What are the coronavirus-extended tax deadlines in each Swiss canton?
With deadlines extended across Switzerland due to the coronavirus, here is the date in your canton - and what to do if you’re lodging late.
With tax due during the peak of the pandemic, lodgement deadlines were extended in cantons across Switzerland.
Tax returns must usually be lodged on March 31st each year. However, as this was at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic and the government’s lockdown, it was extended to a later date in each canton.
In effect, this means that there are 26 different lodgement dates. Some were extended by two months and some by up to six, while a handful have not extended the date.
What if I’ve missed my lodgement date?
The earliest extension date which applies is May 31st, in the cantons of Appenzell-Ausserrhoden, Basel City, Geneva, Lucerne, Schwyz, St Gallen, Uri, Valais and Zurich.
However, if you haven’t been able to lodge your return already, the government has announced it will waive interest on late payments of tax due anywhere from March until the end of December, 2020.
READ: Switzerland's strangest taxes - and what happens if you don't pay them
As this is a federal rule, it will still apply even if the deadline has not been extended in your canton.
Cantons have also indicated that taxpayers can apply for an extension in some circumstances.
What is the lodgement date in my canton?
The following cantons have not extended the lodging date for tax returns: Graübunden/Grisons, Neuchatel, Appenzell-Innerrhoden, Thurgau, Glarus and Obwalden. This means it nominally remains in place at the 31st of March, 2020.
These cantons have extended the date to May 31st, 2020: Appenzell-Ausserrhoden, Basel City, Geneva, Lucerne, Schwyz, St Gallen, Uri, Valais and Zurich.
In these cantons, you have until June 30th to submit your tax return: Aargau, Basel Country, Fribourg, Nidwalden, Schaffhausen, Ticino, Vaud and Zug.
Swiss tax changes for 2020: What you need to know
The date in Jura and Solothurn is July 31st, while in Bern your returns must be submitted by September 15th.
The cantons have also put in place a variety of different measures to soften the blow of the coronavirus.
This article does not constitute financial advice. It operates as a guide.
For further questions or to help prepare your tax return, please contact an accountant or tax advisor.
Comments
See Also
With tax due during the peak of the pandemic, lodgement deadlines were extended in cantons across Switzerland.
Tax returns must usually be lodged on March 31st each year. However, as this was at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic and the government’s lockdown, it was extended to a later date in each canton.
In effect, this means that there are 26 different lodgement dates. Some were extended by two months and some by up to six, while a handful have not extended the date.
What if I’ve missed my lodgement date?
The earliest extension date which applies is May 31st, in the cantons of Appenzell-Ausserrhoden, Basel City, Geneva, Lucerne, Schwyz, St Gallen, Uri, Valais and Zurich.
However, if you haven’t been able to lodge your return already, the government has announced it will waive interest on late payments of tax due anywhere from March until the end of December, 2020.
READ: Switzerland's strangest taxes - and what happens if you don't pay them
As this is a federal rule, it will still apply even if the deadline has not been extended in your canton.
Cantons have also indicated that taxpayers can apply for an extension in some circumstances.
What is the lodgement date in my canton?
The following cantons have not extended the lodging date for tax returns: Graübunden/Grisons, Neuchatel, Appenzell-Innerrhoden, Thurgau, Glarus and Obwalden. This means it nominally remains in place at the 31st of March, 2020.
These cantons have extended the date to May 31st, 2020: Appenzell-Ausserrhoden, Basel City, Geneva, Lucerne, Schwyz, St Gallen, Uri, Valais and Zurich.
In these cantons, you have until June 30th to submit your tax return: Aargau, Basel Country, Fribourg, Nidwalden, Schaffhausen, Ticino, Vaud and Zug.
Swiss tax changes for 2020: What you need to know
The date in Jura and Solothurn is July 31st, while in Bern your returns must be submitted by September 15th.
The cantons have also put in place a variety of different measures to soften the blow of the coronavirus.
This article does not constitute financial advice. It operates as a guide.
For further questions or to help prepare your tax return, please contact an accountant or tax advisor.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.