The Swiss chart of accounts PMC (Chart of accounts for SMEs, in German Kontenrahmen KMU) is the standard reference for structuring business accounting in Switzerland. It organises accounts into logical classes that correspond to the structure of the balance sheet and income statement required by the Code of Obligations.
Published by veb.ch (Swiss Association of Experts in Auditing, Tax and Fiduciary), the PMC succeeds the famous Kafer chart of accounts and was updated to comply with the new Swiss accounting law that came into force in 2013.
General structure of the PMC chart of accounts
The PMC chart of accounts is organised into 9 classes, numbered 1 to 9. Classes 1 and 2 feed the balance sheet, classes 3 to 8 feed the income statement, and class 9 is used for closing.
| Class | Designation | Financial statement |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assets | Balance sheet (assets) |
| 2 | Liabilities | Balance sheet (liabilities) |
| 3 | Operating income | Income statement |
| 4 | Material, merchandise and service expenses | Income statement |
| 5 | Personnel expenses | Income statement |
| 6 | Other operating expenses | Income statement |
| 7 | Ancillary activities result | Income statement |
| 8 | Extraordinary result, prior period items and taxes | Income statement |
| 9 | Closing | Income statement (balance) |
Class 1: Assets
Class 1 groups everything the company owns, classified in decreasing order of liquidity:
| Account | Designation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Cash and cash equivalents | |
| 1000 | Cash | Cash in CHF |
| 1010 | Post | PostFinance account |
| 1020 | Bank | Bank current account |
| 11 | Receivables | |
| 1100 | Trade receivables | Client receivables |
| 1109 | Bad debt allowance | Provision on doubtful receivables (-) |
| 1170 | Anticipatory tax receivable | Claim on FTA for anticipatory tax |
| 12 | Inventory | |
| 1200 | Merchandise | Merchandise inventory |
| 1210 | Raw materials | Raw materials inventory |
| 13 | Prepaid expenses | |
| 1300 | Prepaid expenses and accrued income | Expenses paid in advance, income to receive |
| 14 | Financial assets | |
| 1400 | Securities | Long-term investments |
| 1440 | Loans | Loans granted to third parties |
| 15 | Tangible fixed assets (movable) | |
| 1500 | Machinery and equipment | |
| 1510 | Furniture and installations | |
| 1520 | Office and IT equipment | |
| 1530 | Vehicles | |
| 16 | Tangible fixed assets (immovable) | |
| 1600 | Operating real estate | |
| 17 | Intangible assets | |
| 1700 | Patents, licences | |
| 1770 | Goodwill |
Class 2: Liabilities
Class 2 groups the company's sources of financing: liabilities and equity.
| Account | Designation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Short-term liabilities | |
| 2000 | Trade payables | Supplier liabilities |
| 2030 | Customer prepayments | Advances received |
| 21 | Short-term interest-bearing liabilities | |
| 2100 | Short-term bank liabilities | Credits, credit lines |
| 22 | Other short-term liabilities | |
| 2200 | VAT payable | VAT liability |
| 2210 | Other taxes payable | Withholding tax, anticipatory tax |
| 2270 | Social charges payable | AHV/IV/APG/AC, BVG payable |
| 23 | Accrued liabilities and short-term provisions | |
| 2300 | Accrued liabilities | Expenses payable, deferred income |
| 2330 | Short-term provisions | |
| 24 | Long-term interest-bearing liabilities | |
| 2400 | Long-term bank liabilities | Mortgages, loans |
| 28 | Equity | |
| 2800 | Share capital | Corporation or LLC capital |
| 2900 | Legal reserve from capital | Share premium, contributions |
| 2950 | Legal reserve from profits | General reserve |
| 2970 | Retained earnings | Carried forward |
| 2979 | Profit / Loss for the year | Current year result |
Classes 3 to 8: Income statement accounts
Class 3: Operating income
| Account | Designation |
|---|---|
| 3000 | Revenue from merchandise sales |
| 3200 | Revenue from services |
| 3400 | Other operating income |
| 3800 | Deductions on revenue (discounts, rebates) |
| 3900 | Changes in inventory and work in progress |
Class 4: Material and merchandise expenses
| Account | Designation |
|---|---|
| 4000 | Material and merchandise expenses |
| 4200 | Third-party services (subcontracting) |
| 4900 | Discounts obtained (rebates) |
Class 5: Personnel expenses
| Account | Designation |
|---|---|
| 5000 | Salaries |
| 5700 | Social charges (AHV, IV, APG, AC) |
| 5720 | BVG contributions |
| 5730 | Accident insurance (LAA) |
| 5800 | Other personnel expenses |
Class 6: Other operating expenses
| Account | Designation |
|---|---|
| 6000 | Rent |
| 6100 | Maintenance and repairs |
| 6200 | Insurance |
| 6300 | Electricity, heating |
| 6500 | Administrative expenses (supplies, telephone, internet) |
| 6570 | Fiduciary and accounting fees |
| 6600 | Advertising and marketing |
| 6800 | Depreciation |
| 6900 | Financial expenses (interest, bank charges) |
Classes 7 and 8: Non-operating and extraordinary result
| Account | Designation |
|---|---|
| 7000 | Ancillary income (rental income, etc.) |
| 7010 | Ancillary activity expenses |
| 7500 | Financial income |
| 7900 | Financial expenses |
| 8000 | Extraordinary income |
| 8100 | Extraordinary expenses |
| 8900 | Direct taxes |
Adapting the chart of accounts to your business
The PMC chart of accounts is a reference framework that each business must adapt to its specific needs:
- Industry sector: a service company does not need elaborate inventory accounts, unlike a retail business
- Company size: a micro-enterprise will use a simplified chart with 50-80 accounts, while an SME will have 100-200
- Analytical needs: sub-accounts can be created to track revenue by product, region or project
- VAT requirements: income and expense accounts must allow breakdown by VAT rate
How AX-Fiduciaire supports you
When setting up your accounting, we configure a chart of accounts tailored to your business:
- Needs analysis: we identify the necessary accounts based on your sector and size
- Configuration: we set up the chart of accounts in your software (Odoo, Bexio, Cresus)
- Customisation: we add sub-accounts to meet your analytical needs
- Training: if you record some entries yourself, we train you on using the chart of accounts
AX-Fiduciaire tip: A well-structured chart of accounts from the start facilitates daily bookkeeping, the annual closing and tax optimisation. Do not neglect this fundamental step.
Need help structuring your chart of accounts? Contact us for personalised support.