Everything you need to know about the Swiss QR-Bill — what it is, how to read it, how to pay it, and how to automate batch payments for your business.
The Swiss QR-Bill (German: QR-Rechnung, French: QR-facture, Italian: QR-fattura) is the standardized payment slip format that replaced all previous Swiss invoice formats — the orange ESR (Einzahlungsschein mit Referenznummer) and the red ES (Einzahlungsschein) — in 2022.
Introduced in June 2020 and made the exclusive standard on 30 September 2022, every invoice issued in Switzerland now uses this format. The QR-Bill contains a square QR code in the lower-right corner of the payment section that encodes all payment information in machine-readable form.
Key fact: Since October 2022, the QR-Bill is the only valid standardized payment slip format in Switzerland. Banks no longer accept the old orange or red slips.
The transition was driven by the need to modernize Swiss payment infrastructure. The previous orange ESR format dated back to the 1980s and could not easily support automated processing. The QR-Bill format is designed to be read by machines (bank systems, accounting software, mobile apps), reducing manual data entry errors and speeding up payment processing throughout the Swiss financial system.
The standard is maintained and operated by SIX Group, the operator of Swiss financial market infrastructure.
A QR-Bill always consists of two parts printed at the bottom of an invoice: the receipt section on the left and the payment section on the right.
| Section | What It Contains |
|---|---|
| QR Code | Machine-readable data: IBAN or QR-IBAN, amount, currency, creditor name & address, debtor name & address, payment reference, additional information |
| Creditor information | Account number (IBAN or QR-IBAN), name and address of the recipient |
| Reference number | QR Reference (27 digits, used with QR-IBAN) or Creditor Reference (ISO 11649 SCOR), or none |
| Amount and currency | Payment amount in CHF or EUR (may be left blank if amount varies) |
| Payable by (debtor) | Name and address of the payer (may be left blank) |
| Additional information | Unstructured payment message or billing information (e.g. invoice number) |
Scissors line: The QR-Bill payment section is separated from the invoice by a scissors line (or tear-off perforation). This section should not be folded, stapled, or obscured as it needs to be scanned or filed.
One of the most frequently misunderstood aspects of the QR-Bill is the distinction between a QR-IBAN and a regular IBAN.
| Type | Format | Used With | Reference Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| QR-IBAN | Starts with CH3 (IID 30000–31999) | QR-Bills with a QR Reference | QR Reference (27 digits, replaces ESR reference) |
| Regular IBAN | Standard CH IBAN (e.g. CH56 0483…) | QR-Bills without QR Reference | Creditor Reference (SCOR/ISO 11649) or no reference |
Rule of thumb: If the account number on the invoice starts with CH3, it's a QR-IBAN and you must include the QR Reference exactly as printed. A mismatch will cause the payment to fail or require manual intervention by the bank.
When creating a PAIN.001 payment file, the reference type must match the IBAN type. If you use a QR-IBAN, the XML must specify QRR as the reference type and include the 27-digit QR Reference. For regular IBANs, the reference type is either SCOR (for Creditor Reference) or NON (for no reference).
The swissCFO PAIN.001 Generator handles this automatically based on the IBAN you enter.
There are three main methods to pay a QR-Bill, depending on whether you're an individual, a small business, or a company processing many invoices at once.
This is the fastest method for individuals paying one or two invoices at a time.
This works but is slow and error-prone when you have more than a few payments.
Use the swissCFO PAIN.001 Generator to create a batch payment file in minutes. Free for up to 10 payments.
Open Free PAIN.001 GeneratorIf you are a business that needs to issue QR-Bills to your customers, your accounting software should generate them automatically. Most Swiss accounting tools (Abacus, Bexio, Sage, Xero with Swiss extension) support QR-Bill generation.
If you send only a few invoices per month, free tools like ezyinvoice.ch allow you to generate QR-Bills online without purchasing accounting software.
Important: If you want the QR Reference feature (so you can automatically reconcile incoming payments), your bank must assign you a QR-IBAN. Contact your bank to request one. Not all account holders are assigned a QR-IBAN by default.
For finance teams, CFOs, and accountants who process many QR-Bills each month, the most efficient payment method is a PAIN.001 XML file.
PAIN.001 stands for Payment Initiation and is part of the ISO 20022 international financial messaging standard. In Switzerland, the relevant version is PAIN.001.001.03.ch.02, the Swiss variation of the European standard.
A PAIN.001 file is an XML document that instructs your bank to execute one or more payment transactions. Instead of entering each QR-Bill manually in e-banking, you prepare a single file with all your payments and upload it once.
Gather all the QR-Bills you need to pay. Note the IBAN (or QR-IBAN), amount, reference number, and creditor name from each.
Open the swissCFO PAIN.001 Generator and fill in your payment details. The tool validates each entry against Swiss payment rules.
Click "Generate" and download the PAIN.001.001.03.ch.02 XML file. The file is ready to upload directly to your bank.
Log in to your bank's e-banking portal, find the "Upload payment file" or "Import payments" function, and upload the XML file. All your payments will be processed in one batch.
All major Swiss banks accept PAIN.001 XML uploads through their e-banking portals, including UBS, Raiffeisen, PostFinance, Zürcher Kantonalbank, Luzerner Kantonalbank, Berner Kantonalbank, and all other cantonal and regional banks.
| Bank | Portal name for file upload |
|---|---|
| UBS | UBS e-banking → Payments → Import |
| Raiffeisen | Raiffeisen e-banking → Payments → Import payment order |
| PostFinance | PostFinance e-finance → Payments → Payment import |
| Zürcher Kantonalbank | ZKB e-banking → Payments → Payment file upload |
| Other cantonal banks | Look for "Zahlungsdatei importieren" or "Importer fichier de paiement" |
The swissCFO PAIN.001 Generator is free for up to 10 payments. No account needed.
Generate a PAIN.001 FileA QR-Bill is an invoice that includes a standardized payment section with a QR code at the bottom. The QR code contains all payment details in machine-readable form. A regular invoice may not have a structured payment section. In Switzerland, any invoice that includes a payment slip must use the QR-Bill format since October 2022.
Not directly using the QR-Bill slip. The QR-Bill format is specific to Swiss banks and the Swiss payment system. If you are paying from a foreign bank account, you would initiate a standard SWIFT/SEPA transfer using the IBAN and BIC of the creditor's Swiss bank.
The QR Reference is a 27-digit number used on QR-Bills that have a QR-IBAN. It is the direct replacement for the old ESR reference number. When you pay a QR-Bill with a QR Reference, the creditor's bank automatically notifies the creditor with the reference, allowing them to match the incoming payment to the correct invoice.
Yes. The amount field on a QR-Bill can be left blank (shown as a dotted line on the printed slip). This is useful for variable amounts — for example, a club membership where the member chooses their contribution amount. The payer fills in the amount before scanning or entering the payment.
ISO 20022 is the international standard for financial messaging. The PAIN.001 XML format used for Swiss batch payments is part of ISO 20022. Switzerland adopted the Swiss variant (PAIN.001.001.03.ch.02) as its standard for payment initiation. When you upload a PAIN.001 file to your bank, you are sending an ISO 20022-formatted instruction that can include QR-Bill payments (with QR References) alongside regular IBAN transfers.
Yes. The QR-Bill standard supports both CHF and EUR. However, EUR QR-Bills are relatively rare and primarily used by businesses that have EUR accounts at Swiss banks. Most QR-Bills are issued in CHF.
QR-Bills were introduced on 30 June 2020. The old orange ESR slips and red ES slips were phased out and officially discontinued on 30 September 2022. Since 1 October 2022, only the QR-Bill is accepted as the standard payment slip format in Switzerland.
Generate a PAIN.001 batch payment file for all your Swiss invoices in minutes — free, no account required.
Open the PAIN.001 Generator