The work is done, now the money needs to flow. For that to happen, the invoice needs to do two things: meet the formal requirements (above all if your business is VAT-registered) and be clear enough that the customer pays it without asking questions. Neither is rocket science.
The mandatory details at a glance
For VAT-registered businesses, the Value Added Tax Act (Art. 26 VAT Act) requires the invoice to show:
- Your name and place, as registered in the commercial register, plus your UID number with the VAT suffix (e.g. CHE-123.456.789 VAT).
- Name and place of the recipient.
- Date or period of the service, if different from the invoice date. Common for trade work: “work carried out from 3 to 14 June 2026”.
- Type, subject and scope of the service: the description of work, ideally using the same line items as in the quote.
- The amount charged: the amounts per line item and the total.
- The tax rate and the tax amount: currently the standard rate of 8.1%. If VAT is included in the price, stating the rate is enough.
Businesses not registered for VAT (under CHF 100’000 annual turnover) leave out the UID suffix and the VAT line, and must not show VAT.
We offer a ready-made invoice template with all the mandatory details, free to print or use as a PDF. The same template is also available as a Word file and an Excel file, to download and fill in.
On top come details that no rule requires but every good invoice includes: invoice number, invoice date, payment deadline, and the payment slip of the QR invoice. You can create the payment slip for a single invoice free of charge with the QR invoice generator.
Are you charging for everything? Really everything?
The most expensive mistake isn’t a missing UID, it’s forgotten line items. Small materials, mileage, disposal, the extra trip to the builders’ merchant: whatever isn’t written down doesn’t get charged. Businesses that log time-and-materials work directly on site (instead of from memory in the evening) tend to charge noticeably more, with no disputes, because every item is documented.
Payment deadline, default and reminders
- Payment deadline: 30 days is common in Switzerland. Shorter deadlines (10 or 20 days) are allowed if they’re stated on the invoice.
- Default: once the deadline has passed, you may send a reminder; the reminder puts the customer in default, and from then on 5% default interest is allowed.
- Reminder rhythm: proven approach is a friendly payment reminder after about 10 days, a second reminder with a short grace period, then debt collection. Tone matters: most late-paying customers have simply forgotten to pay.
- Limitation period: claims from trade work lapse after five years. Of course, you should never let it get that far.
Advance payments and partial invoices for bigger jobs
For jobs spanning several weeks, advance payments are standard: for example, a third at order placement, a third as work progresses, the rest with the final invoice. That protects your cash flow, since you have to pay for materials and wages on an ongoing basis too. Importantly: label advance invoices clearly as such, and deduct them transparently on the final invoice.
From job report to paid invoice, without an evening at the desk
The classic route: collect paper slips, type them up in the evening, assemble the invoice in Word, tick off payments by hand. The faster route: in MeisterOffice, the invoice is generated directly from the accepted quote and the logged time-and-materials hours, with a correct QR payment slip, automatic payment matching, and an AI-drafted reminder that you only need to approve before sending. Bookkeeping, including the accountant export, runs in the background. What it costs is here.
Frequently asked questions
Does an invoice need a signature? No. Invoices are valid in Switzerland without a signature, whether on paper or as a PDF.
How long do I have to keep invoices? Business records and receipts generally must be kept for 10 years. Digital storage is allowed, as long as the documents stay readable and unalterable.
What if I made a calculation error? Cancel the invoice and issue a new one (a cancellation notice or credit note), don’t just overwrite it. Your bookkeeping, and in a dispute the tax authorities too, need to be able to trace the history.