eBill Passes 4 Million Users: Should Swiss SMEs Offer It?

With a conventional PDF invoice, a business sends the document by email. The customer opens it and uses the payment information or scans the QR-bill in a banking app.

With eBill, the invoice arrives directly in the customer's online banking environment, where it can be reviewed and approved.

The benefit is therefore not simply replacing one digital document with another. eBill brings invoice delivery and payment approval closer together.

SIX also highlights security: invoice issuers are verified in advance and invoices are delivered inside the protected online banking environment. Customers do not need to manually enter payment information or scan an invoice from another device.

According to SIX, more than 59% of people aged 20 to 64 have activated eBill. Four million users represent roughly half of Switzerland's adult population, and 110 financial institutions already offer the service.

A company offering eBill is therefore no longer asking customers to adopt an obscure channel.

This is particularly relevant for B2C businesses with recurring billing: subscriptions, recurring services, schools, associations, home services, maintenance and periodic contracts.

For a business issuing only a few one-off invoices each month, the benefit may remain limited.

eBill and QR-bills are sometimes presented as competing systems.

In practice, they can coexist very well.

The Swiss QR-bill remains practical because it is easy to generate and works on both paper and PDF invoices. It is well suited to freelancers, small businesses and one-off billing.

eBill is better understood as an integrated digital invoice delivery and payment channel.

One customer may prefer an invoice directly in online banking, while another wants a PDF with a QR-bill. Businesses can therefore support several channels.

This becomes even clearer with the planned end of legacy LSV+ and BDD direct debit schemes. SIX confirms they will end on 30 September 2028 and lists eBill, QR-bills, standing orders and individual payment orders among the alternatives.

You invoice the same customers regularly

If you send monthly, quarterly or annual invoices to a stable customer base, reducing repetitive administrative steps can create real value. eBill also provides standing approval functionality for recurring invoices under parameters defined by the customer.

You issue enough invoices

There is no universal threshold. A company issuing ten invoices per month has different economics from one issuing 500.

Integration generally involves a bank, network partner or compatible software provider. Business pricing depends in part on the provider used. Cost and setup effort therefore need to be compared with the administrative savings.

Most customers are in Switzerland

eBill is Swiss-market infrastructure. It makes sense for companies primarily billing Swiss customers. A freelancer working almost entirely internationally will usually prioritise more universal methods.

You want fewer steps between invoice and payment

With a PDF, the customer receives an email, opens an attachment and moves into online banking. With eBill, the invoice is already where payment will be approved.

This does not guarantee faster payment, but the process is more direct.

SIX introduced eBill Direct Debit in 2025 as a digital direct debit solution, including as part of the transition towards the end of LSV+ and BDD in 2028.

It is designed for recurring receivables. Customers establish a digital authorisation in eBill, after which payments can be automated within that framework.

SIX plans additional functionality by mid-2027, including Business Direct Debit for business-to-business payments and large amounts.

An SME currently using LSV+ or BDD should therefore prepare ahead. A freelancer who does not use direct debit has no reason to change solely because of this transition.

Companies can receive eBill invoices through online banking or directly in compatible invoicing software connected to the infrastructure.

Availability and setup depend on the bank and software provider.

eBill is therefore not only a tool for large organisations sending bills to consumers. SMEs can use it within their own accounts payable process as well.

No.

MySwissInvoice is intentionally simple: it helps freelancers and small Swiss SMEs create compliant Swiss invoices with QR-bills without requiring a complex ERP or full accounting system.

For many small businesses, a clear PDF invoice with a correct QR-bill remains exactly the right tool.

The growth of eBill still matters because it shows the direction of the Swiss market: invoicing is moving closer to payment infrastructure, with more automation and fewer breaks between receiving and settling an invoice.

Offering multiple channels may eventually make sense for users whose volume justifies it. But a feature should never be added simply because it exists.

The useful question remains: Does it genuinely make life easier for the business and its customers?

Review your last three months of invoicing and note:

If you send relatively few one-off invoices, keep the system simple.

If you have a growing volume of recurring invoices to Swiss customers, eBill is probably worth evaluating with your bank or invoicing provider.

The four-million milestone does not mean every SME should offer eBill tomorrow. It means the channel is now established enough to become part of a serious invoicing decision.

QR-bills remain an excellent foundation. eBill can become an additional layer when volume, recurrence and customer expectations justify it.