As of the tax period 2021, the Swiss Federal Tax Administration will not send out physical VAT return forms automatically anymore. The filing of VAT return in paper form will only be possible upon request.
The following tools shall be available from January 2021 for the filing of Swiss VAT returns:
- “ESTV Suisse Tax” (already available now)
- “VAT return easy” (available as of January 2021)
Besides ecological considerations, the electronic filing brings the following benefits:
Benefits | Available in “ESTV Swiss Tax” | Available in «VAT return easy» |
No paper form handling required (reception, completion, signature, sending) | Yes | Yes |
Automatic tax calculation | Yes | Yes |
Direct transfer of accounting data from certain accounting software to the tool | Yes | |
All filed VAT returns are automatically documented and accessible in the tool | Yes | |
Corrections of filed returns can be made directly in the tool | Yes | |
Deadline extensions can be requested directly in the tool | Yes | |
Access for filing can be granted to various staff members inside or outside your organization (e.g. fiscal representative, fiduciary) | Yes | Yes |
Reminder function for VAT filings | Yes | Yes |
If you are still filing the VAT returns in paper form, we recommend changing to online filing already now as implementing the new process can take a couple of weeks. The Mazars tax team would be happy to support you with applying for “ESTV Suisse Tax” in order to benefit already from the various functions and to avoid rushed process adaption by the beginning of 2021.
In case of any questions or uncertainties, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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