Switching accounting software: How to migrate your accounting from bexio or Klara
Many companies change their accounting software because costs rise, features are missing, or the software no longer grows with the business. The migration itself is less effort than many think, provided you follow the right order. This guide shows you step-by-step which data to back up, when to make the switch, and how to comply with retention requirements. It applies to any accounting software in Switzerland, regardless of the target application.
First export all data from the old program and only cancel afterwards. Choose a cut-off date, ideally the start of the financial year, then transfer opening balances and open items into the new software and retain the old data in a readable and auditable format for ten years.
The essentials in brief
Order of events: First export, then cancel. How long you still have access after cancellation is determined by the old provider.
Cut-off date: The start of the financial year is easiest. Mid-year is also possible if you close the current VAT period in the old system.
Retention: You must retain accounting books and accounting records for ten years, calculated from the end of the financial year, even after cancellation.
Step | What to do | What to look out for |
|---|---|---|
1. Check contract | Check notice period and contract end date with the old provider | Clarify access to data after cancellation |
2. Export data | Back up chart of accounts, general journal, contacts, open items, receipts, VAT returns | Each financial year individually, as CSV, Excel and PDF |
3. Set cut-off date | Start of the financial year or end of a month or quarter | Close current VAT period in the old system |
4. Transfer data | Opening balances, open accounts receivable and accounts payable, master data, bank accounts | Do not enter the balance of collective accounts twice |
5. Check | Reconcile balances, test invoice with QR code | Have opening entry checked by fiduciary/accountant |
6. Cancel and archive | Cancel old contract, store exports in two secure locations | Ensure readability until the end of the retention period |
In what order do you switch accounting software?
First you export all data, only then do you cancel the old contract. Otherwise, you risk losing access to the journal, receipts or VAT returns after the contract ends. How long access remains after a cancellation is decided by each provider, so check this in the contract terms or ask support.
Before exporting, clarify three points:
Notice period: By when do you need to cancel so that the contract ends on the desired date?
Contract end: Does the subscription run monthly or annually? The agreed fees continue until the end of the contract.
Access: Can you still read or export data after the contract ends? For how long?
Set up the new software in parallel while the old system is still running. This allows you to test the bank connection, interfaces and invoice templates before you switch over. The annual financial statements of the last financial year are usually still prepared in the old program, so you need access there until this closure is finalised.
What data do you need to export before switching?
Export everything you need to continue bookkeeping and as proof for statutory retention obligations. Export per financial year, as the retention period runs separately for each year.
Data | Format | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
Chart of accounts with balances, balance sheet and income statement | Excel or CSV, PDF | Opening balance sheet, reconciliation |
General journal and account ledgers | Excel or CSV, PDF | Archive, verification of every entry |
Contacts (customers and suppliers) | CSV or Excel | Master data in the new program |
Open accounts receivable and accounts payable | Excel, PDF | Transfer open items |
Invoices and quotes | Archive, ongoing orders | |
Receipts (vouchers, supplier invoices, bank statements) | PDF or original file | Retention requirement |
VAT returns and VAT journal | PDF, Excel | Annual VAT reconciliation, audits |
Items, time tracking, payroll data (if used) | CSV or Excel, PDF | Continuation in the new system |
If you want to export and import accounting data, you need two types of files. CSV and Excel are used for importing into the new program. PDF reports are better for the archive because they remain readable without the old software. Back up both where possible. After exporting, spot-check a few files to make sure they are complete.
How do you export your data from bexio?
bexio describes the export in its own Help Centre in an article on local data backup. The article goes through the sections individually: Contacts, Sales, Projects and Time, Products, Purchasing, Accounting, Apps and Payroll.
Sales: For sales documents, bexio recommends exporting as PDF; lists are also available as Excel.
Accounting: VAT form, VAT journal, general journal, account ledgers, balance sheet and income statement can be downloaded. The journal should be exported individually for each financial year.
Inbox: For a backup of all files in the inbox, bexio support provides an export upon request.
The current instructions in the bexio Help Centre (help.bexio.com) are authoritative. Menus change with new versions.
Where do you find the data export in Klara?
Klara explains the export in the Support Centre in the article «Data export» (support.klara.ch). You can export company data, payroll data, accounting reports, cash journals, customer data and the item master there.
Accounting: You download reports as PDF; most can be filtered beforehand.
Customer data and items: Both have their own export function; the item master is provided as an Excel file.
Year-end closing: After closing, Klara creates the most important documents for local archiving.
If you need accounting data as CSV or Excel to import into the new program, ask Klara support which exports are provided for this purpose.
Which cut-off date is suitable for the switch?
The start of the financial year is the easiest. You close the old year in the previous system and start in the new program with the opening balance sheet: balance sheet accounts are taken over with their closing balances, profit and loss accounts start at zero. If you want to refresh the terms, the article Accounting basics explained simply will help.
If the year-end closing is not yet finalised on the cut-off date, enter provisional balances. As soon as the final accounts are available, adjust the opening balance sheet.
Switching mid-year is also possible. Set the cut-off date to the end of a month or quarter that aligns with your VAT reporting period. Enter the balances as of the cut-off date as an opening entry, including the profit and loss accounts, so that the income statement is complete at year-end. You close the current VAT period in the old system and settle it with the FTA within 60 days after the end of the period.
VAT reporting | Period | Suitable cut-off date |
|---|---|---|
Effective method (standard case) | Quarter | End of quarter |
Net tax rates | Half-year | End of half-year |
Upon request in case of regular input tax surplus | Month | End of month |
Upon request, e.g. with taxable turnover up to CHF 5,005,000 per year | Year | End of tax period |
If you settle annually, the VAT period only ends with the year. Switching at the end of the year saves you from having to consolidate VAT data from two systems.
What do you transfer to the new software?
For ongoing operations, you need opening balances, open items, master data and bank accounts. Everything else is optional.
Opening balances: all balance sheet accounts as of the cut-off date, and for a mid-year switch also the profit and loss accounts.
Open items: every open accounts receivable and accounts payable invoice individually, with number, date, amount and due date, so that subsequent payments can be matched. Make sure that the balance of the receivables or payables account is not duplicated, once via the opening entry and once via the imported invoices.
Master data: contacts, items, chart of accounts and VAT codes. From November 2026, only structured addresses will apply to QR-bills and payments. Therefore, check whether street, house number, postcode and town/city end up in separate fields during the import.
Bank accounts: IBAN, QR-IBAN if available and the bank feed. Transfer account transactions from the cut-off date onwards. It is better to re-enter old payment templates, as payments without a structured address will no longer be processed from 20 November 2026.
You do not necessarily have to transfer already paid invoices and old entries. They can remain in the archive as long as they are readable and auditable there. Some providers also migrate historical data when you move your accounting. Then you have everything in one place, but the exports from the old system still remain your proof.
What applies to statutory retention requirements when switching software?
You must retain accounting books and accounting records, as well as the annual report and audit report, for ten years; the period begins at the end of the financial year (Art. 958f CO). The documents for the 2026 financial year must therefore be kept until the end of 2036. The annual report and audit report belong in the archive in signed hard copy. Books and records may be retained electronically if concordance with business transactions is guaranteed and they can be made readable again at any time.
The Business Records Ordinance (GeBüV) specifies what this means for a switch:
Availability (Art. 6): Authorised persons must be able to view and verify the documents within a reasonable period until the end of the retention period.
Integrity (Art. 3): Alterations must be detectable.
Data migration (Art. 10): If you transfer data to another format or another data carrier, completeness, accuracy and readability must remain guaranteed. The transfer must be logged, and the log must be retained together with the data.
Work instructions (Art. 4): Keep documentation regarding processes and software for the same length of time as the books kept with them.
For the switch, this means: The old data must remain readable and auditable even after cancellation. Export them completely and store them in a secure place, or transfer them to a system that archives in an audit-compliant manner. An exception applies to real estate: the VAT Act requires records regarding input tax corrections and own consumption for immovable property to be kept for 20 years.
How do you check the accounting after the switch?
You reconcile the figures in the new program account by account with the old system. Only then is the switch complete.
Balances: The trial balance as of the cut-off date must be identical in both systems.
Bank accounts: The balance in the new program corresponds to the bank statement as of the cut-off date.
Open items: The total of open invoices corresponds to the balance of the receivables and payables accounts.
QR-bill: Create a test invoice to yourself, scan it with the banking app and check account, reference and address. For self-checking, SIX provides a validation portal for the Swiss QR Code.
Fiduciary: Have your fiduciary or accountant check the opening entry before you submit the first VAT return from the new system.
Which typical mistakes should you avoid?
Almost every problem occurs because a step is carried out too early, too late or not at all.
Cancelled before exporting: Journal, receipts or VAT data are missing after the contract ends.
VAT period not closed: Turnover and input tax for a single period are spread across two systems.
Forgot open items: Incoming payments cannot be allocated to any invoice; reminders are missing.
Receipts not backed up: Entries are exported, but the supporting receipts are not.
Bank feeds and interfaces not tested: Bank statements are missing or duplicated, connected tools no longer transmit data.
How switching to nextesy works
At nextesy, our team handles data migration, including historical data. The process has three steps:
Show invoice: You send the current invoice from your previous provider and create a trial account.
Remaining term: Until your old subscription expires, you pay CHF 1 per month (switch plan) and have full access to all features.
Transition: When the old subscription ends, you automatically switch to the regular plan.
Document management with archiving is included in every package, and bookkeeping is audit-compliant in accordance with the Swiss Code of Obligations (CO) and GeBüV. Data is hosted in certified data centres in Switzerland. You can invite your fiduciary directly so they can check the opening entry. Support is based in Switzerland and included in every plan at no extra charge. You provide the documents our team needs, choose your preferred date, and then reconcile the figures with your old system. You can find all options for switching on the pages Alternative to bexio and Alternative to Klara. To see how the two programs differ, check out nextesy vs. bexio: Swiss accounting software comparison.
Frequently asked questions
How do I switch from bexio or Klara to another accounting software?
Switching follows the same process for both programs. You first check the notice period and contract end date, then back up all data and set up the new program in parallel. Next, you set a cut-off date, record opening balances and open items, and reconcile the numbers with the old system. Only when everything is correct and the exports are safely stored do you cancel. For the individual export steps, the official help pages of bexio and Klara are authoritative, as menus can change with new versions.
Which data do I need to export before switching accounting software?
Export everything you need to continue bookkeeping and as legal proof: chart of accounts with balances, journal and account ledgers, contacts, lists of open receivables and payables, invoices and quotes, receipts, and VAT returns. If you use items, time tracking, or payroll, this data belongs with it. CSV or Excel files are suitable for importing, while PDF reports are best for archiving. Back up each financial year separately and spot-check that the files are complete and readable before you lose access.
When is the best time to switch accounting software?
The easiest time is the start of a new financial year, which means 1 January if your financial year aligns with the calendar year. Allow a few weeks of lead time so that exports, setup, and testing are done before the cut-off date. A mid-year switch is also possible, ideally at the end of a VAT reporting period. Weeks just before a VAT deadline are unfavourable. Also, keep in mind that you will still prepare the previous year's annual financial statements in the old system and will need access for that.
How do I transfer balances and open invoices to the new software?
You record the balances of all balance sheet accounts as of the cut-off date as an opening entry, for example against an opening balance sheet account. Open invoices are imported or entered individually with invoice number, date, amount, and due date so that later payments can be matched. The balance of the receivables or payables account must only be created once: either via the opening entry or via the imported invoices. How this is done depends on the new software. Finally, compare the totals with the lists from the old system and have the opening entry counter-checked by your fiduciary.
What applies to the ten-year statutory retention requirement when switching software?
The ten-year period applies regardless of which software you use. It begins at the end of the respective financial year. For the 2026 financial year, it therefore runs until the end of 2036. If you cancel a software subscription, the documents must still remain viewable and auditable until the end of the period. You achieve this with complete exports in a secure location or by transferring them into an audit-compliant archive. For certain documents relating to real estate, the VAT Act requires 20 years.
Do I have to pay twice if my old contract is still running?
An ongoing contract does not terminate upon switching, but rather at the agreed date. Until then, you owe the contractual fees, even if you are already working in the new program. It is therefore worth checking the notice period and contract end date early and aligning the cut-off date accordingly. Some providers offer transition plans that apply during the remaining term of the old contract; at nextesy, this is the switch plan. Use the remaining term for complete exports and reconciling figures.
Your next step
Download the exports of your last completed financial year today and place the checklist above next to your contract. If you want to evaluate nextesy, test nextesy free for 14 days without a credit card, running in parallel with your old system.
