Paperless accounting for SMEs: the switch in 5 steps
What paperless accounting means, whether it's allowed in Switzerland and how small businesses make the switch in five steps, with receipt scanning, digital filing and mobile approval.
Paperless accounting means capturing, filing and archiving receipts digitally instead of collecting them in binders. For Swiss SMEs this is allowed and saves noticeable time, provided the statutory retention rules are met. The switch works in five manageable steps, and a large part of it can be done straight from your phone.
What does paperless accounting mean?
Paperless doesn't mean "no more receipts", it means "no more piles of paper". Every receipt, every invoice and every contract is digitised and filed in a structured place where it can be found again. The physical document loses its role as the sole original. The digital copy takes over.
Is paperless accounting allowed in Switzerland?
Yes. The Swiss Code of Obligations requires business records and accounting vouchers to be kept for ten years (CO Art. 958f). The Ordinance on Business Records (GeBüV) expressly permits electronic archiving, as long as the integrity, readability and availability of the data are ensured throughout the entire period.
In practice this means: a cleanly scanned, tamper-proof filed document meets the requirements. The shoebox of receipts isn't a legal duty, just a habit.
How do I make the switch in 5 steps?
- Digitise receipts right away. Photograph receipts straight after the purchase, instead of collecting them.
- Name them consistently. A clear naming scheme makes documents findable. Automatic filename suggestions help here.
- File them in a structured way. Every document lands in the same, defined place (e.g. the inbox in Bexio), not in scattered mail attachments.
- Post them promptly. What's available digitally can be assigned immediately, instead of being reconstructed at month-end.
- Archive them securely. Bexio handles retention as the system of record, and the documents remain available there throughout the statutory retention period.
How does a mobile app help with the switch?
The biggest stumbling block on the way to paperless accounting is the moment between "receipt received" and "receipt captured". This is exactly where a mobile app steps in: the receipt is digitised the moment it appears, not days later at the desk. That way the pile of paper disappears before it can even build up.
How scanning works in practice is covered here: Scan receipts and file them digitally with Bexio. The whole mobile workflow is shown in the complete guide to Bexio on the go.