Payment reminders: 10 years as accounting vouchers

Scope: what exactly applies

With payment reminders two questions run in parallel that are worth keeping apart. In accounting terms, all that matters is whether the reminder produced an entry: a reminder fee, default interest, a value adjustment on the receivable. Then the letter is the voucher for it and must be kept for ten years. Legally, the reminder additionally has a function of its own — it puts the debtor in default and is your evidence in a dispute or debt-collection proceeding. That evidentiary value follows not from the retention obligation but from the limitation period of the claim. Filing that treats both the same way makes your life easier.

When does the period start? An example

A document from March 2026 belongs to the 2026 financial year and remains subject to retention until the end of 2036 — the period runs from the end of the financial year, not from the document date.

In practice with bexio

bexio generates reminders from the open invoice and records the reminder levels with the document. Booked reminder fees need the matching evidence. quintio continuously mirrors the generated documents into your own Google Drive — there, invoice and reminder stay together in the same year folder, even after a change of system.

Related retention periods

• Invoices 10 years — insofar as they substantiate an entry
• Delivery notes 10 years — only insofar as they substantiate an entry
• Contracts 10 years — insofar as they substantiate an entry
• Bank and credit-card statements 10 years
• To the retention period calculator
• Retention obligation in Switzerland: who, what, how long

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Do I have to keep payment reminders?

Insofar as they substantiate an entry, yes — ten years under Art. 958f CO. Typically booked reminder fees or default interest.

And if the reminder led to no entry at all?

Then there is no statutory retention obligation. As evidence of default the letter still remains useful as long as the claim is not time-barred.

Is the system record enough, or do I need the letter?

The voucher is the letter. A status field alone does not show what was communicated to the debtor, or when.