As a new Swiss citizen, starting this month I am doing my own taxes.... for the first time in my life.

I've asked for some advice from my Swiss co-workers, but I have a feeling that they've been doing it so long that they can't quite explain it to a beginner.

Lots of people on this forum must have found themselves in this situation and I would just like some pointers. If an older thread exists, please direct me towards it, because I couldn't find one.

From what I've been told:

-If I'm 25 years old and single, I shouldn't count on too much being deductible. Basically, the rate they offer is the one I'm going to get. Is this true?
-Are things like dentist costs and my yearly bus pass deductible? Is it worth it in the end? How much money am I looking to save if I keep track of these things religiously?

Geneva has an online version of their tax program now, so I'll play around with that.

Any suggestions, experiences, etc. are welcome! Thanks in advance.

Most importanly, put some money aside on a monthly basis. Don't spend it.

I pay less than 250 francs a year for someone to do my tax return - they're far better than I at doing it (although when I was "simple" and "single", I did my own and put the max for everything!!).

Consider an accountant, at least for the first cycle, and don't worry. It's just tax

As a precaution, I've already started setting aside the amount they used to take at the source every month in a separate account. I'll just need to remember to do it every month. Hopefully it won't be as much as it used to be, but I figure it's better to overdo it now and be pleasantly surprised later.

First time for us was a nightmare, but I can do it in an evening now. There should be a booklet to explain how various deductions can be calculated. Costs of travelling to and from work are deductable for example. I used the Fribourg tax software last year and it makes life so much easier, so hopefully the Geneva one is similar. Good luck with it anyway.

Usualy for what it costs for an accountant, somewhere in between Sfr 125-250.-- for a simple tax return (employee, rented accomodation etc) you save in not paying taxes as the accoiuntants know what you can get away with and what gets picked up.

For the cost, get an accountant