The Swiss QR bill: structure, references and common mistakes

What is a QR bill?

A QR bill is an invoice with a standardised payment part. At its heart is the Swiss QR Code with the Swiss cross in the middle. It contains all payment details: account, payee, amount, currency, reference and message. Whoever pays the invoice scans the code in their e-banking or banking app instead of typing in numbers.

The QR bill was introduced on 30 June 2020. Since 1 October 2022, the old red and orange payment slips are no longer processed.

Structure: receipt and payment part

At the bottom of the invoice, usually on the first page, there is a strip measuring 210 × 105 mm, i.e. the full A4 width. It consists of two parts:

• Receipt on the left (62 × 105 mm): the key details for the payer, for example for paying at a post office counter.
• Payment part on the right (148 × 105 mm, A6 landscape): the Swiss QR Code (46 × 46 mm) and the same details in text form next to it.

Nothing else may appear in the area of the payment part. If you send the invoice on paper, it must be printed on perforated paper so that the payment part can be detached cleanly. On PDF invoices, a line with a scissors symbol marks the payment part instead.

Which reference suits my account?

A QR reference only works with a QR-IBAN, which you request from your bank. For most small businesses, the regular IBAN with a Creditor Reference is sufficient. It also lets you match payments unambiguously to an invoice.

Mandatory details in the payment part

• Account (IBAN or QR-IBAN) and payee with address
• Currency: CHF or EUR
• Amount (optional, but common for invoices)
• Payer with address (recommended, so that the payment can be matched)
• Reference and additional information, for example the invoice number

Addresses must be entered in structured form, i.e. street and house number, postcode and town in separate fields. The former combined address type has no longer been permitted since 21 November 2025. So check whether your invoicing software stores addresses in separate fields.

Common mistakes

• QR reference with a regular IBAN: The bank rejects the payment. With a regular IBAN, the code must contain an RF reference or no reference.
• Incomplete customer address: If the street or town is missing, the software cannot set a valid payer, and reconciliation becomes harder.
• QR code printed too small: If the payment part is scaled down, the code often can no longer be scanned.
• Wrong outstanding amount after partial payments: With deposits, partial payments or dunning notices, the payment part must show the amount actually outstanding.

Write QR invoices without retyping anything

With Velro, the QR invoice is created directly from the accepted quote or from the customer’s email. Velro automatically sets the reference type, structured addresses and the outstanding amount after deposits and partial payments. If an invoice remains unpaid, you follow up with a payment reminder, again with a QR payment part.

The Swiss Implementation Guidelines for the QR-bill published by SIX are authoritative. This article provides an overview and does not replace advice from your bank.