QR-bill
Launched on the market on 30 June 2020, the QR-bill replaces all current payment slips in Switzerland and constitutes the basis for efficient, automated payment transactions.
Act now
From 30 September 2022, it will no longer be possible to process the current orange and red payment slips. As an invoice issuer or recipient, you need to act now and implement the necessary measures for migration to the QR-bill. You will find all relevant information here.
If you do not take action as an invoice issuer, your customers will no longer be able to settle the amounts billed to them and you will no longer receive incoming payments. In addition, payers who use standing orders with reference numbers need to be provided with the new payment information to ensure standing orders are deleted before 30 September 2022 and recreated, as these too will no longer be executed. If this is not done, the result will be payment delays and reminders.
For invoice recipients
All payment information integrated in the Swiss QR Code
Less manual input due to scanning
Fewer reading errors
Freedom to choose payment channel: e-banking, mobile banking or counter
For billers
Electronic transmission of all payment information
Billing in Swiss francs and euro
Simplified payments reconciliation, less manual input
Printed on white paper (please consider perforation)
Three versions of QR-bill
QR-IBAN and QR reference
The QR reference has a similar structure to the ESR/ISR reference (orange payment slip) and must be used together with the QR-IBAN. The QR-IBAN has a specific identifier for the payment procedure (fifth character of IBAN number is always a “3”).
IBAN without a reference
Replaces the red payment slip and is for bank transfers without a reference.
IBAN and creditor reference (SCOR)
The SCOR reference (ISO 11649) is used in Europe, together with the IBAN. This form of reference number is new for Swiss payment transactions.
Information on the migration
Invoice recipients
Have any standing orders been set up (or payments within a payment list) based on an orange payment slip? Your biller will provide you with new invoices. Make sure that you delete your old (existing) payments or standing orders and set up new ones.
Our tips
- Check whether your biller permits the eBill function, activate receipt in e-banking, and approve invoices rapidly and securely. The standing approval function is ideally suited in these cases.
- Otherwise choose to make the adjustments by yourself in e-banking. This will save you the processing costs charged by the bank for doing this on your behalf.
With ISO 20022, use of the IBAN (International Bank Account Number) becomes mandatory. In your accounts payable software, if you have not already done so, add the IBAN to your saved data and also the BIC in the case of payments abroad, as soon as your biller has sent you the information with the new QR-bill.
Billers
Do you receive regular payments of the same amount? In all probability, payers will have set this up as a standing order – and these need to be renewed as soon as possible. You should therefore send your customers a new QR-bill straight away, to ensure they have time to set up the standing order again. Only in this way can you be sure that you will continue to receive payments after 30 September 2022.
The conversion to QR billing has various additional consequences for you as a biller. We have therefore put together a checklist for you.
FAQs
General
The QR code contains all relevant information on the payment recipient and payer, amount, currency, etc.
Swiss franc and euro. The CHF or EUR currency abbreviation needs to be printed on the payment part below the Swiss QR code and to the left of the amount field as well as on the receipt.
QR-bills can be paid in the same way as payments made using the payment slips. The perforation makes it easy for invoice recipients to detach the payment part and receipt and pay either by posting a payment order or pay at the counter of Swiss Post.
The QR-IID is 30787.
To ensure its bridging function with other payment procedures, the QR-bill provides the “Alternative procedures” field. Here you can enter information required for this purpose in standard format. With eBill, for example, this field can be filled in with the invoice recipient’s e-mail address. This enables a QR-bill to be automatically converted into an eBill.
Billers
QR-bills can be created and printed at your own computer in just a few steps. A number of layout rules need to be adhered to when doing so. To make things even simpler, you can use a program from one of the many software suppliers.
If you do not use any software, there is no need to take further action. You can generate your own QR-bills in e-banking or order them via Zuger Kantonalbank as before.
No, you must adhere to the “Style Guide QR-bill". The layout rules are summarised clearly in this Style Guide.
Yes, unstructured notifications as well as structured billing information can be entered. Unstructured information can be used to indicate the purpose of payment or for additional information. Billing information contains coded information for automated posting of the payment.
There is no longer a “Message field” (as previously existed for the ES/IS payment slip).