Please reach out to the contact person/mailbox mentioned in your welcome email. If you cannot find a contact person, please liaise with your global mobility contact at your employer; they will be able to direct you to the correct contact.
If you do not return the signed Power of Attorney to Deloitte, Deloitte will not be able to represent you in front of the Swiss tax authorities. This Power of Attorney is required in order for Deloitte to obtain information to prepare your Swiss tax return, which includes information for extending the filing deadline. After filing your Power of Attorney, the Swiss tax authorities would send all your tax bills and other correspondence to Deloitte’s attention. This allows Deloitte to act immediately and within the deadline of 30 days, should the tax assessment not be correct. Please be informed that Deloitte will forward to you what is received on your behalf, along with instructions about the next steps. Any tax bill indicating a payment would be forwarded to your employer for payment, should your employer be responsible for paying your Swiss tax bills (i.e., if you are taxed equalised).
If your employer authorised you for tax services with Deloitte, you leaving your employer will not have an impact on Deloitte services. Deloitte will continue to only disclose to your employer what is a requirement in your situation, e.g., whether your tax return has been prepared and your estimated/final tax liability (if tax equalised). No personal data is shared with your employer. To allow Deloitte to continue to contact you directly, please ensure to update your profile on www.gadeloitte.com with your new email ID.
In general, the Swiss tax authorities request documents for any deduction (e.g., interest paid, donations, alimony/maintenance paid, real estate maintenance, etc.). In addition, they require your Swiss salary certificate. Depending on your situation and the canton, your bank statements have to be filed along with the tax return, even if no income is generated. Please be aware that the Swiss tax authorities review every tax return and there is a possibility that they audit your tax return and ask for additional statements, which is quite usual in Switzerland. Therefore, please keep all relevant information until at least the final assessment has been issued.
If you miss the filing deadline, the authorities usually send at least one and usually multiple reminders before they issue a final tax assessment based on their discretion (including a fine for non-filing). This means they will make an estimate of your Swiss tax liability based on the information they have available. It is an obligation to file the Swiss tax return within 30 days after this assessment is issued at the very latest. Otherwise, it is not possible to appeal the decision even if the assessment is too high. If the assessment is too low, you still need to report the difference, or you could be held liable of tax avoidance. In case any assessment is sent to your address directly by the tax authorities, please forward it to your Deloitte contact immediately.
No, the Swiss tax authorities also transfer any refund to a foreign bank account, if complete bank account details are provided.
Married couples file joint tax returns. It is not possible to file separately. Furthermore, when you get married during the year, you are considered as a married couple for the entire tax year.
The tax year is from 1 January to 31 December. Should you arrive or leave Switzerland in the middle of a tax year, the tax period is only as of the date you arrive or up to the date you leave. Income earned outside of the tax period need not be declared.
18-year-olds are considered adults and must in all cases complete a tax return, regardless of whether they are still dependent on their parents or not, and even if they are not gainfully employed and have no earnings.
In the event of separation or divorce, each of the two spouses are taxed individually for the entire tax period (even if you divorce/separate during the year). As a result, each of you will have to complete a tax return for the entire tax period.
You must file your tax return in the canton of residence on 31 December. In the event you paid provisional monthly instalments, the taxpayer is reimbursed, subject to the payment of any previous invoices still due and the submission of the form for "transfer of residence to another canton".
Please use the tax calculator of the Swiss federal tax authorities for any tax calculations.
We suggest you read our brochure Living and Working in Switzerland to obtain more information about your stay in Switzerland.