Tax Client Onboarding
An encrypted client onboarding form for tax advisers, fiduciaries and accounting firms — personal details, tax residency, income types, prior adviser, engagement scope and Swiss nFADP compliance.
Tax onboarding asks for the financial picture a client would normally show nobody: income sources, property, foreign accounts, family circumstances. Most of it arrives today as email attachments, which is the single least controlled channel a fiduciary uses and the one most likely to still hold last year's dossier in a sent-items folder.
The email attachment problem
Tax advice in Switzerland involves detailed knowledge of the client's financial situation — income sources, asset holdings, deductions, cross-border arrangements, and estate planning. A new client intake form that captures all of this before the first meeting allows the adviser to: (a) identify the scope of work accurately; (b) prepare an accurate fee proposal; (c) spot potential issues immediately (arrears, cross-border complexity, undisclosed assets); and (d) establish the correct engagement structure from the start.
Tax data and the Swiss nFADP
Tax information is among the most sensitive personal data — it reveals income, assets, family situation and often business interests. Under the nFADP, tax advisers are data controllers with obligations to protect client data, inform clients of processing, and ensure data is not shared without a legal basis. End-to-end encryption ensures tax intake data is protected from first submission.
What the form collects
- Client identity — individual or legal entity
- Canton of tax residence and municipality
- Tax identification number (AHV / UID)
- Types of income — employment, self-employment, rental, investment, other
- Assets — real estate, financial investments, pension accounts (2nd/3rd pillar)
- Prior tax adviser and whether tax returns are up to date
- Cross-border or international tax situation
- Scope of engagement — tax return preparation, tax planning, payroll, bookkeeping
- Client declaration and signature
What Swiss tax onboarding needs to establish
- Canton and commune of tax residence — determines which cantonal tax law applies and which tax authority administers the return
- AHV number — unique tax identifier for individuals in Switzerland
- UID — unique identifier for companies and self-employed
- Income sources — employment (Lohnausweis), self-employment (business income), rental income, investment income (dividends, interest, capital gains)
- Pension and pillar arrangements — 2nd pillar (Pensionskasse), 3rd pillar (3a/3b)
- Real estate — location, purchase price, current value, rental status
- Cross-border elements — international employment, foreign assets, double-taxation treaties
- Prior tax situation — whether returns are filed, any outstanding assessments or payment plans
For the client, a professional intake process signals a well-organised firm. For the adviser, it reduces the time spent asking basic questions in the first meeting and creates a documented baseline of the client's situation at onboarding.
When a structured intake earns its keep
A new client intake is especially valuable when: (a) the client is new to Switzerland and unfamiliar with the Swiss tax system; (b) the client has a complex situation with multiple income sources, foreign assets or cross-border employment; (c) the client has not filed returns for several years; or (d) the client is moving cantons — a change that requires both the old and new canton to be notified.
Email intake versus structured digital intake
| Email intake | Digital structured intake | |
|---|---|---|
| Completeness | Clients omit income sources or assets | Required fields ensure key data captured |
| Data security | Tax data in unencrypted emails | Encrypted before leaving client device |
| Time at first meeting | Adviser gathering basic facts | Meeting focused on analysis and advice |
| Engagement scoping | Ad hoc, based on memory | Structured data drives accurate fee proposal |
Onboarding a client
Use this template
Copy it into your dashboard — the income, property and document-upload sections are already structured.
Send to new clients before the first meeting
Share via secure link. Clients complete their intake before the consultation — saving time and enabling a more productive first meeting.
Use responses to prepare the engagement letter
The structured intake data directly informs the scope in your engagement letter and fee proposal.
Questions practices ask
What is a fiduciary (Treuhänder) in Switzerland?
A fiduciary (Treuhänder) in Switzerland is a professional who provides trust and estate administration, bookkeeping, tax return preparation, and corporate services. Fiduciaries are common in Switzerland for both individual and corporate clients and are often the primary tax adviser for small and medium-sized businesses.
Is client tax data encrypted?
Yes. All information provided in the intake form — including income figures, asset values and prior tax situation — is encrypted in the client's browser before submission. Only authorised personnel at your firm can access it.
Can I use this form for corporate clients as well as individuals?
Yes. The form includes a field for client type (individual or company). Corporate clients would complete relevant fields for business income, VAT, employee count and bookkeeping requirements.
For more context, see our accounting and fiduciary use-case page, our guide to digital client onboarding for tax advisers, and our overview of Schweizerform's data security for financial professionals.