Exporting Interactive Brokers data for your Swiss tax return (2025)

Interactive Brokers gives Swiss residents no electronic tax statement, so the first job every spring is getting your own data out in a usable form. One export does it, and most of the difficulty is knowing which one.

Key takeaways

• The Activity Flex Query, exported as XML, is the file you want. Every Swiss conversion tool expects it.
• Tick the dividend and withholding-tax section, not just positions and trades. Without it the DA-1DA-1Foreign withholding tax claim formFRformulaire DA-1 (imputation d'impôts étrangers prélevés à la source)ITmodulo DA-1 (computo di imposte alla fonte)The form that claims back the foreign tax already withheld on your foreign dividends and interest. It is filed with the securities schedule, and only once your total non-recoverable foreign tax passes CHF 100.Where you see itA separate sheet attached to the Wertschriftenverzeichnis in the tax software.Open in the glossary → claim for foreign withholding tax has nothing to work from.
• Ignore the US tax forms. A 1042-S answers American questions, and using it is how people declare the wrong figures.
• Seven sections, all fields, XML format. Cash Transactions is the one people skip, and it holds the dividends.
• Run it 1 January to 31 December, not a rolling window. You build the query once; every later year is one click.

Which IBKR document, and which to ignore

IBKR offers several reports with different purposes. For PaperTax’s converter, download an Activity Flex Query in XML format. The table explains how this differs from the other reports.

IBKR document	Use it for a Swiss return?
Activity Flex Query (XML)	Yes. This is the one. Complete, structured, and what Swiss conversion tools expect
Activity Statement (PDF)	Only for reading. Fine to keep as evidence, useless as an input
US "Tax Forms" (1042-S, 1099)	No. These are built for US filing, not Swiss. Using them is how people end up declaring the wrong figures
Trade Confirmations	A fallback if the Flex Query fails; laborious

The US forms are labelled "tax", which is why people use them. A 1042-S reports what the US withheld: a cross-check on your DA-1 total, not a substitute for the securities schedule (WertschriftenverzeichnisWertschriftenverzeichnisSecurities scheduleFRétat des titresITelenco dei titoliThe list of everything you own in securities and bank accounts, with year-end values and the income each produced. It is also where you reclaim the 35% anticipatory tax.Where you see itA main section of the tax return itself, in ZHprivateTax.Open in the glossary → / état des titres).

An Activity Flex Query lets you choose the data sections and fields to export. The XML file contains structured data that PaperTax’s converter can read. The ordinary Activity Statement PDF is useful for checking the figures yourself, but it is not the input file for this converter.

Building the query, step by step

1. Open Flex Queries. In the IBKR Client Portal, go to Performance & Reports → Flex Queries.
2. Create a new Activity Flex Query. Select the ＋ (create) icon next to Activity Flex Query.
3. Name it something you will recognise next year, for example Swiss tax 2025.
4. Add these seven sections, and select all fields in each. Do not skip Cash Transactions: it holds the dividends and the withholding tax, which positions and trades alone do not report. Add: Account Information (name and account ID); Trades (every buy and sell, with date, ISINISINInternational Securities Identification NumberThe twelve-character code that identifies one security worldwide, such as IE00B4L5Y983. It is how the tax office matches what you declare to its own price list, and how two funds with near-identical names are told apart.Where you see itOn every broker statement, beside each holding, and in the securities schedule.Open in the glossary →, quantity, price, currency, commission); Open Positions (what you held at year-end); Cash Transactions (dividends, withholding tax, interest, fees); Cash Report (cash balance per currency); Corporate Actions (splits, mergers, name changes); Transfers (securities or cash moved in or out).
5. Set the format to XML (not text or CSV).
6. Save the query. You will not have to repeat steps 1–5 next year.
7. Run it for the full tax year. Pick Custom Date Range and set it to 1 January to 31 December of the year you are filing.
8. Download the XML file. That single file contains everything above.

1. 1Build the Activity Flex Query onceAbout ten minutes, in the Client Portal
2. 2Select all seven sections, all fieldsAccount, Trades, Open Positions, Cash Transactions, Cash Report, Corporate Actions, Transfers
3. 3Set the format to XMLNot text, not CSV
4. 4Run it for 1 January – 31 DecemberNot "Last 365 days". The tax year is the period that counts
5. 5Convert or type the resultAn eCH-0196 statement your canton imports, or manual entry for a few positions

The first three rows are one-time. Every following year starts at running the query.

When something is missing

• A field or section is absent from the output: edit the saved query and re-tick "select all fields".
• You got something other than XML: the format in step 5 is still set to text or CSV.
• Joint or multiple accounts: run the query for each account and keep each file separately.
• The numbers stop part-way through the year: the date range was left on a rolling window rather than the calendar year.

Common questions

Which export do I need from Interactive Brokers?

An Activity Flex Query in XML format, covering 1 January to 31 December of the tax year, with all fields selected in the seven sections above.

Does IBKR issue a Swiss tax statement?

No. Interactive Brokers does not produce an eSteuerauszugeSteuerauszugElectronic tax statementFRrelevé fiscal électroniqueITestratto fiscale elettronicoAn electronic securities tax statement in the Swiss eCH-0196 format. Importing it into a compatible cantonal app fills in holdings and income. Check the imported values before submitting. Swiss banks commonly offer this statement; foreign broker exports may need conversion.Where you see itDownloaded from your Swiss bank's e-banking, usually from January.Open in the glossary → (electronic tax statement) in the eCH-0196 standard that cantons import directly. You export your own data and convert or enter it yourself. See foreign brokers and Swiss tax for the options and what they cost.

Sources

The sources below support the tax figures and rules discussed in this guide. Follow the links to check the original guidance and its scope.

1. Interactive Brokers — Create an Activity Flex Query: the sections, the field selection and the output formats — ibkrguides.com
2. eCH — eCH-0196 electronic tax statement (eSteuerauszug) standard, version 2.2.0, the format Swiss cantonal tax applications import — ech.ch
3. ESTVESTVThe Federal Tax AdministrationFRAFCEidgenössische Steuerverwaltung: the federal tax authority. It publishes the forms, leaflets and price lists the cantons and your tax software work from, but it is not the office that assesses you: that is your canton.Where you see itNamed as the publisher on federal forms, leaflets and the Kursliste.Open in the glossary → — form DA-1 (605.040.03d), tax period 2025: the supplementary sheet claiming credit for foreign source taxes, which the broker export alone does not complete — estv.admin.ch