eBill Demo PortalWould you like to know how eBill works? The eBill Demo Portal now gives you the opportunity to try out the platform. From standing approvals to payment in installments, all functions are integrated and can be run through. To the demo portal General questions on the service Who is behind eBill? eBill is a service from SIX. The infrastructure for processing eBill is operated by SIX on behalf of the Swiss banks. eBill is offered by numerous invoice issuers (corporations, SMEs and public administration bodies). What data do I receive with an eBill invoice? The eBill invoices you receive contain the information needed to make the payment, such as the name of the invoice issuer, the amount and the due date, as well as a PDF version of the invoice. The PDF can be downloaded for at least 180 days after the due date. What does it cost to receive eBill invoices? It is free of charge to receive eBill invoices via e-banking. What’s the difference between eBill and direct debit? With direct debit, invoice issuers debit the charges directly to an account that you have predefined in the debit authorization. When you use direct debit with right of objection, you are able to dispute any charges debited within a specified period. You receive eBill invoices directly via your bank’s e-banking solution. You decide whether and when you pay the invoice and therefore have complete control over the process. You can set up automatic approval for your eBill invoices, if you wish. How can I switch from direct debit to eBill? Find out whether your bank supports eBill. Find out whether the invoice issuers that send you invoices offer eBill. Cancel the debit authorizations with your invoice issuers and notify them that going forward you would like to receive your invoices as eBill invoices. On the eBill portal, select the invoice issuer you would like to receive eBill invoices from in the future. Complete the online registration form. Tip When completing the registration form, make sure you have your personal details such as your customer number to hand. What’s the difference between an eBill invoice and an e-mail bill? You receive eBill invoices securely and directly in e-banking. All you need to do is check them and approve them for payment directly online. You receive e-mail bills to your e-mail inbox. To pay an e-mail bill, you have to enter details on the payment recipient and the long reference number in e-banking. Is the eBill Portal accessible? Yes, the eBill Portal meets the specific requirements for accessibility for people with visual, auditory, motor and cognitive limitation and has been certified as such (AA+) by “Access for all,” an independent certification authority for accessible websites and web apps in Switzerland. Registering for eBill What do I need to receive eBill invoices? You require an e-banking agreement with a financial institution that supports eBill. You can find the list of financial institutions at www.ebill.ch/en/find-bank. Which banks support eBill? At present, more than 100 financial institutions offer eBill. You can find the list of participating financial institutions at www.ebill.ch/en/find-bank. What do I do if my bank does not (yet) offer eBill? Please ask your bank directly. How do I register for eBill? Log into your e-banking and follow the navigation path to eBill. Who should I contact if I’m unable to register for eBill in e-banking? Please contact your financial institution directly. What’s an activation code? You receive the activation code from SIX by e-mail when you activate eBill. How do I receive an activation code? You receive the activation code by e-mail at the e-mail address you entered on the eBill portal. How long is the activation code valid? The activation code is valid for 60 minutes. Once this period has expired, you can request a new activation code via the eBill portal. Why have I not received an activation code? The e-mail address you provided is already being used by another eBill user. Please contact your bank’s e-banking support directly. Can I also switch my eBill invoices to another financial institution? Yes, this is possible provided you are switching from one bank that is connected to the SIX eBill infra structure to another. You can sign up within 60 days with the same email address. Can I use eBill simultaneously from different banks? What do I need to bear in mind when doing this? This is possible provided both banks are connected to the SIX eBill infrastructure and you use the same e-mail address for both banks. I already use eBill. Can I link my existing eBill user account when I register with another bank? Yes, link your user account by clicking to say that you already use eBill during the eBill registration process. Receiving eBill invoices from invoice issuers Which invoice issuers can I receive eBill invoices from? You can look up and add invoice issuers directly on the eBill portal. How do I add an invoice issuer for eBill? You have three options: Add the invoice issuer directly on the eBill portal via the invoice issuer search. You enter a payment instruction directly in e-banking. If the invoice issuer offers eBill, you will receive a notification that takes you directly to the registration page for eBill for this invoice issuer. Activate the function “Add invoice issuers automatically”. You can find more information about this function in the corresponding section of this document. I don’t know the registration details I need to enter in the invoice issuer’s registration form. What can I do? You can usually find personal details such as customer or invoice numbers on an old invoice from the invoice issuer. Alternatively, please ask the invoice issuer directly. What do I do if I have any questions on adding an invoice issuer? Please contact the invoice issuer directly. I can’t find the invoice issuer I want to add. Why? It’s possible that the invoice issuer does not yet offer eBill. I’ve added an invoice issuer for eBill, but I’m not receiving any digital invoices. Why? It may be that the invoice issuer has not yet processed your registration. Please ask the invoice issuer directly. When do I receive new eBill invoices? That depends on the date the invoice is sent. How am I notified of new eBill invoices? Most banks will advise you of any new eBill invoices that have arrived when you log in to e-banking. You can also arrange to be notified by e-mail when new eBill invoices arrive. You can specify in your personal settings in the eBill portal whether you want to receive these kinds of e-mails. Can I receive eBill invoices for other people? Yes. If the other person is also registered with eBill, you can share invoices using eBill sharing. You can find more information on eBill sharing in the corresponding section of this document. Is the invoice issuer notified when an invoice is rejected? Yes, the invoice issuer is notified of rejections. Processing and approving eBill invoices How and where do I pay my eBill invoices? You receive and pay your eBill invoices directly on the eBill portal, which you access via your e-banking. How do I initiate payment of an eBill invoice? You select the desired eBill invoice, check it and then simply approve it. Are my eBill invoices paid automatically? No. You approve the eBill invoices for payment on a specified date. To simplify approval of the invoice, you have the option of setting up standing approvals for eBill invoices. I’ve approved an eBill invoice but would still like to make a change to the payment. Is that possible? You can still make changes until the payment has been definitively executed. You make the changes directly in e-banking, not on the eBill portal. My invoice amounts are almost always identical. What options do I have for simplifying the way I approve invoices? It may be worthwhile to set up standing approval for eBill invoices with recurring fixed amounts. You specify the criteria for automatic approval of invoices and retain control over the payment until it is definitively executed. Can I approve several invoices at once? Yes, just click on the button “Collective approval” and select the invoices you want to approve. I’ve received a credit. What do I do? You don’t need to do anything. Credits you receive on the eBill portal are for your information only. You will receive the actual credit according to the method agreed with the company. I’ve received a notification. What do I do? You don’t need to do anything. Generally speaking, notifications don’t involve any transfer of funds. They are issued for your information only. Where can I find my eBill invoices after they have been approved? After approval, you will find all your invoices in the eBill portal under “Completed”. They will stay there until definitive payment has been received. When can I see the amount from an approved eBill invoice in my e-banking? You can see the amount immediately after approving an eBill invoice in the list of payment instructions in your e-banking. How long do I have access to the PDF copy of my invoice? You can download the PDF for a period of at least 180 days after the due date on the eBill portal. From April 19, 2023, the archiving period will be 730 days. After that, the details of the invoice and the PDF are deleted from the eBill portal. Can I reject an eBill invoice? Yes, you can reject an eBill invoice. Please contact the invoice issuer directly directly to explain why you’ve rejected the invoice. Otherwise you may receive a reminder What happens if I don’t want to pay an eBill invoice? If you don’t pay an eBill invoice – e.g. because you’ve opted for an alternative method of payment – you can reject the eBill invoice (“Reject” option in the open invoice). Please contact the invoice issuer if you require payment information other than that listed on the invoice. Can I delete eBill invoices? No, that's not possible. You can only approve or reject eBill invoices. What happens with my eBill invoices if I no longer use eBill? eBill invoices remain accessible on the eBill portal for at least 180 days after the due date. From April 19, 2023, the archiving period will be 730 days. After this period, the eBill invoices are deleted. Outstanding eBill invoices that haven’t yet been approved remain open on the eBill portal. In this case, please contact your invoice issuers directly to arrange how to proceed with paying the invoices. Add invoice issuers automatically What is the function “Add invoice issuers automatically”? Using this function, you can indicate to invoice issuers that you would like to receive eBill invoices. Invoice issuers can look you up using your e-mail address (for private customers) or corporate identification number (for companies) and find out that you would like to receive eBill invoices. The invoice issuer can then send you eBill invoices. This function means that you do not have to manually add invoice issuers. You can block certain invoice issuers so that they cannot send you eBill invoices. You can disable the “Add invoice issuers automatically” feature at any time by deactivating it in the eBill settings. What data does the invoice issuer receive about me and what is this used for? The invoice issuer searches for you using an e-mail address or corporate identification number, e.g. that it has saved in its customer database. If this identification matches the one you use for eBill, the invoice issuer is notified that eBill invoices can be sent in future. The invoice issuer does not receive any other data about you. How do I activate the function “Add invoice issuers automatically”? You can activate or deactivate the function in the eBill settings under “Settings”. The default option is set to manual registration with invoice issuers. In order to receive simplified eBill invoices in futures, you must first give permission for invoice issuers to find you. Can I prevent invoice issuers from whom I do not wish to receive eBill invoices from being automatically added? Yes, you can create exceptions for invoice issuers. They will not be able to send you eBill invoices even if you have activated the “Add invoice issuers automatically” function. An overview shows the invoice issuers for which you have created an exception. What happens if an invoice issuer automatically adds me? An invoice issuer can send you eBill invoices even if you have not explicitly registered with this invoice issuer. Can I still register with companies manually even though I have activated the “Add invoice issuers automatically” feature? You may still register with invoice issuers by adding them manually. You may still have to fill out registration forms. What happens if I deactivate the “Add invoice issuers automatically” feature? Once you deactivate this function, invoice issuers can no longer automatically add you. You must add invoice issuers manually. However, this does not affect registrations that were created automatically. Why am I still receiving paper invoices even though I said that invoice issuers should be added automatically? Not all companies use eBill as a way of issuing invoices. Even if they do, not all companies support the automatic addition function. This can mean that you continue to receive paper invoices even after activating the “Add invoice issuers automatically” feature. In this case, add the invoice issuer manually or contact your invoice issuer directly to receive invoices through eBill in future. I have already activated the automatic addition of invoice issuers. Why have I received a notification on the eBill portal? The function needs to be activated again, because now a technical identification number will be sent to invoice issuers as well as the e-mail address, so the terms of use for the automatic addition of invoice issuers have been amended accordingly. The most important in a nutshellThis explanatory video shows you step by step how to add invoice issuer automatically. Explanatory video Standing approval What is standing approval? With a standing approval, you initiate the approval of eBill invoices from a specific company automatically according to criteria you’ve defined. You set the exact amount or the upper limit and specify when the eBill invoice should be approved in each case. What’s the difference between standing approval and a direct debit? Under a standing approval, you determine the amount or the maximum amount and set the date for approving the invoices. This means you retain full control until the payment is definitively executed. With a direct debit, the invoice issuer debits an account that you have predefined in the debit authorization. Every time an amount is debited from this account, you receive a notification from your bank. If you don’t agree with a payment, you can lodge an objection within a defined period and receive your money back. How do I set up a standing approval? You can set up standing approvals directly on the eBill portal. To do this, start by selecting the eBill invoice you want to automate approval for going forward. Now select the option “Standing approval”. Then define the criteria for the standing approval. Is a standing approval always executed? No, a standing approval is executed only if the criteria you’ve specified are met. Example: You set a monthly amount limit of CHF 500 for an invoice issuer. The invoice issuer submits an invoice for CHF 501. The standing approval isn’t executed. The invoice issuer submits three invoices: Invoice 1 is for CHF 300. The standing approval is executed. Invoice 2 is for CHF 150. The standing approval is executed. Invoice 3 is for CHF 100. The standing approval is not executed because invoice 3 takes the total over the amount limit of CHF 500. What happens when a standing approval isn’t executed? A standing approval isn’t executed if the rules specified by you are not met (e.g. if the amount limit is exceeded). If you have activated notifications, you receive an e-mail or push notification if the standing approval cannot be executed. In this case you have the option of approving the eBill invoice manually. What rules does the standing approval follow if I set execution for a specified date or the end of the month? The standing approval is executed on the predefined execution date, regardless of the original due date. If the execution date falls on a bank holiday, it is predated to the last preceding banking business day. It should be noted that the standing approval always relates to the month of the invoice’s original due date. Example: If the original due date of an invoice is September 1, 20XX, and the standing approval has been entered with the execution date “on the 25th of the month” or “at the end of the month,” then the invoice is paid on September 25 or on September 30. The most important in a nutshellThis explanatory video shows you step by step how to set up and customize a standing approval. Explanatory video eBill sharing What is eBill sharing? With eBill sharing, you can grant another person access to your eBill user account. This person can then access all of your eBill notifications, reminders, credit and invoices and download attached PDFs. The person can also approve or reject eBill invoices for payment. A bank account belonging to the authorized person must be used for the approval process. The authorized person can also register you with the invoice issuer so that you also receive eBill invoices from these invoice issuers in future. How do I set up sharing? You can set up eBill sharing in the eBill settings. All you need is the eBill e-mail address of the person that you wish to invite and authorize. Is sharing available for all eBill users? Anyone who uses eBill can take advantage of the “eBill Sharing” feature − with the exception of companies using eBill for Business. If you would like to use eBill for Business, please contact your bank directly. With eBill for Business, you can authorize employees to manage eBill invoices on behalf of your company. What actions can an authorized person perform? Persons you have authorized can access all of your eBill notifications, reminders, credit and invoices and download attached PDFs. They can also approve or reject eBill invoices for payment. A bank account belonging to the authorized person must be used for the approval process. Authorized persons can also register you with the invoice issuer so that you also receive eBill invoices from these invoice issuers in future. Authorized persons can view standing approvals that have already been set up but cannot make changes to these. How can I tell the difference between my own invoices and shared invoices? Invoices from other people are marked accordingly to differentiate them from your own invoices. How do I recognize whether an action has been carried out by an authorized person? Invoices or reminders approved by an authorized person are marked as such. This ensures that you have an overview of which invoices have been approved by the authorized person. Registrations with companies made by the authorized person are displayed separately in the eBill portal. Who is informed that a new invoice has been received? Provided the notification settings have been configured accordingly, only the recipient of the invoice is informed when a new invoice is received. Can I invite multiple people to eBill sharing? Yes, you can authorize multiple people to access your eBill user account. Can I invite people tosharing who are customers at another bank? Yes, eBill sharing works across banks. Can I also access the invoices of people I have authorized? You are not automatically granted access to the invoices of people you have authorized. However, the person you have authorized has the option to send you an invitation of their own after accepting your invitation. How do I find out that I have received a sharing invitation? You receive an automatically generated e-mail from SIX as soon as you are invited to eBill sharing. Some banks also send push notifications to your mobile device. An eBill user invited me to eBill sharing. Which bank account can I use to pay invoices? You must make payment using the authorized bank account. How can sharing rights be terminated? You can terminate the eBill sharing feature at any time. You are notified if the authorized person terminates the sharing. What happens to sharing rights if I deregister from eBill? Sharing rights are kept for 60 days after you deregister from eBill. During this time, you can register for eBill at a new bank and do not have to configure the sharing settings again. Sharing rights are permanently deleted after these 60 days. The most important in a nutshellThis explainer video shows you step-by-step how to set up eBill Sharing to share invoices with other eBill users. Explanatory video Paying in installments Some invoice issuers offer the option of payment in installments. How do I set up payment by installment? If an invoice issuer offers you the option of paying your eBill invoice in installments, you will receive a notification to this effect on the eBill portal. You can then select an installment group from the multiple variants offered. An installment group contains one or more installments. When you select an installment group, all installments for the selected installment group are displayed to you in the overview of the invoice in the same way as for normal individual invoices. You can approve each of these installments individually, or you have the option of setting up a standing approval. Some invoice issuers offer the option of payment in installments while others don’t. Why? Payment in installments is often offered by invoice issuers for larger amounts, e.g. for tax bills. Individual invoice issuers decide whether or not it is possible to pay in installments. User-specific settings Can I change my e-mail address? Yes, you can change the e-mail address you use for receiving invoices. To do this, go to your personal settings on the eBill portal. What do I need to do if my address changes? Please notify your bank and the invoice issuers you receive eBill invoices from that you have a new address and update your address on the eBill portal. What do I need to do if my name changes? Please notify your bank and the invoice issuers you receive eBill invoices from that you have a new name and update your name on the eBill portal. I receive an e-mail every time I receive a new eBill invoice. How can I opt out of e-mail notifications? You can opt out of notifications for new eBill invoices in your personal settings on the eBill portal. Quick approval What is quick approval? Quick approval allows you to approve eBill invoices directly via your online banking. You do not have to use the eBill portal. Why can’t I reject invoices with quick approval? Quick approval can only be used to approve eBill invoices. You must use the eBill portal if you want to reject an invoice or view the attached PDF. Invoices without amounts What are invoices without amounts? Invoice issuers can send you invoices without stating an amount. In this case, you will be asked to enter an amount before approving the invoice. You can then approve the invoice as usual. Details on the amount due can usually be found in the PDF invoice attached. Are eBill invoices that do not include an amount approved using the standing approval? No, the standing approval requires invoices to define an amount, which must be larger than 0 centime. Invoices without amounts are thus not covered by the automatic standing approval. Cancelling eBill Can I deactivate eBill? Yes. You can deregister from eBill with the invoice issuers you’ve signed up with on the eBill portal. If you would like to deregister from eBill completely, and no function is available in E-Banking, please contact your bank. Are invoice issuers who send me invoices through eBill notified when I stop using eBill? No, when you stop using eBill, the invoice issuers in question are not notified. You can notify the invoice issuers by deregistering from eBill with them on the eBill portal. Data protection and data security What’s my e-mail address used for? Your e-mail address is used to unequivocally identify you as a bill recipient for eBill. On request, you can receive additional information to this e-mail address, for example notifications about newly arrived eBill invoices. What’s my address used for? Your address is notified to companies when you register for eBill so they can unequivocally identify you. Is my data properly protected when using eBill? All banks as well as SIX are obliged to maintain confidentiality over the data they save and to use this data solely in relation to the provision of the eBill service. Is my data properly secured when using eBill? eBill is subject to the same comprehensive, industry-wide security standards and data protection guidelines as e-banking. In the eBill system, great emphasis is placed on the protection of data when it is stored and transmitted: the latest data protection procedures are applied in accordance with the e-banking standards of Swiss banks. eBill for Business What is eBill for Business? eBill for Business is intended to allow SMEs to process eBill invoices directly in online banking or seamlessly in their own business software. Multiple employees can be authorized to process eBill invoices in online banking, viewing, approving or rejecting eBill invoices on the company’s behalf. For companies with their own business software, eBill invoices are sent directly by way of established channels such as EBICS. Who can use eBill for Business? eBill for business is available to companies and entities similar to companies, although not yet every bank offers it. Please contact your relationship manager directly if you have any questions about the function. How do I set up eBill for Business? The process for setting up the function varies according to the individual bank. Please contact your bank’s relationship manager directly. What actions can I perform with eBill for Business? Authorized employees can view, check and subsequently approve or reject invoices for the company using an account. Authorized employees can register the company with additional invoice issuers to receive eBill invoices in future. Authorized employees can also create, edit and delete standing approvals. SMEs that have connected their business software to their bank receive eBill invoices directly in this software. Booking and payment are carried out using your standard processes. No adjustments to the existing processes are required. In addition to the electronic invoice data, you will also receive the associated PDF. The invoice receipt can thus be easily archived through your existing processes. How do I know when new company invoices have been received? Authorized employees who have entered an e-mail address are informed that new invoices have been received. Notification settings can be adjusted in the eBill portal under “user settings”. Can I use eBill for Business through different e-banking systems at the same or a different bank? Yes, as long as your company has a corporate identification number that it provided when signing up for eBill for business. If you did not receive a corporate identification number until after signing up for eBill for business, you can give this to your bank at a later date. In order to use eBill for Business across different banks, you must have provided the same corporate identification number at all banks. What is a corporate identification number? All companies entered in an official register (e.g. VAT register, commercial register etc.) receive a corporate identification number from the Swiss Federal Statistical Office. This is listed in a public register. Companies, associations, cooperatives and foundations etc. that are not entered in an official register can also apply for this number from the Swiss Federal Statistical Office. You can find more information on corporate identification numbers and how to apply for one on the Swiss Federal Statistical Office’s website. eBill for business uses the corporate identification number as a way of identifying companies. If you do not have a corporate identification number, you still have limited use of eBill for business. Please contact your bank’s relationship manager. How do I get a corporate identification number from the Swiss Federal Statistical Office? If you are listed in an official register, your company is automatically assigned a corporate identification number. This can be found on the Swiss Federal Statistical Office’s website. Associations, cooperatives and condominium associations etc. can also apply for a corporate identification number from the Swiss Federal Statistical Office. This is done by filling out a form. Can I still use eBill for Business if my corporate identification number changes? Please notify your bank if your corporate identification number changes. My company does not have a corporate identification number. Can I still set up eBill for Business? Yes, companies that do not have a corporate identification number can still use eBill for business. These companies receive an identification number from the financial institution. However, this does not enable multi-banking and invoice issuers cannot be automatically added. You will receive more information from your bank. How does the type of identification number affect my eBill for Business account? Multi-banking is possible only if a corporate identification number has been provided at the bank. In addition, a corporate identification number is required to use the “Add invoice issuers automatically” function (for a description of this function see next section). I already use eBill for my company. How can I switch to eBill for Business? If you already used eBill for your company before eBill for business was introduced, you can switch to eBill for business at any time, provided your bank offers this feature. Register for this at your bank, which will go through the set-up process for eBill for Business with you. Why can I not set up eBill for Business? Not all banks offer eBill for Business. For more information on the service, please contact your relationship manager directly. How can I deactivate my eBill for Business account? Please contact your bank directly to deactivate your eBill for Business account. It must be deactivated by the bank. If you use eBill for Business at various banks (multi-banking), you must deactivate the account at all banks involved. eBill Donations What is eBill Donations? eBill Donations uses eBill technology and infrastructure. This way, you can reach donors exactly where they pay their bills: in online banking. What are the technical requirements for donors to use eBill Donations? The basic requirement is an online banking account with a financial institution that participates in eBill and offers eBill Donations, as well as the activation of eBill. Please check the eBill offer of your financial institution. What are the benefits of eBill Donations for donors? eBill offers a purely digital and convenient donation option directly via online banking. All donation requests are archived, and with standing approvals, eBill users can automatically approve recurring donations. How is it ensured that only reputable organizations use eBill Donations? To register on the eBill infrastructure, a non-profit organization (NPO) must prove that its establishment is legally valid (e.g. through articles of association or a foundation deed) and that it has a non-commercial purpose. This can be achieved with a Zewo certification or a cantonal tax exemption for institutions with a non-profit or public purpose. Moreover, classification as an NPO is regularly checked by network partners on eBill. Are anonymous donations possible with eBill Donations? No. Adding an NPO as an invoice issuer in eBill requires the automatic transmission of the eBill user’s e-mail address, name and postal address. Approval of a donation request also triggers a transfer from online banking, which likewise cannot be anonymous. This means that the same data is transmitted as for a conventional online banking credit transfer. Is there a minimum donation amount? Yes. The minimum amount for a donation in eBill is CHF 5. FAQ - Frequently Asked QuestionsIn our FAQ you will find answers to important questions about eBill and its functions. Here you will find all information compactly in one document. Download