This is what it's all about.
We all know the feeling: every spring, tax season rolls around, and the same question pops up – what can I actually deduct?
For shift workers, it’s even worse: public transport often doesn’t run at shift times. Then you have to prove for every single car trip that public transport wasn’t an option. Hours of fiddling around – and in the end, you might save a few hundred francs.
After spending hours on this paperwork yet again, I thought: there’s got to be a simpler way! That’s how the idea for Dienstweg was born.
Dienstweg takes care of it for you: it reads your work hours from your schedule, checks public transport connections, and tells you each day whether you can deduct your car or not. No more hours of searching – the software does it all. 50 CHF investment – a few hundred francs saved in taxes. Sounds fair to me.
Your data is secure and stays yours. You can view and edit it online anytime. At the end of the year, you’ll automatically receive a PDF with all the proof you need – just sign it and submit it with your tax return.
The core of Dienstweg is ready and is currently being thoroughly tested. Dienstweg is set to be completed by November 2026 and available for everyone from 2027. The annual licence will cost 50 francs.
With your support, Dienstweg can be made available not just to me, but to all shift workers in Switzerland.
How did I come up with the project?
I’m Manuel, a train driver in Switzerland since 2012, living in the Bernese Oberland. My daily routine? I often have to take the first or last train – or work shifts where public transport simply doesn’t align with my schedule. That means I’d either arrive half an hour early or have to wait an hour after work for the next connection. In over 90% of my shifts, the car is the only practical choice.
Then comes tax season – and the frustration. I have four public transport stops nearby, easily reachable on foot or by bike. But for every single workday, I have to check which stop offers the «fastest reasonable» route. That means multiple timetable queries per day. I’ve streamlined the documentation with Excel – but the data entry? A nightmare.
The final straw came when I tried to compile my records during a train journey from Vienna to Zurich. With just one screen, I had to constantly switch between programmes to gather the data for my tax return. At first, I tried building a «standard timetable» in Excel. But it quickly became clear: the enormous effort barely justified the few hundred francs saved in taxes.
So I thought: if there’s no solution, I’ll build one myself. That’s how Dienstweg was born.
Because one thing is certain: no one should have to sacrifice hours of their free time just to claim what they’re rightfully owed from the tax office. I have a small house with a garden, a wife, and three dogs – and I’d much rather spend my time with them than wrestling with tedious tax paperwork.
This is what I need backing for.
Development of Dienstweg is already well underway – we’re currently in the alpha testing phase. But right now, the software is tailored only to my own needs.
To make Dienstweg available to all shift workers, I need your support. A solution for many is far more complex than a single-user fix – and I can’t dedicate all the necessary time in my spare time if I want to finish by November 2026.
What’s still missing?
- Integration with various scheduling systems: Currently, Dienstweg only works with RailOpt from BLS. To make it usable for everyone, we need to add more interfaces.
- Secure data management: Your data stays your data – but we must ensure everything complies with Swiss data protection standards.
- Maximum flexibility: Every shift job is different. Dienstweg needs to cover all individual situations – whether you work in public transport, hospitals, or industry.
- Translation into Switzerland’s national languages.
- Legal safeguards: To make everything watertight, we need professional terms and conditions and privacy policies.
These next steps come with significant costs – but with your support, we can open Dienstweg to everyone. In the end, every shift worker will save hours of stress and time – and get their rightful tax deductions without battling through a jungle of paperwork.
In return, you’ll not only receive substantial discounts on the annual licence (depending on your contribution), but you’ll also enter an exciting raffle! The prize is a 1,500 CHF voucher for the Grandhotel Giessbach on Lake Brienz. Come and discover the Bernese Oberland, with nostalgia, nature, and luxury.
Note: The raffle will only take place if the crowdfunding is successful. No legal recourse is possible.
