Swiss VAT Declaration with the Net Tax Rate Method — from GrandTotal
What it does
GrandTotal produces the electronic Swiss VAT declaration using the net tax rate method in the official eCH-0217 (V2.0.0) format. The result is a ready-made folder that you upload in the FTA ePortal under «Settle VAT» — without retyping any figures into a form.
GrandTotal evaluates your invoices and credit notes for the chosen period, converts foreign currencies into Swiss francs automatically, and fills in the correct boxes of the declaration.
This feature is limited to the net tax rate method. The effective method with detailed input-tax deduction is not covered.
The net tax rate method in brief
The net tax rate method is the simplified accounting option for small and medium-sized businesses. You invoice your customers at the statutory rates (standard, reduced, special), but remit only a lower net tax rate on your gross turnover to the FTA. This rate is a flat value set by the FTA per branch and activity that already accounts for input tax. The rates range from 0.1% (goods-heavy branches with a lot of input tax) to 6.8% (pure services with little input tax).
A separate input-tax deduction therefore does not apply, and you account for VAT every six months. Because the net tax rate is a sector average, which method pays off depends on your actual purchases.
Setup in GrandTotal
The FTA assigns your applicable net tax rate and your branch or activity number. In the plugin settings you enter these two values:
- Net tax rate — the rate assigned by the FTA (at most two decimal places).
- Activity ID — the FTA branch number (1 to 5 digits).
Your company profile also needs the UID (CHE plus 9 digits) and a company name. You can account for VAT either on agreed consideration (invoice date) or collected consideration (payment date).
What the export produces
Via «Send to», GrandTotal creates a folder with everything you need:
- First Submission (.xml) — for the first submission of the period.
- Correction Statement (.xml) — if a declaration for the period has already been submitted.
- Instructions (.txt) — upload notes and all amounts for checking (boxes 200, 221, 230, taxable turnover, tax payable).
- Exchange Rates (.csv) — only when foreign currencies occur.
In the ePortal, under «Settle VAT», you upload one of the two XML files — depending on whether it is the first submission or a correction.
Multiple net tax rates
Businesses with two authorised activities can split turnover per item group. To do so, add a marker of the form CHVAT:<activity ID>:<net tax rate> to the item group's notes, for example CHVAT:12345:6.8.
Item groups without a marker are assigned to the default from the settings. Turnover then appears in the declaration neatly split by activity and rate.
Foreign currencies & special cases
GrandTotal converts foreign-currency invoices automatically using the official daily rates of the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS) — per document date, and traceable in the attached CSV.
- 0% items: foreign recipient → supplies abroad (box 221), domestic → exempt from tax (box 230).
- Liechtenstein counts as domestic VAT territory.
- Credit notes are netted against turnover.
At a glance
Format
eCH-0217 V2.0.0 (FTA)
Method
Net tax rate on gross turnover
Upload
FTA ePortal → «Settle VAT»
Foreign currencies
Automatic conversion at FOCBS daily rates
Prerequisite
UID (CHE + 9 digits) and a net tax rate from the FTA