Accounting
David Merz | Founding Partner
Zurich, April 12, 2023
Vouchers can be used to reward customers or as giveaways for marketing purposes. It is important for companies who regularly use vouchers to understand their correct accounting and VAT treatment, as well as the legal validity and expiry of vouchers. This article provides detailed information on these topics.
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Vouchers have become increasingly popular in recent years and represent a growing market. They are valuable tools for customer loyalty that offer businesses numerous advantages. But what makes vouchers special, and why have they become so popular?
An important advantage of vouchers is that they enable earlier liquidity for the seller, as they are only redeemed later. In contrast to discount vouchers, vouchers that are sold generate immediate revenue without needing to exchange anything in return.
Many vouchers are bought as gifts, as they make it easier to avoid giving the ‘wrong’ thing and are easier and simpler for the gifter. This effect is advantageous for retailers: due to the free choice for the recipient of the voucher, there are fewer product exchanges, which saves the retailer time and costs.
Vouchers also have a purely psychological effect: the voucher recipient becomes increasingly willing to spend more since they feel they do not have to pay for the product themself. In many cases, they may even spend more than the value of the voucher, as the additional difference feels like little compared with the total cost.
There will always be a proportion of vouchers that are never redeemed, the effects of which should not be underestimated. This “dormant money” is highly profitable for businesses and should also be accounted for. This must be taken into account in the bookkeeping, as according to the Code of Obligations, the amount of unredeemed vouchers may only be booked as income after the expiry of the limitation period.
Until August 2021, sales of vouchers were purely a fiscal matter and had no VAT implications. Vouchers were considered an exchange of means of payment, and no exchange of services was seen to be involved.
However, since August 2021, the Federal Administrative Court has revised the case law on the treatment of vouchers and introduced a differentiated treatment between vouchers of value and vouchers for services.
Vouchers of value give the holder the right to receive goods or services from the supplier for a certain value. The VAT treatment of value vouchers remains unchanged: no VAT is due at the time of sale and the tax liability only arises when the voucher is redeemed. Value vouchers do not bear any reference to VAT and if a value voucher is not redeemed, the business can account for the amount without incurring VAT.
Service vouchers are those where the service is already defined at the time of sale. Service vouchers are considered an advance payment for a specific service; therefore, VAT accrues at the time of purchase.
The VAT must be shown on receipts for service vouchers. If a service voucher is not redeemed, the business can account for the money, but the VAT already accounted for must be reclaimed from the tax administration.
The VAT exchange of a service purchase in the case of a value voucher only takes place when it is used or redeemed. Therefore, the VAT must only be accounted for at the time the service is received or the voucher is redeemed.
In contrast, the sale of service vouchers is an advance payment for a specific service. Therefore, the tax liability arises at the time the voucher is issued for the specific service or when the payment for the voucher is received.
Vouchers and service vouchers differ in their VAT treatment and, accordingly, in their accounting treatment.
Vouchers are an instrument that gives the holder the right to receive a specific service from the supplier for a specific value. In the case of a voucher of value, the VAT-relevant exchange of services only takes place when the voucher is redeemed. Therefore, VAT is only to be accounted for at the time the service is received or the voucher is redeemed.
In contrast, benefit vouchers are already specifically defined at the time of purchase. The sale of service vouchers therefore represents an advance payment for a specific service. VAT is already incurred when the voucher is handed over and not only when it is redeemed.
Those who own a voucher usually want to have as long as possible to redeem it. But how long is a voucher valid? The type of voucher determines its characteristics.
According to the law, vouchers for smaller servicessuch as books, food, clothes or restaurant visits expire after 5 years.
For larger services such as a weekend in a hotel or a trip, the law provides for a limitation period of 10 years.
It is therefore worth keeping an eye on the time of purchase and the limitation period for vouchers in order to have as long as possible to redeem them. However, it is also important to note that each provider has its own rules for the expiry of vouchers. It is therefore advisable to check the terms and conditions and expiry date of the voucher before making a purchase.
Vouchers have become a growing market in recent years and a valuable tool for customer loyalty. They offer businesses earlier liquidity, a reduced conversion rate and an increased propensity to buy. However, it is important to note that a portion of vouchers remain unused and must be accounted for accordingly in accounting.
In August 2021, the Federal Administrative Court revised the case law on the treatment of vouchers and introduced a distinction between value and benefit vouchers. Value vouchers are unchanged for tax purposes and performance vouchers have new rules. This distinction has implications for VAT and the accounting treatment of vouchers.
If you are unsure how to book vouchers in your company, we at Nexova AG can support you with the correct booking.
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