QR reference
The QR reference is a 27-digit numeric identifier on the QR-bill that maps an incoming payment unambiguously to an invoice; the last digit is a check digit under recursive modulo 10.
Definition
It is the successor to the reference on the orange payment slip and serves the same purpose: the bank returns the reference with the payment advice, and the software thereby finds the invoice without searching by amount or name.
It is constructed by the invoice issuer. A combination of customer number and invoice number, padded with zeros, is customary. Whoever assigns it without a system loses exactly the benefit it exists for.
The numbers
- 27 digits
- length of the QR reference, of which 26 are payload and one a check digit Swiss Implementation Guidelines for the QR-bill
What the software must be able to do
Check whether the software forms the reference itself and calculates the check digit, and whether it allocates the payment automatically via that reference when reading the camt message. A program that only prints the reference but does not evaluate it on the return does half the job.
Checked Aug 2026
More terms under Invoicing, payment and banking: Advance payment Allowance for doubtful debts Bad debt camt.053 Cancellation invoice Cash discount Certificate of shortfall Credit note Creditor Current account Debt enforcement Debtor Default interest Delivery note Dunning eBill Final invoice IBAN Invoice number ISO 20022 / camt Open items pain.001 Part payment Payment term Pro forma invoice QR-bill QR-IBAN Quotation Receipt Tips TWINT as a payment method Visitor taxes