When can I have an appointment with Hermes Treuhand?
Appointments may be also scheduled for late afternoon or on Saturday until 3 p.m.
We have issued a authorisation to be represented in the tax assessment process. Do we have to sign the tax declaration nevertheless ourselves?
Yes, responsibility for the complete declaration is remaining with you. However, before completing the declaration, we conduct an interview by phone with you in order to gain assurance that all income is declared an all deductions are claimed.
Do I have to pay a provisional tax invoice?
Payment of provisional tax bills may not be enforced trough the Betreibungsamt. However we recommend to settle also provisional bills in order to avoid arrears. For late payments you will be charged interest, if your final bill is lower than the amount already paid you will be credited interest.
Retirment funds second pillar forgotten?
I am not sure where all retirement capital of my former employers were transferred to the pension fund to which I am adhered at present.
How can I verify that all retirement capital accumulated so far is transferred to my present pension fund or to a retirement account with my bank (Freizügigkeitskonto)?
In Switzerland there are an estimated three billion Swiss Francs in dormant retirement accounts. At the end of an employment contract these funds usually were not transferred to a retirement provision bank account (Freizügigkeitskonto) or to the pension funds of the subsequent employer. If you suspect to have an dormant retirement provision account you may submit an inquiry to the Zentralstelle 2. Säule in Bern, they would be able to inform you where a dormant account in your name exists.
Extra deposits into your pension fund second pillar (BVG)
I would like to deposit additional funds into my pension fund and deduct the amount deposited from my taxable income. How should I proceed?
Your pension fund is mailing to you at the beginning of the year a statement showing your contributions, a forecast of your pension, your actual retirement capital and the amount which might be paid in additionally. This amount might be considerably high if you had not been working in Switzerland fully during your professional career or your present salary exceeds what you earned previously. Amounts paid in additionally are fully deductible from your taxable income. Therefore we recommend to review your pension fund statement and to eventually contact your pension fund.
Individual provision for retirement (third pillar)
Upon retirement I would like to earn the same amount as when I was working. What do I have to do?
As an employee you may transfer every year up to CHF 6’800 to an individual retirement account (Konto Säule 3a). The amount is fully deductible from your taxable income. If you like to manage your individual retirement account online, we recommend the platform Unabhängige Vorsorge Zürich built by a traditional local bank in Zurich. This saves costs and moreover allows you to switch products with a simple click. You may choose the investment vehicles by yourself or leave the investment decision to a panel of experts. More yield, less cost, less taxes will be the reward. You are welcome to contact us, we will be pleased to assist you further.