Invoice sent, money in — that's how it should be. But between the invoice date and payment receipt in Switzerland lies a deadline that many freelancers underestimate. If you don't set payment deadlines Switzerland correctly, you wait weeks for your money, write reminders, and eventually end up at the debt collection office.

This article takes you through the entire timeline of a payment: from the date on the invoice to default interest to debt collection. Practical, with CHF examples and references to the Swiss Code of Obligations (OR). At the end, you'll know which deadline to give to whom, what happens when it expires, and how to protect yourself as a freelancer.

Key Takeaways

• Legal deadline (OR Art. 102): 30 days from invoice receipt for B2B, unless otherwise agreed. After expiry, the debtor is automatically in default.
• Default interest (OR Art. 104): 5% p.a. — on an open invoice of CHF 1,000.00, that's about CHF 4.11 per month of default.
• Recommended deadlines: 14 days for small businesses/retail customers, 30 days for B2B, 10 days for early-payment discount on prepayment.
• VAT (MWST) deadline: The FTA (ESTV) requires quarterly or monthly reporting — don't confuse this with your customer's payment deadline.
• QR-bill (QR-Rechnung): Deadline and IBAN are in the payment section — this speeds up collection and reduces reminder effort.

What are payment deadlines and why are they important?

The payment deadline is the period you grant your customer to settle an invoice. It starts on the invoice date (or the date the customer receives it) and ends on the due date. After that, the invoice is considered overdue.

Why is this so important? Because the deadline is the lever you use to control your cash flow. Deadlines that are too long tie up liquidity; ones that are too short annoy customers. For freelancers with thin reserves, a delayed payment of CHF 5,000.00 can put the rent at risk.

But it's not just about money. If you don't meet or enforce deadlines, you lose legal ground. Reminders must be sent on time, default interest only runs from a defined point, and debt collection requires a clear due date. If you're sloppy here, you end up with neither money nor a claim.

Three parties are involved: you (the invoicer), the customer (the invoice recipient), and in case of escalation, the debt collection office. Each has its own deadlines and obligations. If you know the rules, you save on reminder fees, legal costs, and hassle.

Legal vs. agreed payment deadlines in Switzerland

Switzerland has two routes to a payment deadline: the legal one and the agreed one. Both are valid, but they differ significantly.

The legal deadline (OR Art. 102)

If you don't agree to anything on the invoice, OR Art. 102 applies. The debtor must pay within 30 days of receiving the invoice. This applies to business-to-business transactions (B2B) and serves as a fallback rule when contracts or invoices don't specify a different deadline.

The federal law text can be found at admin.ch — OR Art. 102. Important: The deadline runs from the day the invoice arrives at the customer's end, not from the invoice date. For email invoices, receipt on the following day is considered reliably proven; for paper mail, slightly longer.

The agreed deadline

You can agree to a different deadline — shorter or longer. This can be in the contract, in the terms and conditions (T&Cs), or directly on the invoice. Common options are 14 days, 10 days, or "payable within 30 days." Whatever you choose: if it's fixed in writing, it overrides the statutory 30-day deadline.

Note on T&Cs: You must present these to the customer before the contract is concluded, otherwise they don't apply. For retail customers (B2C), T&Cs are only valid if they were explicitly accepted. For B2B, implicit application is sufficient if the T&Cs are industry-standard and were supplied along with the offer.

Mini-story: Lukas, web designer from Zurich

Lukas, a freelance web designer, sends a Zurich agency an invoice for CHF 7,500.00. The invoice only says "Please transfer the amount." No deadline, no date.

After 30 days, nothing happens. Lukas waits another two weeks, then writes a first reminder. The agency pays — but only after another 14 days. Total: 58 days of waiting, CHF 0.00 in default interest, because the due date was unclear.

If Lukas had written "payable within 14 days" on the invoice, the default would have been clearly defined from day 15. With 5% default interest (OR Art. 104), he could have charged about CHF 45.00 extra for the 44 days of default.

Lesson: Without a clear deadline on the invoice, you're legally on weak ground. The statutory 30-day deadline exists, but it's long and hard to prove if the customer disputes receipt of the invoice.

Recommended payment deadlines for different industries

The statutory 30-day deadline is a safety net, not a strategy. What works well in practice depends on industry, customer, and invoice amount. Here's an overview with recommendations that have proven themselves in Swiss SMEs and among freelancers.

Early-payment discount as an incentive

If you want prepayment or fast payment, offer an early-payment discount. Example: "Payable within 30 days, 2% early-payment discount within 10 days." On an invoice of CHF 20,000.00, this means: CHF 400.00 discount for payment within 10 days. An incentive for the customer, a secure collection for you.

Do the math: If your overdraft interest rate is 4%, a 30-day delay on CHF 20,000.00 costs you CHF 20,000.00 × 4% × 30/365 = approx. CHF 65.75. The early-payment discount of CHF 400.00 is more expensive — but you have the money immediately and save on reminder effort. Often, the early-payment discount still pays off because default risk and reminder costs are eliminated.

Mini-story: Mira, tax consultant from Basel

Mira, a freelance tax consultant, works for small and medium-sized businesses. For a long time, she gave 30-day deadlines — and often stood in front of empty coffers.

She switched: 14 days for clients under CHF 5,000.00, 30 days for larger mandates. After half a year, her average payment receipt dropped from 34 to 19 days. The effect: CHF 18,000.00 more available liquidity per year, because invoices came in earlier. No reminder fees, no hassle.

Lesson: The deadline is a tool. Set it deliberately, not out of habit.

What happens when a payment deadline is missed? (Default interest, reminders)

When the deadline expires and the customer doesn't pay, the escalation begins. Three phases are important: default, reminder, debt collection.

Phase 1: Default (OR Art. 102 and 104)

From the day after the deadline expires, the debtor is in default. This happens automatically — you don't have to do anything, except for the statutory 30-day deadline: here, the deadline ends 30 days after invoice receipt, after which default applies without a reminder.

Two things accrue during default:

• Default interest per OR Art. 104: 5% p.a., even without proof of damages. Details in the article Default interest Switzerland.
• Damages per OR Art. 106: Additional costs that can be proven — reminder fees, legal costs, interest on your own credit.

Phase 2: Reminder

A reminder is the formal request to pay. It's not mandatory if the due date was clearly defined, but in practice it's always recommended to seek a conversation and not alienate good customers immediately.

First reminder: 7–10 days new deadline. Second reminder: shorter deadline, announcement of debt collection. Third reminder: announce debt collection.

Reminder fees are disputed. Switzerland has no statutory reminder fee schedule, but industry-standard is CHF 10–40 per reminder. Prerequisite: You announced the fees in the contract or in the T&Cs. Details in the article Reminder fees Switzerland.

Phase 3: Debt collection

If the customer doesn't pay after the reminder, debt collection (Betreibung) threatens. The debt collection request goes to the debt collection office at the debtor's place of residence. The procedure is regulated in the Debt Collection and Bankruptcy Act (SchKG). A detailed guide can be found in the article Debt collection Switzerland.

Debt collection costs CHF 30–50 in fees, which the debtor ultimately bears — if they pay. If they don't pay and a legal objection is filed, the costs rise. For you as the invoicer, debt collection is worthwhile for amounts from about CHF 500.00.

Mini-story: Thomas, plumber from Bern

Thomas, a freelance plumber, has an open invoice for CHF 3,200.00. Customer: a Bern hospitality business. Deadline expired, two reminders, no response.

Thomas files the debt collection request. Cost: CHF 30.00. The debtor raises a legal objection, claiming a complaint. Thomas has to prove his claim in court. After three months and CHF 800.00 in legal costs, he wins.

Payout: CHF 3,200.00 + CHF 41.10 default interest (5%, 90 days) + CHF 30.00 debt collection fee + CHF 800.00 legal costs = CHF 4,071.10. If Thomas had used a clean reminder template Switzerland right away and billed reminder fees early, he could have saved the legal portion of the costs.

Lesson: Default is a process. The more clearly your deadline and reminders are documented, the cheaper and faster the money comes back.

Specifying payment deadlines correctly on the invoice

The deadline on the invoice must be clear, unambiguous, and measurable. Vague phrases like "payable as soon as possible" are legally worthless. Specifically, this means:

Mandatory fields on the invoice

According to OR Art. 469 and the VAT (MWST) ordinance, a Swiss invoice must contain the following information:

• Name and address of the invoicer and the invoice recipient
• Invoice date and sequential invoice number
• Type, quantity, and price of the service
• VAT (MWST) rate (8.1% or 2.6%) and VAT amount
• Payment deadline and due date
• For QR-bills: QR-IBAN and reference number

Details on a complete invoice template can be found on the invoice template page.

Wording the deadline

Correct formulations are:

• "Payable by March 15, 2026" (specific date)
• "Payable within 14 days of the invoice date"
• "Payable within 30 days, 2% early-payment discount within 10 days"

Avoid:

• "Payable upon receipt" (when is "receipt"?)
• "Payable immediately" (immediately is not measurable)
• "Please pay soon" (no deadline)

The due date is the expiry date of the deadline. From this day + 1, default applies. It's best to write the specific date rather than just the number of days — this prevents misunderstandings.

QR-bill and payment deadline

Since 2020, the QR-bill (QR-Rechnung) has been the standard in Switzerland. It replaces the red and orange payment slips (ESR). The QR-bill contains the IBAN, reference number, and due date in the payment section. The FTA (ESTV) has published the specifications at paymentstandards.ch.

Advantage of the QR-bill: The deadline and payment data are machine-readable. Banks and accounting software recognize the due date automatically and can trigger reminders. Anyone using Magic Heidi already has the QR-bill integrated — deadline, reference, and IBAN are generated automatically.

VAT (MWST) and payment deadline: don't confuse them

The VAT (MWST) deadline of the FTA (ESTV) — quarterly or monthly — is something different from your customer's payment deadline. You have to report VAT regardless of payment receipt. This means: invoice issued on January 1, deadline 30 days, but VAT is already owed in the first quarter if you're a cash-basis taxpayer. Getting more complicated? Read also VAT for freelancers.

Extending or shortening the payment deadline — is that possible?

Yes, you can change the deadline — but only with the customer's consent and before the original deadline expires. Two cases need to be distinguished.

Shortening: faster, but not always popular

You can agree to a shorter deadline than the statutory 30-day one. 14 days, 10 days, even prepayment are possible. Note:

• The shortening must be agreed in a contract or in writing.
• For retail customers (B2C), very short deadlines (under 7 days) are critical — some cantonal courts consider this unreasonable.
• Early-payment discounts or prepayment are often better than 7-day deadlines.

Extension: possible, but with risk

You can grant a longer deadline at the customer's request — 60 or 90 days are common in large corporations. Three risks:

1. Liquidity strain: You're effectively financing the customer. With CHF 50,000.00 and a 60-day deadline, you tie up the money for two months.
2. Default risk: The longer the deadline, the greater the risk that the customer goes bankrupt. In case of bankruptcy, you're an unsecured creditor.
3. Statute of limitations: The claim expires after OR Art. 127 five years from the due date. That's a long time, but if you send reminders, the deadline doesn't restart — you need to keep track of what was due when.

Mini-story: Sandra, graphic designer from Lucerne

Sandra, a freelance graphic designer, gets a commission from a cooperative: CHF 12,000.00 for a corporate design. The cooperative wants 60-day payment terms — "due to internal approval process."

Sandra considers: 60 days is long, but the commission is lucrative. Instead, she demands milestone payments — CHF 4,000.00 on order confirmation, CHF 4,000.00 after the concept, CHF 4,000.00 after acceptance. Each milestone invoice has a 14-day deadline.

Result: After 4 weeks, Sandra has CHF 8,000.00 secured, after 6 weeks everything. The cooperative pays on time, no default, no reminder effort.

Lesson: Negotiating deadlines is possible. Milestones are often better than a long final deadline because they spread the risk.

FAQ

What is the statutory payment deadline in Switzerland?

The statutory deadline is 30 days from invoice receipt, per OR Art. 102. This applies if nothing else was agreed in the contract or on the invoice. After expiry, the debtor is automatically in default, without a reminder being necessary. The federal law text is available at admin.ch.

How long do you have to pay an invoice in Switzerland?

That depends on the agreement. Without an agreement, 30 days apply by law. With an agreement, the deadline can be 7, 10, 14, 30, 60, or more days. What's on the invoice is decisive. Prerequisite: The agreement is in writing and was communicated to the customer in time.

What happens when the payment deadline expires?

From the day after the due date, the debtor is in default. The creditor can claim default interest (5% p.a., OR Art. 104) and damages for reminder fees. If the customer doesn't pay, a reminder follows and finally debt collection. A detailed explanation can be found in the article Debt collection Switzerland.

Can I set the payment deadline myself?

Yes. You can agree to shorter or longer deadlines than the statutory 30 days. The agreement should be in writing — in the contract, in the T&Cs, or on the invoice. For retail customers (B2C), very short deadlines (under 7 days) can be challenged in court. For B2B, 14 to 30 days are common and unproblematic.

When does default apply in Switzerland without a reminder?

Default without a reminder occurs when the due date is calendar-determined — i.e., a specific date is on the invoice. From the day after that date, default applies without you having to send a reminder. For the statutory 30-day deadline per OR Art. 102, default applies automatically from the 31st day after invoice receipt. Details also in the article Default interest Switzerland.

How do I set a payment deadline correctly on the invoice?

Write a specific date: "Payable by March 15, 2026." Alternatively: "Payable within 14 days of the invoice date." Avoid vague phrases like "soon" or "immediately." With the QR-bill, the due date is machine-readable in the payment section. Anyone using Magic Heidi has the deadline and reference generated automatically — including invoice template and QR code.

Conclusion: Setting deadlines is a management task

Payment deadlines are not a detail but a cash flow instrument. Those who set them correctly get their money sooner, send fewer reminders, and have a stronger position in debt collection. Those who ignore them finance their customers and end up paying for it.

The three most important takeaways:

1. Always write the deadline specifically on the invoice — best as a date.
2. Default interest from the day after the due date — 5% p.a., automatically per OR Art. 104.
3. Document reminders cleanly — this saves time and money in debt collection.

With the right software, this becomes easy. Magic Heidi generates the QR-bill, sets the deadline automatically, and sends reminders after it expires. Those using bexio can find reasons to switch in our comparison to bexio. And anyone who just wants to get started can check out the pricing.

Do you have questions about payment deadlines, reminders, or debt collection? Write to us. We'll help you collect your receivables cleanly and quickly.