Tax advisory in Vaud for English-speaking SMEs, directors and expats
Swiss taxation becomes risky when decisions are made too late: dividends after the closing, VAT registration after the threshold, a director salary without simulation, or a withholding-tax situation that has never been reviewed.
Robuste Fiduciaire supports English-speaking entrepreneurs, SME directors, foreign founders and expats in Lausanne, Vevey, Montreux, Nyon, Bex and across the canton of Vaud. This page is not a generic tax guide: it is a service page for situations where you need a structured Swiss tax review in English.
What you should understand before deciding
A tax advisory mandate is useful when a decision affects several layers at once: company profit, personal income, VAT, pension contributions, withholding tax, cash flow or a future sale. A normal bookkeeping mandate records what happened. Tax advisory helps decide what should be done before it becomes expensive or difficult to correct.
For recurring accounting, use our English accounting service in Vaud. For day-to-day entries and bank reconciliation, our SME bookkeeping service is more precise. This page is for fiscal decisions, risk review and planning.
What we review in a Swiss tax advisory file
The scope is defined before the mandate. We avoid vague “tax optimisation” promises and work with concrete questions, documents and decision points.
We review taxable profit, provisional tax instalments, deductible expenses, depreciation logic and year-end decisions that should be documented before closing.
We compare salary, dividends, social contributions, LPP or 3rd pillar logic, personal tax impact and the documentation needed to defend the chosen approach.
We review whether VAT registration, rate selection, input tax, foreign services, import/export or mixed activities create a risk that should be corrected.
We clarify employee withholding tax, possible ordinary subsequent taxation, dividend anticipatory tax and refund logic where it applies.
We assess whether the current legal structure still fits your profit level, shareholder situation and future plans. Company formation questions are redirected to the right service.
We help prepare a clear file when the tax authority requests documents, explanations or corrections. The goal is a coherent and defendable response.
Key Swiss tax points we treat carefully
The figures below are useful orientation points, not automatic advice. The final treatment depends on the business activity, canton, commune, entity type and documents available.
| Topic | Current reference point | Practical meaning | How we use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| VAT rates | 8.1% · 2.6% · 3.8% | Swiss VAT uses a normal rate, a reduced rate and a special accommodation rate. | We check whether rates and transaction categories are correctly applied. |
| VAT liability | CHF 100,000 threshold | Many businesses become liable once relevant turnover reaches the statutory threshold. | We assess registration timing, voluntary registration and cross-border supply questions. |
| 3rd pillar 3a | CHF 7,258 for employees in 2026 | For eligible employed persons, pillar 3a can be part of personal tax and retirement planning. | We only include it where the director or employee status makes it relevant. |
| Anticipatory tax | 35% on investment income | Swiss dividends can trigger anticipatory tax, generally recoverable if correctly declared and conditions are met. | We check dividend documentation, declaration logic and refund risk. |
| Withholding tax for employees | 31 March deadline often critical | Requests for ordinary subsequent taxation or recalculation are deadline-sensitive. | We assess whether a request is appropriate before filing, because consequences may not be reversible. |
Legal note: this table is educational and must be verified against the exact year, canton, commune and personal or company situation before any filing or decision.
Situations where tax advisory is worth doing before the closing
These examples are intentionally practical. The exact conclusion changes with the documents, but the decision logic is often similar.
Sàrl director with rising profit
The company profit has increased, but the director’s salary and pension planning were not adjusted. We review salary, dividends, social contributions, LPP or 3a logic and the timing of the dividend decision.
Foreign founder creating a Swiss company
A founder wants a Swiss company but does not yet understand VAT, director salary, expenses, dividend taxation or the accounting setup. We connect the fiscal part with company formation in Switzerland.
Expat employee in Vaud
A permit holder pays withholding tax and wants to know whether ordinary subsequent taxation, recalculation or deductions could be relevant. We explain the benefit and the risk before the request is filed.
Tax mistakes we would not leave in the English version
The previous draft was visually strong, but several formulations were too categorical. For a tax page, caution is part of credibility.
“CHF 4,000–15,000 savings” can be used only as an indicative example if the page clearly states that results depend on the file. I replaced guaranteed-sounding claims with conditional language.
Writing that dividends are “95% exempt” is too crude for a service page. The Swiss participation relief mechanism is more technical and depends on conditions.
Swiss anticipatory tax can be refunded or offset under conditions, but the right can be lost if declaration duties are not respected. The new copy avoids “fully recoverable” as a blanket claim.
How the Robuste tax review works
Simple enough for the client, structured enough for a Swiss fiduciary file.
You describe the company, permit status, tax question, deadlines and documents available.
We check accounts, payslips, VAT position, tax notices, dividend or structure documents where relevant.
We separate urgent risks, planning opportunities and items that belong to accounting or payroll follow-up.
You receive a clear English summary: what to do, why, what to document and what not to do.
If needed, we prepare or coordinate the filing, response, declaration or follow-up with the relevant authority.
This service is not the right fit if…
This block is important for SEO and for users: tax advisory must not compete with accounting, bookkeeping, VAT operations or company formation pages.
Use accounting services in Vaud if the issue is recurring bookkeeping, accounting supervision or a full accounting mandate.
Use SME bookkeeping if the priority is invoices, bank reconciliation, customer/supplier matching and closing-ready accounts.
Use company formation in Switzerland if the question is incorporation, Sàrl/SA setup, notary, bank account or first accounting setup.
Use payroll services if the subject is payslips, AVS/LPP/AC, salary certificates or employer obligations.
Use Swiss VAT support if the task is mainly VAT registration, VAT returns, input tax or recurring VAT compliance.
Use the English contact page if the situation is not yet clear and you simply want to describe your file.
Request a structured tax response in English
Send the context first. A good tax answer depends on facts: structure, year, canton, salary, profit, VAT status, shareholder situation, permit status and deadlines.
Company type, activity, canton, current issue, deadline, tax year, approximate turnover/profit and whether you already have an accountant.
A practical response: whether we can help, the proposed scope, the documents needed and an indicative quote based on the complexity.
Tax and financial information is treated confidentially. Do not send sensitive files through insecure channels before the mandate is framed.
Describe your tax situation
English form · response usually within 24 working hours
Data processed confidentially under Swiss law (nLPD). For privacy questions, contact info@robuste.ch.
Frequently asked questions about tax advisory in Vaud
An English-speaking tax advisor helps an SME understand and document Swiss tax decisions: corporate tax, VAT, salary versus dividends, pension-related deductions, withholding tax on dividends, instalments, year-end planning and correspondence with the tax authorities. The exact scope depends on the company structure and the documents available.
This page is dedicated to tax advisory: decisions, risks, planning and tax documentation. If you need recurring bookkeeping, bank reconciliation or monthly accounting follow-up, the accounting or SME bookkeeping service is usually more appropriate.
Yes. We can review the withholding-tax situation, check whether a recalculation or ordinary subsequent taxation may be relevant, explain the consequences in English and help prepare the file. The result can increase or decrease the final tax charge, so the decision must be assessed before filing.
VAT questions can be included when they are part of a wider tax review: VAT liability, registration threshold, method, international services, input tax or risk before a tax audit. For recurring VAT returns, a dedicated VAT or accounting mandate may be more suitable.
A Sàrl director can usually compare salary, dividends, social contributions, pension planning and personal tax impact. There is no universal optimal split. It must be calculated according to salary level, profits, pension needs, family situation and documentation.
No. Tax advisory should not be presented as a guaranteed saving. The aim is to clarify the situation, reduce avoidable risks, document decisions and identify legal options where they are relevant. Any recommendation depends on the facts, the applicable rules and the final assessment of the competent authority.
Swiss tax questions are easier when the file is structured first
Tell us your company structure, permit status, current tax question and deadline. We reply with a practical next step and an indicative quote in English.