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Bookkeeping that consists of income and expenses — and nothing else

Double-entry bookkeeping was invented for companies with inventory, employees, and investors. As a sole proprietorship under CHF 500'000.– in revenue, you don't need it — the law expressly allows you the simpler method.

In Switzerland, this simpler method has long been called the Milchbüechli method — after the little notebook in which milkmen used to record deliveries and payments: one column in, one column out, the difference is the result. This is exactly what MILQ does as software, hence the name.

The difference in one image

Double-entry bookkeeping

An expense of CHF 980 for rent:

DR    6000 Rent expense       980.00
CR    1020 Bank                 980.00

You need to know which account to debit and which to credit. This requires a chart of accounts and a basic understanding of the system.

MILQ method

The same expense:

02.08.2026  Studio rent August
Category: Rent expense
Expense:             980.00

You record what happened. The category assigns it to the correct section of the tax return.

Your year in four steps

  1. 1

    Record income and expenses

    Every entry consists of date, amount, category, and receipt. Or upload the receipt — MILQ scans it with AI and suggests all fields. You just review and confirm.

    • Categories such as honoraria, materials, rent, or insurance are set up at the start and match the sections of the tax return.
    • You convert foreign currencies to CHF using your own exchange rate.
    • Private use portions — for example, for a business car — you enter as a percentage; MILQ calculates the remainder.
  2. 2

    Create invoices and file receipts

    Write a quote, convert it into an invoice with one click, send it by e-mail — with a Swiss QR-bill, in your own design. When the customer pays, you record the payment, in full or in instalments, and the matching income entry is created automatically. If they don’t pay, you send a reminder with a click; paid invoices are reversed with a credit note.

    • Customers and services — hourly rates, products, flat fees — are saved and ready. When creating an invoice, you select them instead of typing the address and price every time.
    • Outstanding items show who still hasn't paid at a glance.
    • You upload receipts directly on the entry they belong to, as a PDF or photo — so the entry and its receipt always stay together.
    • Everything remains archived for 10 years, as required by Swiss law.
  3. 3

    File VAT — if you have to

    Below CHF 100'000.– in revenue, this doesn't affect you. Above that, MILQ calculates the tax from every entry and fills in the return for the Swiss Federal Tax Administration.

    • Standard rate 8.1 %, reduced 2.6 %, accommodation 3.8 %.
    • Net tax rate method or effective method — both are supported.
    • Closed periods are locked so nothing can shift retroactively.
  4. 4

    Annual closing at the click of a button

    At year-end, you generate the income statement as a PDF, the complete journal of entries, and a receipt archive — everything your tax return or an audit needs.

    • Income statement by category, matching the schedule for the tax return.
    • Journal with sequential receipt numbering.
    • Receipts as a ZIP and as a single merged PDF.
    • The closed year is locked; corrections are made via reversing entries.

Best to try it yourself

30 days free, no credit card. The first entry takes less than a minute.

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