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QR-Bill 2025 Changes Explained

What Swiss Freelancers Need to Know About IBANs, QR-IBANs, and Structured Addresses

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If you’re a freelancer in Switzerland, chances are you’ve already switched from orange and red payment slips (ESR/BESR) to the modern QR-bill. It has become the Swiss standard for invoices and payments since 2020. But now, new changes are coming into effect in November 2025, and many freelancers are hearing rumors like: “From November, only QR-IBANs will be allowed.”

This statement is misleading.

In this article, we’ll go in-depth into what a QR-bill is and why it matters for freelancers, the difference between IBAN and QR-IBAN and what’s really changing in November 2025.

By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of whether your current setup still works and what, if anything, you need to change.

A Quick Refresher: What Is a QR-Bill?

A QR-bill is the modern Swiss payment slip that replaced the old orange (ESR) and red (BESR) slips. It consists of:

  • Your invoice information (amount, creditor, optional debtor details).
  • A Swiss QR code that encodes all payment data.
  • A payment section at the bottom for reference.

Customers can scan the QR code with their banking app, and all the payment details are filled in automatically—reducing errors and making reconciliation easier.

For freelancers, QR-bills are essential because they:

  • Look professional.
  • Make it easier for clients to pay you.
  • Reduce mistakes when clients enter payment references.
  • Allow automatic reconciliation if you use accounting software.

Since June 2020, QR-bills have been the only supported standard in Switzerland.

IBAN vs QR-IBAN
What’s the Difference?

Here’s where confusion often starts.

IBAN (International Bank Account Number)

  • A normal IBAN is the standard international bank account number.

  • You can use it for all kinds of payments, both incoming and outgoing.

  • When you use a normal IBAN, you can have:

    • NON (no reference): a simple free text field.
    • SCOR (ISO 11649 Creditor Reference): the international reference format starting with "RF...".

QR-IBAN

  • A QR-IBAN looks like a normal IBAN but belongs to a special range (called the QR-IID range).
  • It is used only for incoming payments with a structured QR reference (QRR).
  • The QR reference is the direct successor to the old ESR/BESR reference numbers.
  • Important: You cannot use a QR-IBAN for outgoing payments. It’s only for customers to pay you.
Use a normal IBAN if you want to accept payments without a reference or with an international SCOR reference (RF...).
Use a QR-IBAN if you want ESR-style reconciliation with a QR reference (QRR).
Both options are still valid in 2025.

The Rumor:

“Only QR-IBANs Allowed From November 2025”

This rumor is circulating among Swiss freelancers, but it is not true.

What’s really changing is not the type of IBAN you can use. Normal IBANs remain fully supported. QR-IBANs are still limited to QR reference use cases. What changes in November 2025 is mainly about address formats inside the QR code.

Let’s look at the facts.

What’s Actually Changing on 21 November 2025?

According to SIX (the organization behind payment standardization in Switzerland) and UBS (and other Swiss banks), the next big update is Version 2.3 of the QR-bill standard. It introduces two key changes:

𝟙. Structured Addresses Become Mandatory

  • Up to now, QR-bills allowed both structured addresses (separate fields: street, house number, postal code, city, country) and “combined” unstructured addresses (all in one text block).

  • From 21 November 2025, only structured addresses (AdrTp = “S”) will be permitted in the QR code.

  • This applies to:

    • Creditor address (your own address as the freelancer issuing the invoice).
    • Debtor address (if you include your client’s details).
    • Ultimate debtor address (if applicable).

  • Unstructured (“K”) addresses will no longer be valid in new QR codes after that date.

𝟚. Extended Character Set

  • QR codes will now support a broader set of characters, including more diacritics and special symbols.
  • This improves compatibility for international names and addresses.

Transition Timeline

  • From 21 Nov 2025, you must generate QR-bills with structured addresses.
  • Unstructured addresses may still work for a limited transition period but will be phased out.
  • By 13 Nov 2026, banks will clean up standing orders and payment templates still using old formats.

What Does Not Change

It’s important to clarify what’s not changing:

  • Normal IBANs remain valid. You can keep using them for NON and SCOR references.
  • QR-IBANs remain valid only for QR references (QRR). Same as today.
  • You do not need to switch all your invoices to QR-IBANs.
  • You do not need to change your bank account.
  • Payments with normal IBANs will continue to work.

Why Are Structured Addresses Required?

This change may feel like an unnecessary burden, but there are good reasons:

  1. Automation: Banks and accounting software rely on structured data to automatically reconcile payments and keep databases clean.
  2. International compatibility: ISO 20022 (the global payments standard) requires structured addresses.
  3. Error reduction: With separate fields, there’s less chance of incorrect or missing information.
  4. Regulatory compliance: Helps with AML (Anti-Money Laundering) and KYC (Know Your Customer) checks.

For freelancers, the main implication is: make sure your invoicing software stores addresses in structured fields.

Checklist for Freelancers
Are You Ready?

Here’s a step-by-step checklist to see if your invoicing process is compliant with QR-bill v2.3:

Check Your Account Setup

  • Do you have a normal IBAN? ➽ You’re fine for NON and SCOR references.
  • Do you also have a QR-IBAN? ➽ Use it only if you want QR references (QRR).
  • If you don’t need QR references, you don’t need a QR-IBAN.

Check Your Invoicing Software

  • Does it generate QR-bills?
  • Does it allow you to choose between normal IBAN and QR-IBAN?
  • Does it support QR references (QRR), creditor references (SCOR), or no references (NON)?

Check Address Fields

  • Are your customer addresses stored in structured fields (street, postal code, city, country)?
  • If not, start cleaning up your database.
  • By November 2025, all new invoices must use structured addresses.

Check Character Compatibility

  • If you work with clients abroad, make sure your software supports the new extended character set (umlauts, accents, etc.).

Check Templates and Standing Orders

  • If you or your clients use standing orders based on old QR-bills with unstructured addresses, update them before November 2026.

Examples

How Freelancers Might Use IBANs vs QR-IBANs

Case 1:
Photographer issuing simple invoices

  • Wants clients to pay without references, just with the invoice number in the free text.
  • Uses normal IBAN + NON.
  • No need for a QR-IBAN.

Case 2:
Web developer with many recurring clients

  • Wants automatic reconciliation.
  • Uses normal IBAN + SCOR (RF reference).
  • Compatible with accounting systems, easy to track.

Case 3:
Consultant who used to rely on ESR

  • Wants structured references like in old orange slips.
  • Uses QR-IBAN + QRR (QR reference).
  • Perfect for ESR-style reconciliation.

⫸ Each case remains valid after November 2025. The only thing changing is that the addresses in the QR code must be structured. ⫷

Common Misunderstandings

“I need to change all my invoices to use QR-IBANs.”

⤿ False. Normal IBANs remain valid.

“I need to change all my invoices to use QR-IBANs.”

⤿ False. Normal IBANs remain valid.

“If I don’t switch, clients won’t be able to pay me.”

⤿ False. As long as your invoices use structured addresses after November 2025, payments work as usual.

“QR-IBANs will replace IBANs.”

⤿ False. They serve different purposes and both remain in use.

“This only affects big companies.”

⤿ False. Even freelancers must ensure structured addresses.

How to Prepare Practically

Here’s what you should do in the coming months:

  1. Ask your bank if you have both a normal IBAN and a QR-IBAN.

    • If you use ESR-style reconciliation, make sure you have a QR-IBAN.
    • Otherwise, your normal IBAN is enough.

  2. Check your invoicing tool.

    • If you use Swiss tools like Bexio, MagicHeidi, or others, updates are likely automatic.
    • If you use custom Excel or Word templates, you may need to switch to a proper invoicing app.

  3. Clean up your customer database.

    • Ensure every client has a structured address.

    • Example: instead of “John Doe, 10 Downing Street, London SW1A 2AA, UK” in one field, split it into:

      • Name: John Doe
      • Street: 10 Downing Street
      • Postal Code: SW1A 2AA
      • City: London
      • Country: GB

  4. Update recurring invoices or standing orders.

    • Reissue them with structured addresses before 2026.

What Happens If You Do Nothing?

  • From 21 Nov 2025, if you generate new QR-bills with unstructured addresses, your client’s bank may reject them.
  • From Nov 2026, even existing standing orders/templates with old addresses may stop working.
  • Payments using a normal IBAN will still work, but your invoices might not be scannable or might throw errors.

So, while your account setup doesn’t need drastic changes, your software and address database definitely do.

Conclusion

The big November 2025 change for QR-bills in Switzerland is about structured addresses, not about forcing everyone onto QR-IBANs. Normal IBANs remain fully valid, QR-IBANs remain necessary for QR references, and freelancers can keep using whichever setup suits their business.

What you must do is:

  • Ensure your invoicing tool supports QR-bill standard v2.3.
  • Store all addresses in structured form.
  • Update recurring templates and standing orders before 2026.

If you handle those points, your invoicing will remain fully compliant, your clients can keep paying smoothly, and you won’t run into problems.

Key Takeaway: Don’t worry about QR-IBAN vs IBAN—it’s not changing. Do worry about addresses. Make sure your software is updated, and you’ll be ready for November 2025 without stress.