Discontinuation of current payment slips

Initial situation
As of 9/30/2022, the Swiss financial center will withdraw red and orange payment slips from the market. As of this date, payment slips that are still valid will no longer be processed. The Swiss payment system will thus be harmonized and the various payment procedures of banks and PostFinance will be standardized and further digitized.

The following products
As of 6/30/2020, the transition to QR invoices is underway. Companies that have not yet addressed the issue are urged to contact their bank and software provider immediately.

Payment slips have been replaced by the QR bill. The new payment slip with QR code provides all relevant payment information, thus eliminating the need for manual entry in e-banking. The orange payment slip will be replaced by the QR invoice with QR IBAN and QR reference. The QR reference corresponds to the previous ISR reference and is used for simple matching of the invoice with the incoming payment in accounting. The later solution for the red payment slip requires only the QR-IBAN without the QR reference. Unfortunately, QR invoices do not offer the ability to manually adjust the payment purpose at the time of payment, as was previously the case. However, it is still possible to change the amount and payee. Standing orders previously entered in e-banking should be checked to see if they need to be adjusted to the new payment procedure.

The advantages
Swiss financial institutions have already adapted their mobile and e-banking solutions at an early stage. This means that bill recipients can already take advantage of QR bills today. QR bills can still be used at the counter and ATM to pay bills independently. For those who issue bills and still physically mail them, printing and mailing bills, including payment slips, are simplified. They can now be printed directly on white paper and separate payment slips are no longer required.

"In a nutshell."
1. starting from 1.10.2022, orange and red payment slips will no longer be processed.

The old payment slips will be replaced by the QR bill.

3. standing orders and previous payment patterns should be checked accordingly and re-registered if necessary.

4. QR slips can still be used to pay at the post office counter.

EXPERTsuisse EMS Practical information 01/2022