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Payroll

Gäld's payroll module lets you manage employees, calculate Swiss social contributions (AHV/ALV/NBU), generate salary slips, and post the payroll run directly to the ledger.

Scope

Gäld payroll covers the essentials for small businesses: gross salary, statutory deductions, and employer contributions. Complex cases (hourly workers, canton-specific withholding tax for C-permit holders at scale) may require a dedicated payroll system.

Setting up employees​

Adding an employee​

  1. Go to Payroll → Employees → New Employee
  2. Fill in:
FieldDescription
Full nameAs it appears on the salary slip
AHV number13-digit Swiss social security number (756.XXXX.XXXX.XX)
Date of birthUsed to verify AHV registration
Start dateEmployment start date
Contract typeFixed-term / Indefinite
Gross monthly salary (CHF)Agreed gross salary
Expense allowance (CHF)Fixed expense reimbursement (if any)
BVG / LPP fundOptional — pension fund name for reference
  1. Click Save

Employee list​

The Employees index shows all active and archived employees with their current gross salary. Click an employee to view their salary slip history.

Running payroll​

Payroll is processed month by month using the Run Wizard.

Step 1 — Select period​

  1. Go to Payroll → Run Payroll
  2. Select the month and year
  3. Click Next

Step 2 — Review salaries​

Gäld pre-fills each employee's gross salary from their profile. On this screen you can:

  • Adjust gross salary for the month (overtime, variable part)
  • Add one-off bonuses or deductions
  • Mark an employee as On leave to exclude them

Step 3 — Review contributions​

Gäld calculates the following deductions for each employee:

ContributionRate (2025)Who pays
AHV/IV/EO — employee share5.3%Employee
ALV (unemployment) — employee share1.1%Employee
NBU (accident) — employee sharevaries by insurerEmployee
AHV/IV/EO — employer share5.3%Employer
ALV (unemployment) — employer share1.1%Employer
BU (occupational accident)variesEmployer
FAK (family allowances contribution)varies by canton (avg 1.5%)Employer
Rate updates

Contribution rates are updated annually. Check AHV.ch or your compensation fund (Ausgleichskasse) for the current rates applicable to your organisation.

Step 4 — Confirm and post​

Review the summary:

  • Total gross salaries
  • Total employee deductions
  • Total employer contributions
  • Net payable to employees (gross − employee deductions)
  • Total employer cost (gross + employer contributions)

Click Post Payroll to confirm. Gäld creates two journal entries:

Employee salaries and deductions:

Debit   5000  Personnel costs (gross salaries)   CHF 10,000.00
Credit  2050  AHV/ALV payable — employee share   CHF    630.00
Credit  2060  NBU payable — employee share        CHF     50.00
Credit  1020  Bank (net salaries to employees)    CHF  9,320.00

Employer contributions:

Debit   5100  Social charges (employer)           CHF    730.00
Credit  2050  AHV/ALV payable — employer share    CHF    630.00
Credit  2060  BU/FAK payable — employer share     CHF    100.00

The real contribution amounts replace the illustrative numbers above.

Salary slips​

After posting, Gäld generates a PDF salary slip for each employee showing:

  • Gross salary breakdown
  • Each deduction with description and amount
  • Net salary
  • Employer's copy of social contributions

Downloading salary slips​

  1. Go to Payroll → Salary Slips
  2. Filter by month/year or employee
  3. Click Download PDF for a single slip, or Download All for a ZIP

Paying employees and contributions​

After the payroll run:

  1. Transfer net salaries to employees from your bank (outside Gäld or via your e-banking)
  2. Record the bank transaction in Banking → Reconciliation and match it to the payroll journal entry
  3. Pay social contributions to your Ausgleichskasse (AHV) and insurer by their deadline (usually the 10th of the following month)
  4. Record those payments similarly

Year-end payroll obligations​

At year-end you must:

  • Issue final salary slips to all employees
  • Submit the AHV salary declaration (Lohnmeldung) to your Ausgleichskasse
  • Issue wage statements (Lohnausweis) to all employees by 31 January

Gäld generates the data you need; the official submission is made via your cantonal AHV portal or Swissdec.

See Year-End Checklist for the full sequence.

Archiving employees​

When an employee leaves:

  1. Open their profile
  2. Set End date to their last day
  3. Click Archive

Archived employees no longer appear in the payroll run wizard but their salary slip history is retained.