Payments Simplified

Thanks to the New QR-bill

The QR-bill: Efficiency Squared

The QR-bill modernizes Swiss payments. As of 30 September 2022, PostFinance will take the red and orange payment slips off the market. The QR-bill consists of a payment section and a receipt. All relevant information required for automatic and consequently efficient payment and book entry is included in Swiss QR Code.

The QR-bill and its digital possibilities will completely simplify payments. The benefits are clear:

Convenient

The QR code is very easy to scan.

Quick and automatic

One click is enough to trigger payment.

Efficient

There is no need to type the account and reference numbers – making payment faster and reducing errors.

Three Options For Paying a QR-bill Easily

Via Mobile Banking

Open the mobile banking app on your smartphone, scan the Swiss QR Code with the QR reader function and tap the screen to trigger payment.

Via E-banking

Open e-banking, scan the Swiss QR Code with the QR reader or your PC camera and click to trigger payment.

By Mail

The QR-bill works like an existing payment slip and can be paid either at a Swiss Post branch, at a branch with partner or by payment order in an envelope to the bank.

And of course it is also quick and easy if you are using a business software. Bring it up to date! This ensures that the QR-bills will be actually paid.

Ready For the QR-bill!

Using your bank's mobile banking and e-banking solution, you can easily scan your QR-bills – regardless of whether you are acting as a private individual or on behalf of a company.

Fit For the QR-bill?

In the event that you have not yet ‘gone digital’, get fit for the QR-bill and use online banking of your bank. You will then be able to pay your QR-bills easily using e-banking at your home computer or by mobile banking when you are out and about.

The QR-bill – Briefly Explained

Just like existing payment slips, the QR-bill is divided into two parts – into a receipt (1) and a payment section (2).
The Swiss QR Code (3) contains all relevant information needed both for invoicing and for payment.
The perforation (4) means that you can easily separate the payment section and the receipt from the invoice and either pay it into the post office, just as you did before, or send it to your bank with the payment order by mail.

What to do when you get a QR-bill without amount or without name and address?

Enter the missing data manually.

Further Information

This is where you will find more information about the QR-bill – in your language and in a form that is easily downloadable.

Factsheet private individuals Factsheet SMEs FAQ

FAQs Regarding the QR-bill

When can the QR-bill be used? Am I free to decide whether to continue using the red and orange payment slips or to use the QR-bill for invoicing? Can the payment section be used for paper-based payment orders? How can the payment section be used for online services? Can the payment section be used for paying in cash at the post office? Can the QR-bill in PDF format be used for paper-based payment instructions at the bank?

QR bills (or separate payment parts with receipt) in PDF format are only suitable for payments in e-/m-banking, but not for paper-based payment transactions at the counter. However, if they have to be paid at the counter, the payment part and receipt should be separated from the invoice. The payment part (without receipt) can then be attached to a payment order in paper form.

How can the benefits of the QR-bill be used most efficiently? What information is included in the Swiss QR Code? Will people without technical knowledge be disadvantaged by the introduction of the Swiss QR Code? What do I have to do to pay a QR-bill at a bank or post office counter? Does the debtor have to pay the fees for post office counter payments himself? How to scan the Swiss QR Code? Can the invoice recipient view the data stored in the Swiss QR Code to compare it with the visible part? Does the Swiss QR Code restrict use of current payment transaction channels?

No. All payment transaction channels remain in use. All the information included therein will be printed on the payment section; it can also be read with the naked eye, i.e. without technical equipment. This means that payments can still be recorded manually in e-/m-banking without any additional infrastructure. The same information is also included in the Swiss QR Code. This also means payers can automate their recording. In private households, this will be possible primarily through the use of banking apps on smartphones. Payers with large numbers of invoices will use document readers or scanners, which support the Swiss QR Code, for this automation.

Can the QR-bill be used for foreign payments?

Two cases must be distinguished here:

Payments from Switzerland to other countries: This is only possible if the invoice issuer offers a bank account in Switzerland or Liechtenstein.
Payments from abroad to Switzerland: We cannot influence whether banks abroad support the QR-bill. There may be corresponding offers for Swiss customers in regions close to the border.

We recommend using the QR-bill with Creditor Reference and IBAN for such payments.

What happens to the previous neutral payment slips? What does "ultimate debtor" mean and what happens to his data?

An ultimate debtor is a person who receives a QR-bill. Data on the ultimate debtor must be forwarded from the debtor's institution to the creditor's institution in accordance with the agreement with the debtor, provided that this data is transmitted by the debtor in the payment order and no instructions to the contrary or special agreements with the debtor preclude forwarding.

What online offers do you recommend for generating QR-bills?