Checklist: Forming a company
Do you wish to form a company? The main points to be respected are outlined below:
All legal forms
- Budget for start-up costs
- Arrange a tax consultation and calculation in relation to the formation
- Determine a business name (to be clarified with the cantonal commercial registry office)
- Register for the Old-Age and Survivor Insurance (OSI) pension fund
- Determine VAT status. If VAT must be paid, register with the Federal Tax Administration.
With employees
- Register employees for the Old-Age and Survivor Insurance pension fund and take out the mandatory insurance for the Occupational Pension Plan (OPP) and Professional Accident Insurance (PAI) (note: owners of companies with share capital [corps. and LLCs] are subject to the same social insurance obligations as employees)
All legal forms, excluding sole proprietorships
- Prepare a business contract and articles of association
- Register with the commercial register
- Determine the necessary bodies: board of directors/partners, management, administration or committee; auditor
- Send formation instruments to a notary for review and to the commercial register; adapt if necessary
- Request a declaration of acceptance from the auditor
- Organize a general meeting
LLC and Corp.
- Determine the corporate capital, in particular the share capital, distribution and settlement (payment of dividends)
- Choose a bank for the corporate shares and open an account
- Pay the amount to the bank for paid-in corporate shares and member's shares (present a copy of the registration with the commercial register)
- Issue a certificate of corporate shares and units, begin keeping accounting records for the shares and the company