Paying Swiss bills: QR-bill, eBill and TWINT
To verify This page has 3 items that could not be confirmed on an official page. Check them yourself before relying on them:
- Counter fee: SIX states that for post office counter payments the fee is debited to the creditor's account, no…
- You can attach the payment part (without the receipt) to a paper payment order and post it to your bank. Banks…
- New "TWINT invoice" feature: TWINT announces a TWINT invoice service from November 2026, letting invoice recip…
How invoices arrive and get paid in Switzerland, for students and newcomers who just opened (or are about to open) a Swiss account. General orientation only, not financial advice; your bank's help pages and the invoice itself are authoritative.
Why this matters in your first weeks
Many Swiss bills arrive by post as a paper invoice with a QR code, not as a card payment: health insurance (LAMal), the radio/TV fee (Serafe), electricity (utilities move-in), the ECA household contents letter (household / RC insurance), commune fees, phone contracts. You pay them yourself, usually within the due date printed on the invoice.
You will mostly meet three things:
| Term | What it is |
|---|---|
| QR-bill (QR-facture) | The Swiss standard paper or PDF invoice slip with a Swiss QR Code (a QR code with a small Swiss cross in the middle). |
| eBill | Invoices delivered inside your e-banking, where you check and approve them. |
| TWINT | Swiss mobile payment app. It can pay some QR-bills (see below), but it does not replace e-banking for everything. |
The QR-bill (and the old orange / red slips)
Since 1 October 2022, the QR-bill is the only Swiss payment slip. It definitively replaced the old red and orange payment slips (bulletins de versement, BV / BVR). If someone hands you an orange or red slip today, it is outdated: ask for a QR-bill or the payment details.
A QR-bill has two parts, usually perforated at the bottom of the invoice:
- Receipt (Récépissé), the narrow left part, to keep.
- Payment part (Section paiement), with the Swiss QR Code and the same data printed in plain text, so you can check it before paying.
What the fields mean (EN / FR headings)
| Heading on the slip | French heading | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Account / Payable to | Compte / Payable à | The creditor's IBAN (or QR-IBAN) and name/address. Check this name: it should be who you expect to pay. |
| Reference | Référence | A QR reference (27 digits, printed in groups of 5) or a Creditor Reference (starts with RF). It tells the creditor which invoice you paid. Keep it exact; scanning does this for you. |
| Additional information | Informations supplémentaires | Free text such as invoice number or customer number. |
| Payable by | Payable par | You (the debtor). If the box is empty with a frame, it reads "Payable by (name/address)" and you write your details. |
| Currency / Amount | Monnaie / Montant | CHF (or EUR). If the amount box is empty, you enter the amount yourself (common for donations or deposits of your choice). |
| Acceptance point | Point de dépôt | A label on the receipt part, which you keep as proof. |
A slip marked "DO NOT USE FOR PAYMENT" (NE PAS UTILISER POUR LE PAIEMENT) with amount 0.00 is only a notification from the issuer, not a payment request. Do not pay it.
Sources: SIX, QR-bill (Swiss Payment Standards) · SIX, Swiss Implementation Guidelines QR-bill v2.3 (PDF), Annex C glossary and section 4.4 · SIX, QR-bill for invoice recipients (einfach-zahlen.ch)
Four ways to pay a QR-bill
1. Mobile banking app (most common)
Open your Swiss bank's app, use its QR reader / scan function, check the payee, amount and due date shown, then confirm. SIX describes this as the main use case: no typing of IBAN or reference.
2. E-banking on a computer
Scan the QR code with the QR reader or your computer camera (depending on your bank), or type the fields manually from the printed text. A PDF QR-bill is meant for e-banking / mobile banking.
3. At a Swiss Post counter
Swiss Post accepts QR-bills at all self-operated and partner-run branches. Separate the payment part with the QR code and the receipt from the rest of the bill (cut along the lines if it is not perforated). Swiss Post asks you to request a paper QR-bill from the invoice issuer if you want to pay at the counter; a PDF printed at home is not always suitable for counter processing. Whether you can pay in cash at a given branch, and which debit cards are accepted, is shown per branch in Swiss Post's "Locations near you" tool. Official ID may be requested.
Counter fee: SIX states that for post office counter payments the fee is debited to the creditor's account, not to you. Some creditors may pass on costs in their own terms. To verify on your invoice if it mentions a surcharge.
4. Paper payment order to your bank
You can attach the payment part (without the receipt) to a paper payment order and post it to your bank. Banks may charge for paper orders. To verify in your bank's price list.
Sources: SIX, einfach-zahlen.ch FAQ · Swiss Post, Deposits & withdrawals (QR-bill inpayments)
Foreign bank account only? SIX notes that whether banks abroad support the Swiss QR-bill is outside its control. If your only account is abroad, use the IBAN and reference printed on the slip for an international transfer, and expect fees and delays. A Swiss account usually makes this much simpler: see Bank account and Bank: practical steps.
Sending money home or abroad instead? See Sending money abroad.
eBill: invoices straight into e-banking
eBill is a service operated by SIX on behalf of Swiss banks. Instead of paper, the invoice appears in your e-banking with the issuer's name, amount, due date and a PDF.
What you need: an online banking contract with a bank that supports eBill (the eBill site says more than 100 banks do).
How to start (per the official eBill FAQ):
- Log in to your e-banking and choose eBill in the Payments menu.
- Activate it: SIX emails you an activation code (valid 60 minutes; you can request a new one).
- Add invoice issuers in the eBill portal (search by name and enter your customer number from an old paper invoice), or turn on "Add invoice issuers automatically" so issuers who already have your email can send you eBills.
- When an eBill arrives, review and approve it. Nothing is paid automatically unless you set up a standing approval (you set the issuer, amount or limit and timing).
Key facts from the eBill FAQ:
- Receiving eBills is free in online banking.
- You can reject an invoice (tell the issuer why, or you may get a reminder). You cannot delete it.
- Approved PDFs stay downloadable for at least 730 days after the due date.
- eBill vs direct debit: with direct debit the issuer takes the money and you can dispute it within a set period; with eBill you approve each payment (or set limits).
- Change of address: tell your bank and each invoice issuer, and update it in the eBill portal. Moving? See Swiss Post mail redirect for paper mail.
- Switching banks: register at the new bank with the same email within 60 days to keep your eBill account.
Not every company offers eBill. If an issuer is missing, keep paying its QR-bill.
Sources: eBill FAQ Private Customers · eBill, Activate eBill
TWINT vs bank transfer
- TWINT can pay QR-bills, but only those the creditor has set up for TWINT. TWINT says invoices with a Swiss QR Code or TWINT QR code can be paid by scanning them in the TWINT app and confirming; it presents this as an option the invoice issuer chooses to offer, and SIX lists TWINT as a registered "alternative procedure" in the QR-bill standard. If the TWINT app does not recognise a QR-bill, pay it through your bank.
- New "TWINT invoice" feature: TWINT announces a TWINT invoice service from November 2026, letting invoice recipients send compatible QR invoices into the app and schedule payment before the deadline. To verify availability in your TWINT app and with your billers after launch.
- For larger or recurring bills, a bank payment or eBill is usually the clearest record. TWINT says daily and monthly limits for purchases and bill payments vary by bank TWINT app (and can sometimes be adjusted in the app); check yours before relying on TWINT for a large invoice. TWINT's published CHF 5,000 figure applies to QR-code stickers, not to QR invoices.
- Person-to-person (splitting a dinner, paying a flatmate) is where TWINT is most used day to day; that is not a QR-bill.
Sources: TWINT, QR code invoice · TWINT, TWINT invoice · TWINT, FAQ: larger amounts / limits · SIX, QR-bill (alternative procedures)
Heads-up for November 2026: standing orders and "new" QR-bills
SIX updated the QR-bill rules on 22 November 2025 (structured addresses, extra characters). For private customers, SIX says your bank must adjust existing standing orders and payment templates by 13 November 2026 at the latest so they meet those rules. Watch for instructions from your bank. That date is the bank-side clean-up deadline for standing orders and templates; it is not a separate end date for direct debit (LSV) or an "IBAN-only" switch. SIX also warns that invoice issuers may send a new QR-bill for an existing recurring payment where only the address format changed. That is expected, not a scam signal by itself; still check the payee name and IBAN against your previous invoices.
Source: SIX factsheet, New requirements QR-bill: need for action for natural persons (PDF, 19 Aug 2025) · SIX, QR-bill page (IG v2.4 from 14 Nov 2026)