Swissdec Certification

Swissdec is the Swiss standard for electronic, audited payroll data transmission to insurers and authorities.

Swissdec Certification: Not to be confused with

Swissdec certification is NOT a legal requirement, but a voluntary quality mark. Software without Swissdec certification can still run payroll, it just does without the audited, standardised interface to insurers and government bodies.

Swissdec is jointly run by the Swiss federal government, cantons, social insurers and business associations, and defines the standard for electronic salary declaration and reporting (ELM), certifying payroll software accordingly (Source 1). Certified software transmits wages, withholding tax and social insurance data directly and in audited form to the old-age insurance fund (AHV), Suva, tax authorities and insurers, without manual individual filings.

For Swiss companies running their own payroll, Swissdec certification is a common selection criterion for SME-suitable ERP systems.

Sources for Swissdec Certification

1. Swissdec, official body for the Swiss ELM payroll standard ↗