The Swiss QR-Bill Technical Standard (IG QR-Bill) in Plain Terms

Behind the black square on every QR-bill sits a rulebook: the Swiss Implementation Guidelines for the QR-bill, maintained by SIX Interbank Clearing.[1] Here is what it says, plainly.

What the standard is and who writes it

The QR-bill (QR-Rechnung) is defined by the Swiss Implementation Guidelines for the QR-bill (IG QR-bill); every QR-bill must comply with its provisions.[3] They call themselves the standard for written invoicing in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.[2]

Two documents do the work. The Implementation Guidelines define the technical content of the payment part and the receipt; the Style Guide QR-bill, version 1.1 since 1 January 2026, fixes the layout: fonts, field positions and the cut line.[1]

The primary audience is not you but the people who build your tools: the specifications address invoice issuers first, then financial institutions, service providers and software developers for billers, recipients and banks.[1]

The IG QR-bill is a payment standard, not a statute — nobody fines you for deviating. The sanction is practical: a non-compliant code is rejected by scanners and e-banking, and you are paid later.

What the specification actually defines

The document fixes the two detachable parts: the receipt and the payment section with the Swiss QR Code. That section must be DIN A6 (105 × 148 mm) and is perforated for separation from the invoice.[1]

The data elements follow a fixed order: QR type, version, character set, account (IBAN or QR-IBAN), creditor, amount, debtor, reference and additional information.[2] Everything also appears in plain text on the payment part for verification before paying.[4]

Addresses must be structured (type S): name, street, house number, postal code and town are separate elements. Since 22 November 2025, version 2.3 permits only the structured form, and the character set gained more umlauts and accents.[1]

Optional fields are regulated too: billing information and alternative procedures, for example eBill, use a two-digit coding scheme agreed with SIX.[3] Printed bills additionally require paper of 80 to 100 g/m², white or certified recycled.[1]

What changes with version 2.4 in November 2026

Version 2.3 entered into force on 22 November 2025; version 2.4 follows with the SIC release of 13 November 2026 and applies from 14 November 2026.[2]

Nothing switches off overnight: version 2.3 remains valid until November 2027. For CHF invoicing, version 2.4 explicitly brings no technical adjustments — if your clients pay in francs, there is nothing to redo.[2]

The changes target euro invoices. Because euroSIC ends in November 2027, the QR-IBAN and QR reference are reserved for CHF payments.[2] A QR-bill in euros remains possible only with a normal IBAN plus a creditor reference (SCOR, ISO 11649) or an unstructured message.[2]

SIX recommends that billers sending EUR QR-bills with a QR-IBAN and QR reference switch to the IBAN with creditor reference as early as 2026.[5] If you invoice EU clients from Switzerland, clarify it with your software now, not in November 2027.

Staying compliant without reading sixty pages

SIX does not quality-check your QR-bills, and no obligation exists to have them examined; a bank only steps in on explicit request.[1] In practice it is enforced by every scanner, banking app and post office counter.

Your self-check therefore does the work: generate QR-bills only with software implementing the current version, and test the first bill — decode the QR code and compare it with the printed data. SIX provides validation tools for exactly this self-control.[1]

Data quality beats formatting. A code carrying an outdated IBAN or a mistyped reference fails even when the slip looks perfect, so keep bank details, address and reference format current in your invoicing tool. Printed text and encoded data must always match.

Put the version calendar in your yearly routine: version 2.4 applies from November 2026, euroSIC ends in 2027, a CHF biller can ignore most of it and an EUR biller should act early. facturio generates QR-bills that follow the current Swiss Implementation Guidelines, so the standard stays your software's job. Sources: [1] SIX standards page; [2] IG QR-bill v2.4 (SIX); [3] IG QR-bill v2.3 (SIX); [4] SIX QR-bill page; [5] SIX SPS 2026 consultation.