How to secure your tax deductions: eTax statement in focus!

How to secure your tax deductions: eTax statement in focus!

Many taxpayers in Switzerland often forget to claim the deduction for custody fees in their tax return. A common problem is incomplete information on the statements that banks send to their customers at the end of the year. Important tax-relevant information is often missing, including custody fees. In order not to overlook deductions, it is advisable to take account statements from the previous year and carefully document the fees. This reports that Thuner Tagblatt.

An effective means of facilitating the tax process is the electronic tax statement (eTax statement). This allows taxpayers to transfer their data directly to the digital tax return, which significantly simplifies the process. In particular, valuable information about securities and investment income is summarized in this document. The e-tax statement is standardized in the e-CH 0196 standard and can be downloaded from most banks via e-banking, although it is often accessed by express order.

Advantages and content of the eTax statement

The eTax statement offers numerous advantages. It enables the data to be automatically transferred to the tax return and makes filling it out easier, especially if there are many securities positions. It contains, among other things:

• Kontosaldo am 31. Dezember
• Wert des Wertschriftendepots am 31. Dezember
• Schulden wie Privatkredite und Hypotheken
• Erträge aus Zinsen und Dividenden
• Käufe und Verkäufe von Wertschriften
• Bezahlte Schuldzinsen
• Abzugsfähige Spesen

It is important to note that the eTax statement is not an account statement and therefore does not provide any information on incoming and outgoing payments. Even if the e-tax statement is not mandatory, it is highly recommended, especially for complex securities portfolios.

Price variations and responsibilities

There are differences in fees for e-tax statements between banks. The Aargauer and Berner Kantonalbank do not charge any fees, while Saxobank will waive fees from the 2025 tax year. Postfinance, on the other hand, charges a flat rate of just under 100 francs and Migros Bank calculates fees based on the number of titles and the level of detail of the information. For fee-based advisory mandates, the fees for the tax statement are usually included.

The responsibility for the accuracy of the information lies with the taxpayer himself. Therefore, a thorough check of the information in the tax return is essential, as not all cantonal tax software automatically assumes fees like this Tax advice Aargau highlights. This means that it remains crucial to pay attention to the details when filling out the tax return and to correctly record all the necessary information.