In Switzerland, suppliers to the federal administration must invoice electronically when the contract value exceeds CHF 5,000, under a decision of the Federal Council; they may send a PDF by email or structured data through a service provider. The QR-bill is the payment part with the Swiss QR Code. A QR-bill is not a structured e-invoice.
This page summarises official federal and SIX sources, checked on 5 November 2026. It is not tax advice; check the current pages before relying on them.
Invoicing the federal administration
The Federal Council requires suppliers of the federal administration to submit invoices electronically when the contract value exceeds CHF 5,000 (Federal Tax Administration, in German). Small procurements are exempt (Federal Finance Administration, in German). The Federal Finance Administration offers three routes (EFV, in German):
| Route | How |
|---|---|
| PDF by email | one PDF per invoice, including any payment slip and attachments, sent to the address of the receiving unit; several PDFs per email up to 25 MB |
| Structured data from your software | your ERP sends invoice data to a service provider, such as PostFinance or Swisscom Conextrade, or a provider connected to them |
| Online form | you type the invoice into a service provider's portal |
Always include the order or invoice reference the unit gave you. Since 30 June 2023 the federal administration no longer accepts PDFs uploaded through a service provider's portal; a PDF goes by email.
What is the QR-bill?
The QR-bill has been in circulation since June 2020 and replaced the Swiss payment slips on 1 October 2022 (SIX). It has a receipt and a payment part with the Swiss QR Code, marked with a Swiss cross, which holds all the payment data. It can be printed or issued digitally. SIX publishes the implementation guidelines; version 2.4 is valid from 14 November 2026. The structured address splits the address in the QR Code into individual elements; consult SIX for the current requirements.
QR-bill or e-invoice?
| QR-bill | Structured e-invoice | |
|---|---|---|
| Holds | payment data: account, amount, reference | the whole invoice: parties, lines, VAT |
| Read by | banking apps and payment software | accounting software |
| Defined by | SIX, Swiss Payment Standards | the format chosen by sender, receiver or provider |
What can Klarbon do?
Klarbon does not read QR-bills or the formats of Swiss service providers today. If a supplier in the EU sends you an e-invoice in UBL, CII, XRechnung or ZUGFeRD, you can open it for free and check it. For the Swiss federal administration, a PDF by email is accepted, so no conversion is needed.
Related
E-invoicing deadlines by country
| Country | Scope | Obligation | From | Who | Source |
|---|
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to send e-invoices to the Swiss federal administration?
Yes, if the contract value exceeds CHF 5,000, under a decision of the Federal Council. Small procurements are exempt.
Does a PDF count for the Swiss federal administration?
Yes. The Federal Finance Administration accepts a PDF by email to the receiving unit's address, one PDF per invoice, or structured data through a service provider. Since 30 June 2023 it no longer accepts PDFs through a service provider's portal.
Is a QR-bill an e-invoice?
No. The QR-bill is the payment part of an invoice, with the Swiss QR Code holding the payment data. It replaced the old payment slips on 1 October 2022. A structured e-invoice carries the whole invoice as data.
Can Klarbon read a QR-bill?
No, not today. Klarbon opens and checks European e-invoices such as UBL, CII, XRechnung and ZUGFeRD.
Sources
- Federal Finance Administration, submitting e-invoices to the Confederation (in German) efv.admin.ch
- Federal Finance Administration, issuing and receiving e-invoices (in German) efv.admin.ch
- Federal Tax Administration, e-invoicing for its suppliers (in German) estv.admin.ch
- SIX, QR-bill, Swiss Payment Standards six-group.com