Check an EPC QR code
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Check an EPC QR code (GiroCode) from a photo, a PDF or its text against the EPC guidelines, on your device. Each finding says what to correct. Free.
In short
Check a payment or receipt QR code from a photo, a screenshot, a PDF or its text, on your device. Each finding says what to correct, and the result says what the check cannot show. Free.
How to check a QR code
- Drop a photo, a screenshot or a PDF with the code, or paste the code's text.
- Klarbon reads the code on your device and checks it against the rules for its kind.
- Read each finding, and open the authority's own link where the code has one.
You can check an EPC QR code, also called a GiroCode, by dropping a photo, a screenshot or the PDF invoice with it, or pasting the code's text. Klarbon reads the code on your device and checks every line against the European Payments Council guidelines: version, character set, BIC, beneficiary, IBAN, amount, reference and the code's size. Each finding says what to correct. It is free, with no account.
What does the check cover?
An EPC QR code holds a SEPA credit transfer in euros as lines of text in a fixed order, set out in the EPC guidelines EPC069-12 (European Payments Council). Klarbon checks:
- the service tag BCD, the version (001 or 002), the character set and the identification SCT;
- the BIC: required in version 001, optional in version 002 within the EEA, and well formed when given;
- the beneficiary's name, up to 70 characters;
- the IBAN and its check digits;
- the amount in euros, from 0.01 to 999,999,999.99, when there is one;
- the purpose code, and either a structured Creditor Reference (RF) or a text of up to 140 characters, never both;
- the code itself: no more than 331 bytes, which fits error correction level M up to version 13.
What the check does not show
A code that passes follows the guidelines. It does not show that the IBAN belongs to the beneficiary named in it, or that the invoice is genuine. Many banks now compare the payee's name with the account holder when you pay, a check called verification of payee; read what your banking app shows.
Is my file uploaded?
No. Finding the code in a picture or PDF, reading it and checking it all happen in your browser. See what happens to your files.
What next?
- Make an EPC QR code for your own invoices.
- Check a Swiss QR-bill, the Swiss payment code.
- The EPC QR code explained and e-invoicing in Germany.
Frequently asked questions
What is a GiroCode?
GiroCode is the name used in Germany and Austria for the EPC QR code: a QR code on an invoice that fills in a SEPA credit transfer in a banking app. Both follow the same European Payments Council guidelines.
What does the check look at?
Every line of the code against the EPC guidelines: the service tag, version and character set, the BIC where it is given, the beneficiary name, the IBAN and its check digits, the amount, the purpose code, the reference or text, and the size of the code.
Does a clean result mean the money goes to the right person?
No. The check shows that the code follows the guidelines. It cannot show that the account belongs to the beneficiary named in it. Your bank may show the account holder's name when you pay; compare it with the invoice.
Is the file uploaded?
No. The code is found, read and checked in your browser. Nothing is sent to Klarbon.