When PaperTax helps: Swiss tax situations it is built for
Key takeaways
- PaperTax is Swiss tax help for the parts of a return that are genuinely hard: foreign shares, a first-ever filing, tax at source, moving canton, and a form written only in German.
- You upload your documents and write a few lines about your year; PaperTax tells you what to type, and where, in your own canton's official tax app — one document at a time.
- It guides you through your own cantonal app. It does not e-file, generate a PDF return, or submit anything on your behalf. You file yourself, as yourself.
- It is not a tax adviser. For a complex or contested situation, you still need a professional, and PaperTax says so when it hits one.
Most Swiss returns are ordinary. The trouble starts with a handful of situations that turn a routine form into an afternoon of guessing. Below are the ones PaperTax is built for, what makes each one hard, and what the app does about it.
You hold shares at a foreign broker
If your stocks and funds sit at Interactive Brokers, DEGIRO, or Charles Schwab, the Swiss securities list (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 →, the schedule of your holdings and income) does not fill itself in. You have to declare each position, the dividends, and any foreign tax withheld — and claim back what you are owed. PaperTax reads your broker export, turns it into a Swiss tax statement (eCH-0196, the standard electronic tax statement), and shows you exactly which figures go into which boxes of your cantonal app. See foreign brokers on your Swiss tax return.
It is your first-ever tax return
A first filing — often after switching from a B permit to a C permit (NiederlassungsbewilligungNiederlassungsbewilligungSettlement permit (C permit)FRautorisation d'établissement (permis C)ITpermesso di domicilio (permesso C)Permanent residence. Withholding stops from the month after it is granted, but you are taxed as an ordinary filer for the whole of that year — the source tax already deducted is credited against it, without interest.Where you see itIssued by the cantonal migration office.Open in the glossary →, the permanent residence permit) — means a blank form and no prior year to copy. You do not yet know which documents matter or where each number belongs. PaperTax starts from what you upload and builds the return around your actual papers, so you are never staring at an empty form. See your first Swiss tax return after a C permit and filing your first Zurich tax return.
You are taxed at source and unsure which deductions you can claim
Under tax at source (QuellensteuerQuellensteuerTax at source (withholding tax on salary)FRimpôt à la sourceITimposta alla fonteTax your employer deducts from each salary payment and pays to the canton for you. The rate is a cantonal average that assumes standard deductions, so it ignores your individual ones.Where you see itA deduction line on your monthly payslip, and a total on the salary certificate.Open in the glossary →, tax deducted directly from your pay), tax leaves your salary each month and you may never have filed. But filing a full return can be worth it — pillar 3a (Säule 3aSäule 3aPillar 3aFRpilier 3a (prévoyance individuelle liée)ITpilastro 3a (previdenza individuale vincolata)Tied private retirement savings. What you pay in during the year comes straight off your taxable income, up to a legal maximum.Where you see itYour provider sends a contribution certificate in January.Open in the glossary →, tax-privileged retirement savings), commuting, and other deductions can lower the tax you already paid. The hard part is knowing which ones apply to you. PaperTax reads your documents, points out the deductions your situation supports, and tells you where to enter them. See Quellensteuer: should you file a return? and Zurich tax deductions and tips.
You moved canton during the year
Move between cantons mid-year and one basic question decides your whole return: which canton do you file in, and for what period? Cantons differ on rates, deductions, and forms, so a wrong assumption early costs you later. PaperTax uses the move you describe when you upload to guide you to the right canton's rules and the right figures for your situation. See filing your first Zurich tax return.
You want a second pair of eyes before you file
Maybe you filed yourself last year, or a fiduciary (TreuhänderTreuhänderFiduciary / tax preparerFRfiduciaireITfiduciarioSomeone who prepares returns for a fee. The title is not legally protected in Switzerland, and you remain liable for the return regardless of who filled it in.Where you see itOn page 1 of the Zurich return, in the representative block — the field is labelled Treuhänder-ID.Open in the glossary →, a tax agent) prepared your return and you want to check it before it goes in. Returns go wrong in quiet ways: a wrong-year statement, income counted twice, a deduction left out. PaperTax reviews the documents against what belongs on the return and flags what looks off, so you can catch a mistake while it is still cheap to fix. See how to check your tax return for errors.
You are facing a German-only cantonal app
The official cantonal apps are often only in German, and a form full of terms like Wertschriftenverzeichnis and EigenmietwertEigenmietwertImputed rental valueFRvaleur locativeITvalore locativoNotional rental income added to the taxable income of people who live in a home they own. Its abolition has been approved and comes into force on 1 January 2029.Where you see itIn the property section, if you own where you live.Open in the glossary → (imputed rental value) is hard to work through in a language you are still learning. PaperTax pairs each Swiss term with plain English and tells you which box each of your numbers goes into, so the language of the form stops being the obstacle. See filing your first Zurich tax return.
What PaperTax does not do
- It does not e-file, generate a finished PDF return, or submit anything for you. You complete the filing in your official cantonal app yourself.
- It does not replace that cantonal app — it walks you through it.
- It is not a tax adviser. Complex or contested situations still need a qualified professional, and PaperTax tells you when you have reached one.
Trust
Your documents are Swiss-hosted, deleted when you finish your return, and never used to train AI. What is true, and what is not, is set out plainly on our trust page.
This article is general information, not tax, legal, or financial advice. Swiss tax rules vary by canton and by personal situation, and they change. PaperTax helps you complete your own official cantonal tax return — it does not file on your behalf. For advice on your specific situation, consult a qualified Swiss tax professional or your cantonal tax office.
Sources
Every figure in this guide is checked against these. Each one links to the issuing document — the article of law, the circular, the cantonal form — not to a homepage, and not to somebody else's summary of it.
- PaperTax — how it works
- ch.ch — filing your tax return — ch.ch