Depreciation rates in Switzerland

Investments in a company, such as a machine or a vehicle, lose value over time. By recording depreciation, the wear and tear of items and their loss of value are considered in accounting.

When depreciating items, the lifetime of the items is primarily a key criterion for determining the amount of depreciation. Items with high wear and tear or a short lifespan, such as a laptop, therefore have significantly higher depreciation rates than other assets with a long lifespan, such as residential houses.‍

Amount of Depreciation Rates

The Federal Tax Administration publishes benchmarks regarding the maximum tax-deductible depreciation rates. Furthermore, cantonal differences should be considered. The values refer to the use of the declining balance method of depreciation, which means calculating the depreciation on the book value.