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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.

Payroll processing is available when the Payroll module is enabled for the organisation and the user's role has payroll write permission. Historical salary slips remain readable when processing is unavailable. The Withholding Tax area is a separate optional feature and appears only when that feature is enabled.

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 (4 steps).

Step 1 — Select employees and period​

  1. Go to Payroll → Run Payroll
  2. Select the month and year
  3. Check the employees to include in this run
  4. Click Preview

Step 2 — Preview the run​

Gäld shows a preview for each selected employee. The preview can include:

ColumnDescription
Gross salaryFrom the employee profile
13th salaryIncluded when configured for the employee and period
Unpaid leaveAmount deducted for the entered leave days
Expense reimbursementReimbursement entered for this run
AVS / AC / AANP / LPPEmployee deductions calculated by Gäld
Withholding taxShown only when the feature is enabled and applicable
Net salaryGross minus all employee deductions

Review the calculated figures and go back if you need to change an employee's profile or the run adjustments. The values shown in the preview are calculated by Gäld; the illustrative percentages in older examples should not be used as current statutory rates.

Rate updates

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

Step 3 — Generate salary slips​

Click Generate Salary Slips. Gäld creates a salary slip PDF for each selected employee.

Step 4 — Post to ledger​

Click Post to confirm. Gäld posts the generated salary slips to the ledger using the configured payroll accounts. The exact amounts depend on the selected employees, period, adjustments, and enabled features.

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 entries above are illustrative only; the real contribution amounts and configured accounts replace them in the posted journal entries.

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 year and optionally by month, then click Apply
  3. Open a salary slip to review it and download its PDF

The list does not provide an employee filter or a bulk ZIP download. When you have permission to view all employees, the employee name links to that employee's profile.

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.

Withholding tax (IS / Impôt à la source)​

Feature availability

Withholding tax is available when the withholding_tax feature is enabled for your organisation. If it is disabled, the payroll run does not show the withholding-tax column and the withholding-tax pages are unavailable.

Foreign employees without a Swiss residence permit C (Ausweis B, L, G, or F) are subject to withholding tax at source (Quellensteuer / Impôt à la source).

Tariffs​

Before declaring withholding tax, import the official cantonal tariff tables:

  1. Go to Payroll → Withholding Tax → Tariffs
  2. Import the tariff file for the relevant canton and year

Gäld uses these tariffs to calculate the withholding tax rate for each employee based on their civil status, number of children, and monthly gross salary.

Declarations​

Each month, Gäld generates a withholding tax declaration for each eligible employee:

  1. Go to Payroll → Withholding Tax
  2. Review the list of declarations for the current period
  3. Click Generate to create the monthly declarations
  4. Click Submit to mark a declaration as submitted to the cantonal tax authority

Declarations show the declaration period and total tax amount withheld.