CHF vs. EUR Invoicing: Which Currency Should You Use?

Most Swiss invoices are in Swiss francs, but billing in euros is common when your client is in the EU. The decision affects your payment slip, your accounting, and your exchange-rate risk.

When to invoice in EUR

Invoice in EUR when the client is based in the eurozone or when the contract is denominated in euros. It removes the client’s currency risk and is expected for most cross-border B2B work.

The client pays the invoice from a euro account, so invoicing in EUR means they know exactly what the invoice costs them without watching the CHF/EUR rate.

If your own costs are partly in euros — for example, you buy materials or subcontractors in the eurozone — invoicing in EUR also reduces your own mismatch.

If the client is in Switzerland, there is rarely a reason to invoice in EUR. Swiss clients expect CHF, and billing them in a foreign currency just hands them the exchange-rate risk.

The QR-bill and EUR

Swiss QR-bills support both CHF and EUR. A QR-bill in EUR carries the amount and currency in euros and is settled through a euro-capable account.

For EUR invoices, since February 2026 only a standard IBAN with a creditor reference or additional information is allowed — no QR-IBAN. If your templates still reference a QR-IBAN for EUR, update them.

Make sure your bank account can actually receive euros before you invoice in EUR. A CHF-only account means the client’s SEPA transfer may be rejected or converted at an unfavourable rate.

The QR-bill’s amount field is tied to the currency you set on the invoice. Do not mix currencies on one document: the total, the line items and the QR-bill must all be in the same currency.

Exchange-rate handling in your books

When you invoice in EUR but keep your books in CHF, you must convert the amount to francs for your accounting. Use a consistent exchange rate, such as the monthly rate published by the Federal Tax Administration.

The Federal Tax Administration publishes monthly average rates that are widely accepted for VAT purposes. Using these published rates makes your conversions defensible in an audit.

If you receive euros and later convert them to francs, the difference between the booked rate and the actual rate is a currency gain or loss. Record it separately so your profit figure stays clean.

State the currency unambiguously on the invoice, including the ISO code such as EUR or CHF. The three-letter code removes any doubt, especially on invoices that travel across borders.

Managing exchange-rate risk

If you invoice in EUR but your costs are in CHF, decide up front whether you will hedge or simply accept the fluctuation. Small businesses usually accept the risk, but it should be a conscious choice.

For large euro contracts, agreeing a fixed exchange rate with the client, or invoicing promptly after the work, limits your exposure to the rate moving against you between delivery and payment.

Watch the timing gap. An invoice in EUR that is paid 60 days later exposes you to whatever the rate does in between; shorter payment terms shrink that window.

Do not mix currencies on a single invoice, and keep the QR-bill’s currency consistent with the invoice. facturio handles CHF and EUR QR-bills from the same structured data so the payment slip always matches.

• Invoice in EUR for eurozone clients and euro-denominated contracts.
• Use a standard IBAN, not a QR-IBAN, for EUR QR-bills since February 2026.
• Convert EUR to CHF at a consistent, published rate.
• Never mix CHF and EUR on one invoice.