If you issue QR-bills, there is a deadline coming in November 2026. The document your customers receive stays the same, but the rules on the data it contains change, especially for addresses. If your software is not up to date, some bills or payments may be rejected.
In brief
- Since 22 November 2025, the QR code on new QR-bills accepts only structured addresses.
- From 14 November 2026, version 2.4 of the SIX Implementation Guidelines for the QR-bill applies.
- Banks no longer accept QR-bills with unstructured addresses for payment: UBS since 30 September 2026, PostFinance after 13 November 2026.
What is a structured address?
An unstructured address sits on two free lines, for example “Bahnhofstrasse 1” and “8001 Zürich”. A structured address puts each item in its own field: street, number, postcode, town, country. Name, postcode, town and country are the minimum required.
The key dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 22.11.2025 | Only structured addresses in the QR code of new bills |
| 30.09.2026 | UBS: last day for QR-bills with unstructured addresses |
| 13.11.2026 | PostFinance: last day for QR-bills with unstructured addresses |
| 14.11.2026 | QR-bill Implementation Guidelines 2.4 come into force |
| November 2026 | Payments within Switzerland: structured or hybrid address required (Swift has postponed international payments only) |
| November 2027 | Version 2.3 ceases to be valid |
Swift and the EPC have suspended their November 2026 deadline for international payments, so the Swiss interbank system will not yet reject orders with unstructured addresses. This is a technical postponement, not a green light: the Swiss rule stands. Ask your bank what its date is and get your data in order, and the date will no longer matter.
The checklist for SMEs and associations
- Update your software: check with your supplier that it handles structured addresses and version 2.4. Home-made Word or Excel templates need replacing.
- Clean up your customer data: street and number, postcode and town in separate fields, country always filled in. For an association with hundreds of members this is tedious, but you only do it once.
- Check your own address: the creditor’s address must be structured too.
- Bills in euros: version 2.4 specifies the permitted combinations of IBAN, reference and message.
- Run a test: test one bill before sending a hundred. With our free tool Check your QR-bill, you upload a screenshot of the payment part and see straight away whether addresses, IBAN and reference are in order. For the layout, SIX offers its own online validation tool.
What if you no longer relied only on the QR-bill?
The QR-bill remains useful, but it has a limit: your customer has to open their e-banking and the money arrives days later. With 1pay.ch you send digital invoices that customers pay online with TWINT, card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or PostFinance Pay, or a simple payment link by e-mail or WhatsApp. You see straight away who has paid, without reconciling statements by hand. Many SMEs keep the QR-bill for business customers and use online payment for everyone else.
Open your free account: no monthly fee on the Starter plan, and we will help you with your first invoice.
Sources: SIX, Swiss Payments, PostFinance, UBS. Only your bank’s communication is binding. Updated on 2 November 2026.
