New VAT rates in Switzerland as of 01.01.2018. What do I need to know?

Good news: As of January 1st 2018, the VAT rates in Switzerland will change in favour of entrepreneurs! From now on you will pay less tax than before. However, this also means that you have to update the tax rates for the items in your menu. Find out what the new tax rates look like and how to change the tax rates for your menu in this article.

Please note that you will have to charge for services you provide in 2017 at the old tax rates. Before you change the tax rates in your menu for 2018, please make sure that you have created all invoices for 2017 correctly.

Attention!

orderbird AG does not provide tax advice. Everything we write reflects our experience and the experience of our customers.

Please contact your tax advisor for binding statements on how to handle the new Swiss tax rates from 2018.

The Swiss VAT rates 2017/2018

New tax rates are due for services you provide from January 1st, 2018 onward.

Detailed information on the new tax rates can also be found on the website of the Swiss Federal Tax Administration: https://www.estv.admin.ch/estv/en/home/mehrwertsteuer/fachinformationen/steuersaetze/entwicklung-mwst.html

and here (available only in German, French, and Italian):

https://www.gate.estv.admin.ch/mwst-webpublikationen/public/pages/taxInfos/tableOfContent.xhtml?publicationId=1003601&lang=de&&winid=126376 

How do I change the tax rates in my menu?

Please make sure to update the tax rates on time! To do this, you have to manually update the tax rates in your menu. There are two ways to do this: 

1. Adjust the tax rate for each family group and save your changes. The tax rate is then passed on to all articles in the family group. Make sure that "Derive VAT" is activated for all items and save your changes for each item again! A detailed step-by-step guide can be found here: "How do I change tax rates (VAT) in my orderbird menu?"
   
   ATTENTION: In the standard settings, all items derive VAT rates from the family group they are in. Therefore, this method is the fastest and easiest way to update your tax rates. However, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Therefore, be sure to check that the option "Derive VAT" is active for each item and save the changes again for all items.
   
   
2. Change the VAT rates for each item individually and save your changes! More info here: "How do I change tax rates (VAT) in my orderbird menu?"
    

Can orderbird adjust the tax rates automatically?

Unfortunately, we cannot, since the gastronomer is responsible for the correctness of the tax data in its orderbird POS.

How do I settle the New Year's Eve celebration?

New Year's Eve is an exception, because the New Year's Eve party is billed completely according to the old tax rates. More information here (available only in German, French, and Italian):
https://www.gate.estv.admin.ch/mwst-webpublikationen/public/pages/taxInfos/cipherDisplay.xhtml?publicationId=1003601&componentId=1003931&winid=122203 

What happens if I still state the old tax rates on invoices after January 1st, 2018? 

Depending on the date or period you provided a service, the VAT rate that was correct at the time needs to be applied for your invoices. So, if you have provided services in 2017, it is correct to show the old tax rate on the invoice, even if the invoice is created in 2018.

If you have provided the service in 2018, then you will be overpaying taxes. To get back the overpaid tax, you have to correct the invoice. Please note the following: https://www.admin.ch/opc/de/classified-compilation/20081110/index.html#a27
(Note: When following the link above, you can select "Sprachenvergleich" on the right to see an English version of the text.)

ATTENTION: You can't change the tax rates on the invoice via the app or my.orderbird.com retroactively. Please make sure that you consult your tax advisor about how best to behave in the event of a subsequent correction.

This is how you decide which tax rate you have to apply:

Picture based on source without liability for translation (original available only in German, French, and Italian):
https://www.gate.estv.admin.ch/mwst-webpublikationen/public/pages/taxInfos/cipherDisplay.xhtml?publicationId=1003601&componentId=1003638&winid=524178