JUSTBILLITT GUIDE

How to create a Swiss QR-bill invoice

Since 2022, every invoice payable in Switzerland goes through the QR-bill: a standardised payment slip your client scans with their banking app. Here is what it contains, the three possible variants, the mistakes that block payment, and how to generate a compliant one from a simple WhatsApp message.

What is the Swiss QR-bill?

The QR-bill (QR-facture in French, QR-Rechnung in German) is the official payment slip of the Swiss financial centre. It was introduced on 30 June 2020 under the standard defined by SIX, the Swiss banking infrastructure, and replaces the old orange (ISR) and red (IS) payment slips. Those were withdrawn on 30 September 2022 and have not been accepted by banks or PostFinance since.

In practice, it is a payment section at the bottom of the invoice (or on a separate sheet) with a square QR code marked with a Swiss cross. All the payment data is in that code: your IBAN, your name, the amount, the currency, the payer's name and a reference. The client has nothing left to retype.

The three QR-bill variants

The standard offers three ways to fill in the account and the reference. Which one you use depends on your IBAN and on what your bank offers.

VARIANT 1

QR-IBAN + QR reference

The QR-IBAN is a special IBAN issued by your bank (its institution identifier is between 30000 and 31999). It requires a 27-digit QR reference, unique per invoice, which lets your bank match incoming payments automatically. It is the successor of the orange ISR slip.

VARIANT 2

IBAN + SCOR reference

Your usual IBAN, together with a creditor reference in the international ISO 11649 format, starting with "RF". Useful if you also invoice abroad, but rarely used by tradespeople.

VARIANT 3

IBAN without reference

Your usual IBAN, with no structured reference. The invoice number goes into the "additional information" field. This is the simplest variant, and the successor of the red IS slip.

What the payment slip contains

The QR payment slip measures 210 × 105 mm and sits at the bottom of an A4 page. It has two parts, and every element has a position fixed by the standard:

The receipt, on the left — the part the client keeps when paying at a post office counter, with the account, amount and addresses in small print.
The payment part, on the right — with the Swiss QR Code (46 × 46 mm) marked with a Swiss cross in its centre.
The amount and currency — CHF or EUR only. The amount may be left blank: the client then enters it.
The creditor — your name (or your company's), your address and your IBAN or QR-IBAN.
The debtor — your client's name and address, pre-filled in their banking app when they scan.
The reference and additional information — QR or SCOR reference, plus a free message of up to 140 characters, for example "Invoice 2026-0042".
The separation line — if the invoice is printed, the slip must be separated from the rest by a perforation or a line marked with a scissors symbol. On a PDF sent by e-mail or WhatsApp, the line is simply printed.

How your client pays

In their banking app or e-banking, your client chooses "scan" and points the camera at the QR code. The amount, your IBAN, your name and the reference show up already filled in: they check and confirm. It works from a phone screen just as well as from a printed sheet.

If they cannot scan, they type the details by hand into their e-banking, or take the printed slip to a post office counter: that is why all the information is also shown in plain text next to the code.

The mistakes that block payment

A malformed QR code is rejected by the banking app, and your client calls you instead of paying. The most common causes:

A mistyped IBAN — two digits swapped and the code is invalid, or worse, valid for someone else's account. Check your IBAN once, against your bank statement.
An incomplete address — the standard requires the creditor's name, street, postcode, town and country; if the debtor's address is given, it must be complete too.
An amount in another currency — only CHF and EUR are allowed. An amount in dollars or pounds cannot appear on a QR-bill.
A home-made, non-compliant QR — a QR code produced with a generic tool is not a QR-bill: it lacks the Swiss cross, the data structure or the exact encoding, and banks reject it. A QR-IBAN without a reference, or a QR reference with a wrong check digit, is rejected as well.

Creating your QR-bill with JustBillItt

There is no generator to install and no standard to learn. Your IBAN, name and address are in your profile; the rest fits in a WhatsApp message.

You write your invoice on WhatsApp

The client's name, the services and the prices, in plain language. The message below is enough.

The PDF arrives with the QR payment slip

The slip is generated by the official swissqrbill library, compliant with the SIX guidelines. Swiss (CH) and Liechtenstein (LI) IBANs are accepted, with an automatic QR reference if you have a QR-IBAN.

You send it, your client scans it

The PDF goes out by WhatsApp or e-mail. For an insurance claim (bodywork, garages), the amount can stay blank: the insurer enters the amount it approves.

invoice John Smith, Rue du Rhône 12, 1950 Sion, kitchen tap replacement 180.-, labour 2h at 95.-

This information is general and follows the SIX Implementation Guidelines. If in doubt about your QR-IBAN or your reference, ask your bank.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a QR-IBAN?

No. A regular IBAN is enough for a valid QR-bill. The QR-IBAN is useful if you want a structured 27-digit reference for automatic payment matching, which mainly accounting software offers. Many freelancers do without.

Can I make a QR-bill in euros?

Yes, the standard allows Swiss francs and euros. The account shown must be able to receive euros: ask your bank, as some CHF accounts accept EUR transfers with conversion and others do not.

Does the slip have to be printed?

No. The QR-bill can be sent as a PDF and paid straight from the screen. If you print it, use white paper, a clean print, and a perforated line or a line with a scissors symbol between the slip and the rest of the page.

What if my client cannot scan?

All the data is shown in plain text on the slip: IBAN, amount, reference, name. They can enter it by hand in their e-banking, or pay at a post office counter with the printed slip.

Is the QR-bill mandatory?

No law forces you to attach a payment slip. But since 30 September 2022 the old orange and red slips are no longer processed, and an invoice with only an IBAN in the text forces your client to retype everything. In practice, the QR-bill has become the expected standard in Switzerland.

How do I check that my QR is valid?

The most reliable test is to scan your own PDF with your banking app: if your details and the amount appear correctly, the slip is readable. Several banks and SIX also offer online validators. JustBillItt does not generate a slip if the data does not pass the library's validation.

Your first QR-bill in one message.

Create your free account, add your IBAN, and send your first invoice from WhatsApp.

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