The Swiss QR-bill explained for foreign freelancers

What the QR-bill is

The QR-bill has been in use since June 2020 and replaced the old orange and red Swiss payment slips completely on 1 October 2022. It is an A6-sized section at the bottom of the invoice, split into a receipt on the left and a payment part on the right with the Swiss QR code, marked with a small Swiss cross in the middle.

The code holds the account, amount, currency, payee, payer and reference. The payer scans it with their e-banking app, checks the details and confirms. No typing, no errors. That is why Swiss companies, especially their bookkeepers, like to receive it.

The standard is maintained by SIX, the operator of Swiss payment infrastructure. Version 2.3 of the implementation guidelines took effect in November 2025, and a version 2.4 is scheduled for November 2026 together with the move to structured addresses. If you create QR-bills, use software that keeps up with these updates.

Do you need one as a foreign freelancer?

No. A QR-bill is a convenience, not a legal requirement for invoices. Swiss companies pay foreign suppliers by ordinary bank transfer every day.

The catch is technical. According to PostFinance, the QR-bill was designed for payments within Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and scanning works only if the creditor account is a Swiss or Liechtenstein IBAN. If your account is in Germany, the UK or Spain, a QR code generated with that IBAN is not a valid QR-bill, and your client would have to type the payment in by hand anyway.

So the real question is which bank account you will be paid into.

QR-IBAN vs IBAN, and the three types of reference

A Swiss account can have two numbers: a normal IBAN and a QR-IBAN. The QR-IBAN is a special IBAN that the bank issues for receiving payments with a structured QR reference. The QR-bill allows three combinations:

Do not mix them: a QR-IBAN must be used with a QR reference, and a normal IBAN must not carry a QR reference. For EUR QR-bills, SIX lists only the IBAN with SCOR and IBAN with an unstructured message combinations.

Getting paid in CHF or EUR

QR-bills can be issued in CHF or EUR only. Your options depend on your account:

• A Swiss or Liechtenstein account. Some multi-currency providers and neobanks offer accounts with a CH IBAN. With one, you can issue real QR-bills in CHF or EUR, and your client pays as they would a local supplier.
• A euro account in the eurozone. Invoice in EUR with your IBAN and BIC. Your Swiss client sends a SEPA transfer; Switzerland is part of the SEPA scheme. Add an RF reference so they can quote it.
• A GBP, USD or other account. Invoice in CHF or your own currency as agreed and give full international transfer details. Agree who bears the bank charges.

Whatever you choose, agree the currency in the contract or quote. Swiss clients often prefer CHF to avoid exchange rate risk on their side.

What else Swiss clients expect on an invoice

• Your full name and address, and the client’s company name and address.
• A unique invoice number and the invoice date.
• The period or date of the service and a clear description.
• The amount and currency, payment terms (30 days is common) and payment details.
• The client’s purchase order or reference, if they gave one. Larger Swiss companies often reject invoices without it.

On VAT: as a rule, services from a foreign business to a Swiss business are taxed by the Swiss client under the reverse-charge mechanism (Bezugsteuer), so you normally do not charge Swiss VAT. Foreign businesses can become liable to register for Swiss VAT once their worldwide turnover passes a threshold and they supply in Switzerland, so check with the Swiss Federal Tax Administration if you sell to Swiss consumers or deliver services on site. For more on the general rules, see how to invoice international clients.

A worked example

A Berlin-based copywriter invoices a Zurich agency for 12 hours at EUR 90.

• Invoice 2026-044, dated 6 November 2026, due 6 December 2026.
• 12 h copywriting at EUR 90 = EUR 1,080.00. No VAT charged; note “Reverse charge: the recipient accounts for VAT”.
• Payment: German IBAN and BIC, reference RF reference generated from the invoice number.

No QR-bill, because the IBAN is German. The agency pays by SEPA transfer.

If the same copywriter opens an account with a CH IBAN, the invoice can carry a QR-bill in EUR with an RF reference, and the agency’s bookkeeper just scans it.

Practical tips for smooth payment

• Ask about their process. Many Swiss companies route invoices through an accounts payable system and expect a PDF by email. Some larger ones ask suppliers to use eBill or a supplier portal; ask before your first invoice.
• Agree charges. For non-SEPA transfers, agree that each side pays its own bank charges, so the amount you receive is not short.
• Use a clean reference. An RF reference or your invoice number alone in the reference field makes matching easy for both sides.
• Write addresses in full. The QR-bill is moving to structured addresses, with street, number, postcode and town in separate fields, so keep your address data tidy.
• Check the amount format. Swiss invoices often write amounts like CHF 1’080.00 with an apostrophe as the thousands separator. Either style is understood, but be consistent.

And if a client says your QR code “doesn’t scan”, the usual cause is a non-Swiss IBAN or a mismatched reference type, not the printer.

Creating a QR-bill invoice

Invoiceferry prints the QR-bill automatically when your business IBAN is Swiss or Liechtenstein and the invoice currency is CHF or EUR. It can also generate an RF reference from your invoice number. With any other IBAN it leaves the QR-bill off, and on euro invoices it can add a SEPA EPC QR code instead, which many European banking apps can scan. Start from the Switzerland invoice template.

Before sending your first QR-bill, scan it yourself with a Swiss banking app, or ask the client to check it, to make sure the details read correctly.

Related tools and articles

• How to invoice international clientsInvoicing clients abroad: choosing a currency, VAT and reverse charge, what to include, getting paid across borders, and a worked example.
• Commercial invoice for exports: the fields customs needWhat goes on a commercial invoice for exports: HS codes, country of origin, Incoterms 2020, EORI, weights, and the UK, EU and US differences.
• Switzerland invoiceSet up for businesses in Switzerland: Swiss francs, Swiss number formats and a QR-bill payment part printed automatically with a Swiss IBAN.