That is why you can trace every figure back to the individual receipt, right on the screen. If a position is wrong, you correct the entry, not the return. Where a manual correction is needed, you record it as a correction, and it stays visible.
Effective method or net tax rate
Under the effective method, you charge tax on your turnover at the statutory rate and deduct the input tax you paid on purchases and investments. The return is quarterly. This method suits you well if you buy or invest a lot.
Under the net tax rate method, you multiply your gross turnover by a rate the ESTV has approved for your business. There is no input tax deduction then, because it is already built into the rate. The return is half-yearly. You still charge your customers the statutory rate.
Bilanzi handles both, each on the basis of agreed consideration. You copy your approved net tax rate from your ESTV approval. If you have two rates for two activities, you assign each revenue account to a rate once.
Quarter by quarter
The return always shows one period: a quarter under the effective method, a half-year under the net tax rate method. The arrows take you to the previous or next period. Next to it is the deadline for filing, 60 days after the period ends.
Once everything is checked, you finalise the return. After that it no longer changes. If you find a mistake later, you record a correction return that refers to the original.
Rates and box numbers, checked at the source
A tax rate is a legal fact, and Bilanzi does not make any up. The rates sit in the app with their official source beside them. A rate is only used once an owner has compared it with the source and released it. That takes one click per row, and Bilanzi records who did it and when.
The same goes for the box numbers of the ESTV form. Until a number is released, a plain label stands in its place, such as «Total agreed consideration». A number that looks official but is not would be worse than no number at all.
Filing happens in the ePortal
Bilanzi sends nothing to the ESTV. You enter the figures in the tax administration’s ePortal yourself, or you give your fiduciary the export of the return. Then you record the filing in the app, with date, channel and reference. You attach the ESTV receipt as a document.
That way you will still know a year from now whether the second quarter was filed. We spell this out because the gap between calculating and filing is exactly where deadlines get missed.
Reconciled with the ledger
Before filing, Bilanzi reconciles the return with the ledger, separately for turnover and input tax. A difference may exist, but only an explained one. An unexplained difference cannot be recorded as filed. So it does not end up in a report that nobody reads.
At year end, the reconciliation is part of the closing. The closing runs through a checklist with blocking items, freezes the annual accounts and opens the next year from them.
What does not work yet
Bilanzi does not submit the return electronically to the ESTV. Returns based on consideration received and the flat tax rates for public bodies are not supported.
If you change method, Bilanzi does not work out the deadlines that come with it. Bilanzi does not look up your approved net tax rate anywhere. You copy it from your approval and record who did so.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Bilanzi if I am not registered for VAT?
Yes. You state during setup whether your business is liable for VAT. If it is not, VAT does not appear in your books at all, not even a VAT account. If you register later, you add the registration with its date.
Which methods does Bilanzi support?
The effective method with a return every quarter and the net tax rate method with a return every half-year, both on the basis of agreed consideration. Flat tax rates and returns based on consideration received are not supported.
Does Bilanzi file the return with the ESTV?
No. You enter the figures in the ePortal or give the export to your fiduciary. Then you record the filing in Bilanzi, so it is part of your books.
What does it mean that a tax rate is released?
An owner has compared the rate with the official source and confirmed it. Bilanzi stores the name, the date and the source. Only then does a return calculate with that rate.
What if I invoice in euros?
You still account for VAT in Swiss francs. Bilanzi converts each line at the rate fixed on the invoice. That way the tax in francs matches the tax on the document exactly.
What it costs
This is included from the Starter plan, so in Business and Fiduciary too.
Related topics
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You create the QR-bill straight from your books. It becomes an open receivable the moment you issue it, and bank reconciliation later ties the payment back to it.
For fiduciary firms
With Bilanzi you work through a mandate directly in your clients’ books. There is no copy to import back later.
Get started today. For free.
The best test is a quarter you have already filed. Create an account, post that quarter again and compare the result with your last return. Bilanzi prepares the VAT return from the Starter plan up.
Free forever. No credit card.