Status: 7 November 2026. This guide describes the layout in words. It is not tax or legal advice. The technical rules come from SIX, the operator of the standard. Check the current SIX documents if it matters.
The page in two halves
Picture one A4 page cut across the lower part. The upper part is your invoice: who bills whom, for what, and until when. The lower part is the payment part, set off by a line (often with a small scissors symbol, because it was designed to be cut off and handed in). It does not matter whether the payment part sits on the same page as the items or on a separate last page. What matters is that the client can find it.
That split is also the best way to understand what you are reading. The upper part is for people. The lower part is for the bank. Your client reads the upper part to understand the invoice, and the bank reads the lower part to process the payment.
The payment part, box by box
On the right-hand section you will find these boxes. The exact labels can be in German, French, Italian or English, depending on the language of the invoice.
- The QR code: it holds the payment data. It carries a small Swiss cross in the middle so that it can be recognised as a QR bill. You do not read it, you scan it.
- Account / Payable to: the account that receives the money (IBAN) and the name and address of the account holder. This is the first thing to compare with the invoice above.
- Reference: a number that lets the sender match your payment to the invoice. With a QR-IBAN it is a 27-digit QR reference; with a normal IBAN it is a Creditor Reference starting with RF. The first guide explains which one fits which account.
- Additional information: free text, for example an invoice number, printed in block letters. Optional.
- Payable by: the name and address of the person who pays. Optional. If the box is empty, the payer can fill it in by hand.
- Currency and amount: CHF or EUR and the total. The amount can also be left empty so that the payer enters it.
Try the generator and watch the boxes fill in
Receipt and payment part: what is the difference?
The two sections repeat a part of the same information, but they have different jobs.
- Payment part (right): the section with the QR code. It is what your client scans, or hands to the bank.
- Receipt (left): a shorter section without a QR code. It repeats the account, the reference and the amount in text, and has a box called «Acceptance point» for the stamp or signature of whoever takes the payment.
For you as the sender this means one thing: both sections must show the same data. If you create the bill with a generator, it takes care of that. If you build the page by hand, check both sections.
The invoice above the payment part
The payment part does not replace the invoice. The upper part carries the details of the invoice: who you are, who the client is, what you did and when, how much, and until when it is due. The first guide has a short list of the usual items.
A good habit is to show the same invoice number in the text above and in the «Additional information» box of the payment part. Your client can then match both at a glance, and you can match the incoming payment to the invoice.
Whether and how VAT must be shown depends on whether you are VAT-registered. That is a question for your fiduciary or the Federal Tax Administration.
How to check a QR bill you received
This part is for clients, including those who are new to Switzerland and have never seen a QR bill. Before you pay, take one minute:
- Scan the code with your banking app. Do not type the IBAN by hand if you can avoid it.
- Compare the account holder. The name in your app should match the sender on the invoice.
- Compare the amount and currency with the total in the upper part.
- Check the reference or invoice number in your app against the invoice. If the payment part shows no reference, compare the invoice number with the additional information instead.
- If something does not match, do not pay. Write to the sender with the invoice number and ask. Use an address you already know, not one that only appears in the suspicious message.
If your bank abroad cannot scan the code, ask the sender for IBAN and BIC/SWIFT and pay by normal transfer. The first guide has more on foreign clients.
Questions
Where does the QR bill go on the invoice?
The payment part sits at the bottom of the page, below the invoice itself, separated by a line. The invoice with items, dates and terms goes above it. You can also put the payment part on a separate last page.
What is the difference between the receipt and the payment part?
The payment part is the section with the QR code that your client scans or hands to the bank. The receipt is the shorter section next to it, without the QR code. It repeats the account, the reference and the amount in text.
Can I check a QR bill that I received before I pay it?
Yes. Compare the amount, the account holder and the reference in your banking app with the invoice text above the payment part. If something does not match, ask the sender before you pay.
This guide, the generator and the templates are practical aids, not tax or legal advice. Your bank has the final say on what it accepts. The generator calculates everything in your browser; we do not receive your invoice data.
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