How to create a Swiss QR bill: free, with software or automatically

Since October 2022, the QR bill has replaced the orange and red payment slips in Switzerland. Any invoice you send today comes with a QR payment part: your customers scan the code with their banking app, and the amount, account and reference are filled in for them.

This post explains what a QR bill contains, whether you need a QR-IBAN, and which of three ways suits you: your bank's free generator, invoicing software, or invoices created automatically for recurring fees.

What a QR bill contains

The QR payment part sits at the bottom of the invoice and has two sections: the receipt on the left and the payment part with the Swiss QR code on the right. The code holds the same details that are printed next to it:

• Account / Payable to: your IBAN, your name and your address
• Reference: optional, so you can match payments to the right invoice
• Additional information: optional, for example the invoice number
• Currency and amount: CHF or EUR; the amount may also be left blank, for example for donations
• Payable by: optional, the name and address of the person paying

IBAN or QR-IBAN?

A QR bill needs an account with a Swiss or Liechtenstein IBAN. Which number you use depends on the reference:

• IBAN without a reference: for single invoices you match by hand.
• IBAN with a Creditor Reference: the reference starts with RF (ISO 11649). It allows automatic matching and is understood internationally.
• QR-IBAN with a QR reference: the reference has 27 digits. It allows automatic matching and succeeds the old ESR reference.

The QR-IBAN is an additional number for the same account that your bank gives you on request. It only works together with the 27-digit QR reference. With your regular IBAN, you use no reference or a Creditor Reference starting with RF. For most small businesses and clubs, the regular IBAN is enough; you mainly need a QR-IBAN when your accounting or your bank is set up for QR references.

Since November 2025: structured addresses only

New rules for QR bills apply since 21 November 2025: the QR code may only contain structured addresses. Street, house number, postal code, town and country each go in their own field instead of two free address lines. This applies to your own address and to the address of the person paying. Banks still process older QR bills during a transition period, but they state different end dates, so check with your bank if you're unsure.

If you use a generator or software, check that it creates structured addresses.

Option 1: Free, with your bank's generator

For single invoices, an online generator is the fastest way. Several Swiss banks offer one for free, for example PostFinance's QR generator, Raiffeisen's QR bill generator or UBS's QR portal. You enter your IBAN, the addresses and the amount and get the payment part as a PDF.

Good for: occasional invoices, private individuals and getting started. Less suited for: many or recurring invoices. You create, send and check every invoice one by one.

Option 2: With invoicing or accounting software

Most Swiss invoicing and accounting programs create QR bills straight from your customers and items. The invoice number, reference and payment part are added automatically, and many programs match incoming payments with your bookkeeping.

Good for: businesses that already keep their books in accounting software and invoice individual jobs.

Option 3: Automatically, for recurring fees

Schools, studios, practices and clubs often send the same invoices every month or year: membership fees, course fees, subscriptions. Here it pays off not to create the invoices yourself at all.

This is how it works with keinaufwand:

1. You store your IBAN once and set up a subscription with a price and billing interval for each member.
2. keinaufwand creates the invoices automatically on every renewal, with a Swiss QR payment part, and sends them as PDFs by email.
3. The QR bills use your regular IBAN with an RF reference and structured addresses.
4. You import your bank statements (camt.053 or camt.054), and keinaufwand matches the payments to the right invoices using the reference.
5. If an invoice stays unpaid, up to three payment reminders go out with your own template.

The guide Swiss QR bill shows step by step how to set up QR bills in keinaufwand. Membership management is included in the Business plan, which you can try free for 14 days.

Good for: membership fees, course fees and subscriptions that recur regularly.

Checklist before you send

• Your IBAN is a Swiss or Liechtenstein IBAN, and the reference matches the account number (a QR-IBAN only with a QR reference).
• The invoice is in CHF or EUR.
• Your address and the payer's address are structured, with postal code, town and country.
• The payment part is at the bottom of the invoice and isn't scaled down when printed.
• You've tested the QR code once with your own banking app.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still use the old payment slips?

No. The orange and red payment slips haven't been processed since October 2022. Use a QR bill.

Can I create a QR bill without an amount?

Yes. The amount is optional. The payer then enters it themselves, for example for a donation.

Do I need a QR-IBAN for automatic matching?

Not necessarily. A Creditor Reference starting with RF together with your regular IBAN also lets you match payments to the right invoices automatically. That's exactly the variant keinaufwand uses.