A capital deposit account (in German: Kapitaleinzahlungskonto) is a blocked account at a Swiss bank where you deposit the nominal or share capital of your GmbH or AG before it's entered in the commercial register. You need one for every GmbH (nominal capital from CHF 20,000) and every AG (share capital from CHF 100,000), but not for a sole proprietorship.

Sounds simple. But anyone setting up their first GmbH quickly realises how unclear the process is in practice. Which bank is fastest? What does opening really cost? What happens if your notary appointment is booked but the account isn't ready? And why are the fees so hard to compare on bank websites?

We've collected here everything a future GmbH or AG founder needs to know: what a capital deposit account actually is, whether you really need one (as a sole proprietor, no), how the opening process works step by step, what the main Swiss banks charge, and which mistakes to avoid so your notary appointment doesn't fall through.

The key points are summarised right after this introduction.

What is a Swiss capital deposit account?

A capital deposit account is a purpose-bound blocked account at a bank domiciled in Switzerland. You pay the legally required share capital of your GmbH or AG into this account. The money stays blocked until the commercial register has entered your company. Only then does the bank release the funds onto a regular business account.

The legal basis is in the Swiss Code of Obligations (CO), Article 633 for the AG and Article 777c for the GmbH. Both articles require the capital to be at the free disposal of the company before it's entered in the commercial register. The blocked account fulfils exactly this function and protects both creditors and founders.

Important: the account is not a permanent solution. It only exists for the incorporation phase. After the commercial register entry, the capital is released and the account is either closed or converted into a standard business account, depending on the bank.

When do you need a capital deposit account?

You need a capital deposit account whenever you incorporate a capital company with a legally required minimum capital in Switzerland, or when you increase that capital later on.

Mandatory: GmbH and AG

• GmbH incorporation: nominal capital CHF 20,000, fully paid in.
• AG incorporation: share capital CHF 100,000, of which at least CHF 50,000 or 20% paid in.
• Capital increase: if you raise the capital of your existing GmbH or AG.
• Subsequent paying-up: if you later pay in the unpaid portion of an AG.

Not needed: sole proprietorship and partnerships

If you're starting out as a freelancer or self-employed individual, you don't need a capital deposit account or any legal minimum capital. A sole proprietorship comes into existence simply by working independently and being recognised as such by AHV (Swiss old-age insurance) and the tax authorities. More details in our guide to starting a sole proprietorship in Switzerland, including registration, insurance, and your first invoices.

General and limited partnerships also don't need a blocked account, because they aren't required to have a legal nominal capital.

Picture Marc, a fictional designer from Zurich. Marc has been working as a sole proprietor for three years and turns over around CHF 90,000 a year. He's toying with switching to a GmbH because it sounds "more professional". In reality, the switch gives him no tax advantage and only marginally more liability protection, but it costs two to three thousand francs in incorporation fees plus ongoing bookkeeping obligations. For Marc, the step only makes sense once he hires staff or genuinely needs the liability separation. Until then, the sole proprietorship is more than enough.

How much capital do you need to deposit?

The minimum amount you need to deposit depends on the legal form. Swiss founders often underestimate that you don't have to pay in the full CHF 100,000 for an AG.

GmbH: CHF 20,000 fully paid in

For the GmbH it's clear: the CHF 20,000 nominal capital must be 100% paid in before you can go to the notary. You can't pay the capital in instalments or contribute it partly as a contribution in kind unless that's specifically regulated in the incorporation deed.

AG: CHF 100,000 share capital, at least 20% paid in

The AG works differently. You need a share capital of at least CHF 100,000, but only 20% or at least CHF 50,000 has to be actually paid in – whichever is higher. In practice: for a standard AG with CHF 100,000 share capital, CHF 50,000 on the blocked account is enough.

The unpaid portion remains a debt to the company. It's called subsequent paying-up and can also be processed through a capital deposit account later on.

What happens to the money after incorporation?

As soon as your GmbH or AG is entered in the commercial register, the bank sends you (or the notary) a release confirmation. The capital is then transferred to a regular business account and is fully available for operational use. You can pay rental deposits, buy materials, pay salaries – in short, everything a company does day to day.

Important: the capital doesn't have to "sit there". It's your company's equity, not an emergency reserve. Once the block is lifted, it's part of the normal balance sheet.

Step by step: opening a capital deposit account

Here's how the opening process plays out. Plan for two to four weeks for the entire process, from first bank contact to release after commercial register entry. The seven steps are summarised below.

If you're using this moment to set up your whole company admin properly, this is the right time to think about accounting and invoicing. A simple accounting tool for Swiss self-employed and small GmbHs saves you hours of work later and makes the year-end work with your accountant cheaper.

Capital deposit account comparison 2026: opening and follow-on account

The opening fee is only half the truth. What you really need to compare are two numbers: what the bank charges for the blocked account, and what the ongoing business account will cost you per year. Only together do they show whether a "cheap" offer is actually cheap over three to five years.

The following table gathers the published rates from the main Swiss banks. We only include what the banks themselves show on their product or pricing pages. Where data isn't publicly verified, we say so explicitly.

As of May 2026. All values are based on rates published by the banks on their own product pages. Please verify current conditions directly before opening. "‰" (per mille) equals 0.1%. At 0.5‰ on a CHF 50,000 AG deposit, that would be CHF 25 – which is why the minimum fee applies in practice for most incorporations.

Three clear profiles emerge from the published rates. The practical shortlist is right below this table.

Always calculate at least three years of total cost: opening fee plus 36 months of the follow-on account plus expected entry fees. With CHF 250 opening and CHF 0/year ongoing account, you're at CHF 250 after three years. With CHF 145 opening and CHF 60/year, you're at CHF 325. The seemingly cheaper opening can end up more expensive.

Which other details you should check is laid out as a compact checklist after the shortlist.

How long does opening take?

Realistic timelines to plan for:

• Online opening at the major banks (UBS, PostFinance, Raiffeisen, Zuger KB): 1 to 3 business days until the capital can be paid in.
• In-branch opening at a cantonal bank: 1 to 2 weeks, depending on appointment availability.
• Issuing the deposit confirmation: 1 to 5 business days after funds arrive.
• Commercial register entry: typically 5 to 10 business days after the notary files, depending on the canton. Some cantons offer fast-track processing for a surcharge. Current waiting times are on zefix.ch and at your cantonal commercial register office.
• Release of the capital: 1 to 3 business days after presenting the commercial register extract.

All in all, plan for at least three weeks for the full incorporation process. If you're in a hurry (a fixed client start date, for example), start with the bank as soon as the draft articles are ready.

Common mistakes during incorporation

From experience, the same stumbling blocks come up again and again. The main ones are in the checklist below.

Picture Sara, a fictional IT consultant from Bern. Sara incorporates an AG with two co-founders because she's aiming for international clients down the road. To be safe, she pays in the full share capital of CHF 100,000, even though CHF 50,000 would legally suffice. The money is then blocked for seven weeks (bank plus commercial register), and Sara forgoes around CHF 200 in interest on a money-market account during that time. Not a disaster, but easily avoided with a quick glance at the Code of Obligations.

After incorporation: what you need next

Once your GmbH or AG is registered, the real work begins. Three things to set up properly in the first few weeks.

Business account and accounting. Your blocked account becomes the business account, or you open a new one. If you haven't decided on a follow-on bank yet, first compare ongoing costs and entry fees in our Swiss Business Account Comparison 2026 – with a lock-in bank like UBS or Valiant, you can quickly save CHF 500 to CHF 1,000. In parallel, you need accounting – capital companies in Switzerland are subject to double-entry bookkeeping (even if you only turn over CHF 50,000).

Check VAT. As soon as your turnover crosses the CHF 100,000 per year threshold, you become VAT-liable. What that means in detail and when voluntary registration makes sense is explained in our guide to VAT for Swiss freelancers. The official source is the Federal Tax Administration (FTA).

Write invoices. From day one, you need a professional solution for quotes and invoices. A Swiss invoicing tool for self-employed and small businesses creates QR-bills directly, handles VAT calculations and saves you the manual Excel work. Magic Heidi is one option here, built by Swiss freelancers – we use it ourselves for our own bookkeeping. The free plan can be tested without a credit card.

The most common questions follow right below.

Conclusion

A capital deposit account isn't a complicated product, but it is a mandatory step on the way to a GmbH or AG. Anyone who picks the right bank early, plans realistic timelines, and works through the common-mistakes list wraps up the admin side of incorporation in two to four weeks. For sole proprietorships, this whole step disappears – if you don't have compelling reasons for a capital company, you save money, time, and bookkeeping obligations.

Concrete next steps:

1. Decide whether you really need a GmbH or AG, or whether a sole proprietorship is enough.
2. Get quotes from two or three banks for the capital deposit account.
3. Clarify the process and required documents with the notary early.
4. Set up your accounting and invoicing in parallel, so you're operational from the commercial register entry onwards.
5. For specific legal-form or tax-optimisation questions: talk to a fiduciary or notary. This article doesn't replace individual advice.

This article serves as general orientation and doesn't replace individual legal, tax, or banking advice.