[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":215},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Fblog\u002Fqr-rechnung-explained-everything-you-need-to-know":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"description":206,"extension":207,"lastUpdatedAt":208,"meta":209,"navigation":210,"path":211,"publishedAt":208,"seo":212,"stem":213,"__hash__":214},"blog\u002Fblog\u002F0073.qr-rechnung-explained-everything-you-need-to-know.md","QR-Rechnung explained: everything you need to know",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":195},"minimark",[9,13,16,21,33,36,40,43,46,58,64,70,76,82,88,92,95,101,107,110,114,117,142,145,153,157,160,168,172,175,183,187],[10,11,12],"p",{},"Switzerland replaced the old payment slip system — the orange and red ESR\u002FISR slips — with the QR-Rechnung on 30 September 2022. Since then, every payment slip issued in Switzerland must follow the QR-bill standard. If you issue invoices with a payment slip, print invoices for Swiss customers, or build billing software for the Swiss market, this is what you need to know.",[10,14,15],{},"This post covers how the QR-bill is structured, what each section contains, the two reference types, and the most common compliance mistakes.",[17,18,20],"h2",{"id":19},"what-the-qr-rechnung-actually-is","What the QR-Rechnung actually is",[10,22,23,24,28,29,32],{},"The QR-Rechnung is not a new invoice format in itself. It is a standardised payment section that appears at the bottom of an invoice or as a standalone document. It consists of two parts printed side by side: the ",[25,26,27],"strong",{},"receipt"," on the left (a small stub the payer keeps) and the ",[25,30,31],{},"payment part"," on the right (which carries all payment information, including the QR code).",[10,34,35],{},"The QR code is a Swiss QR Code — a standard QR code that encodes a fixed data structure as plain text. Swiss banks and payment apps scan it to pre-fill all payment fields automatically, which removes manual entry errors. The same information is also printed in human-readable form below the QR code for situations where scanning is not possible.",[17,37,39],{"id":38},"the-payment-section-what-goes-where","The payment section: what goes where",[10,41,42],{},"The payment part is divided into fixed regions with specific layout rules. SIX, which maintains the standard, publishes precise specifications for dimensions, fonts, and field positions. A QR-Rechnung that does not meet those specifications may be rejected by banks or payment software.",[10,44,45],{},"The key data fields are:",[10,47,48,51,52,57],{},[25,49,50],{},"Account \u002F QR-IBAN."," The payee's bank account. The QR-bill uses either a standard IBAN (when no structured reference is needed) or a QR-IBAN (when you want to include a reference number for automatic reconciliation). The ",[53,54,56],"a",{"href":55},"\u002Fblog\u002Fqr-iban-vs-iban-which-one-should-you-use","QR-IBAN vs IBAN post"," covers the difference.",[10,59,60,63],{},[25,61,62],{},"Amount and currency."," The amount is optional — a QR-bill can be issued without a pre-filled amount, which the payer fills in themselves. The currency must be either CHF or EUR.",[10,65,66,69],{},[25,67,68],{},"Payee details."," The creditor's name and address, either as structured data (street, number, postal code, and town in separate fields) or combined (two free-text address lines).",[10,71,72,75],{},[25,73,74],{},"Reference."," Either a QR reference (27-digit numeric) or an ISO creditor reference (ISO 11649). These are covered in more detail below.",[10,77,78,81],{},[25,79,80],{},"Additional information."," Free text, up to 140 characters. Typically used for the invoice number or a short description to help the payee match the incoming payment.",[10,83,84,87],{},[25,85,86],{},"Ultimate debtor."," Optional. Used when a third party pays on behalf of the actual debtor — for example, a parent company paying invoices issued to a subsidiary.",[17,89,91],{"id":90},"the-two-reference-types","The two reference types",[10,93,94],{},"Which reference type to use is one of the most consequential decisions when setting up QR-bill issuance.",[10,96,97,100],{},[25,98,99],{},"QR reference."," A 27-digit numeric string that can only be used with a QR-IBAN. The first 26 digits encode your reference data — typically an invoice number, customer number, or a combination — and the 27th digit is a check digit calculated using the Modulo 10 recursive algorithm. When a customer pays using a QR reference, your bank returns that reference in the camt.054 credit notification, allowing you to match the incoming payment to the right invoice without manual lookup. This is by far the most common setup for companies that send more than a handful of invoices per month.",[10,102,103,106],{},[25,104,105],{},"ISO creditor reference (ISO 11649)."," Starts with the letters RF, followed by two check digits and up to 21 alphanumeric characters. Works with a standard IBAN and is recognised internationally across SEPA and other payment networks. Useful if you invoice both Swiss and EU customers and want a single reference format that works everywhere, but less common in the Swiss domestic market than the QR reference.",[10,108,109],{},"If you do not need automated reconciliation — a freelancer or small consultancy sending a few invoices a month — you can omit the reference entirely and use the additional information field for the invoice number instead.",[17,111,113],{"id":112},"layout-and-compliance-requirements","Layout and compliance requirements",[10,115,116],{},"The QR-bill has strict physical dimensions. These are not guidelines — a slip that does not meet the specifications may be rejected:",[118,119,120,124,127,130,133,136,139],"ul",{},[121,122,123],"li",{},"Payment part: 210 mm wide, 105 mm tall (A6 landscape)",[121,125,126],{},"Receipt: 62 mm wide, 105 mm tall",[121,128,129],{},"Combined strip: 272 mm wide, 105 mm tall",[121,131,132],{},"Separation lines must show a scissors icon or perforation marker",[121,134,135],{},"QR code: 46 × 46 mm, with a minimum 1 mm white quiet zone on all sides",[121,137,138],{},"No logos, background colours, or extra graphics inside the payment or receipt areas",[121,140,141],{},"Specific fonts and minimum font sizes are required",[10,143,144],{},"The strip should appear at the bottom of the last invoice page, or as a standalone page if the invoice is longer than one page. The single most common reason for QR code scan failures is a coloured or textured background behind the code — the entire QR code area must sit on a plain white surface.",[10,146,147,148,152],{},"The ",[53,149,151],{"href":150},"\u002Fblog\u002Fprinting-qr-bills-layout-rules-and-compliance-tips","QR-bill printing guide"," goes through the most common layout problems and how to avoid them.",[17,154,156],{"id":155},"the-qr-code-payload","The QR code payload",[10,158,159],{},"The QR code encodes a plain text string where each field occupies its own line, in a sequence defined by the standard. The payload starts with a header (SPC for Swiss Payments Code, version number, and character encoding), then lists the IBAN or QR-IBAN, payee details, optional ultimate creditor, amount, currency, ultimate debtor, reference type and value, additional information, and closes with a fixed trailer (EPD).",[10,161,162,163,167],{},"If you are generating QR-bills in software, validate the encoded payload before sending anything to print. Errors in field order, missing mandatory fields, or a wrong check digit will cause scan failures or bank rejections downstream. Open-source libraries for Java, .NET, and Python handle the encoding and validation automatically — the ",[53,164,166],{"href":165},"\u002Fblog\u002Fgenerating-qr-rechnungen-with-open-source-libraries","open-source QR libraries post"," lists the main options.",[17,169,171],{"id":170},"what-changed-from-esr-and-isr","What changed from ESR and ISR",[10,173,174],{},"The old orange ESR slip used a 9-digit or 27-digit reference tied to a Postfinance postal account. The red ISR slip extended this to other banks. Both formats required pre-printed forms ordered from the bank, which added cost and a logistics dependency.",[10,176,177,178,182],{},"The QR-Rechnung removes pre-printed forms entirely. The payment section is generated by the biller's own software and printed on plain paper. Any Swiss bank account works — not just Postfinance accounts. For anyone still running the old format, the ",[53,179,181],{"href":180},"\u002Fblog\u002Fmigrating-from-esr-to-qr-rechnung-a-practical-checklist","ESR to QR-Rechnung migration checklist"," walks through each transition step.",[17,184,186],{"id":185},"validating-your-output","Validating your output",[10,188,189,190,194],{},"Before rolling out QR-bill generation in production, test your output against the official tools. SIX provides a QR-bill generator and validator on their website. For the check digit algorithm in the QR reference specifically, the ",[53,191,193],{"href":192},"\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-validate-a-swiss-qr-code","Swiss QR code validation post"," covers the Modulo 10 recursive calculation and the field-level validation rules.",{"title":196,"searchDepth":197,"depth":197,"links":198},"",2,[199,200,201,202,203,204,205],{"id":19,"depth":197,"text":20},{"id":38,"depth":197,"text":39},{"id":90,"depth":197,"text":91},{"id":112,"depth":197,"text":113},{"id":155,"depth":197,"text":156},{"id":170,"depth":197,"text":171},{"id":185,"depth":197,"text":186},"A complete guide to the Swiss QR-bill standard — its structure, fields, reference types, and compliance requirements.","md","2027-02-01",{},true,"\u002Fblog\u002Fqr-rechnung-explained-everything-you-need-to-know",{"title":5,"description":206},"blog\u002F0073.qr-rechnung-explained-everything-you-need-to-know","cJ9djFYlBH0BStVJc14l02iyRBP_ps_Q9pCQUKkeT8U",1777452177862]