Further development of e-billing

The PostFinance e-billing service is continuously being developed and improved, which is why various technical modifications are planned. As your reliable e-bill provider, we will notify you early on about these changes and keep you updated.

Our future service

The information here is solely for software partners, service providers and customers with a direct interface to PostFinance. We support our customers with the following:

  • Delivering e-bills
  • Redirecting e-bills to eBill
  • Delivering e-bills to B2B recipients
  • Interconnect B2B from and to other providers
  • E-bill services such as enclosures, instalment payments, signatures etc.
  • With tools such as e-bill light, SmartBusiness, ISRlight and many more

What does eBill mean?

eBill is the future e-billing service for e-banking customers in the Swiss financial center, and will be operated by SIX.

The future e-billing role model from PostFinance

Changes from April 2019

What is changing? Why? Who is affected? Technical impact on customers
What is changing?

Digital signatures

In future, we will sign all e-bills according to the invoice recipient’s needs. There will be new rules on signatures in the Subscriber Conditions, and the registration form will be revised.

 Why?
OElDI repealed as at 1 January 2018
Who is affected?
Invoice issuers who process your e-bills with a signature
Technical impact on customers
None
What is changing?

Discontinuation of signature check logs

When signed e-bills are delivered, signature check logs will no longer be sent with them.

Why?
OElDI repealed as at 1 January 2018
Who is affected?
B2B recipients
Technical impact on customers
If the process expressly requires a signature check log, this must be amended beforehand.
What is changing?

Returning signed archive files

The returning of archive files is to be discontinued. First of all, returns to recipients will no longer possible with new delivery methods. From April 2019, this will apply to all  e-bills delivered as a hybrid bill (PDF with integrated user data, ZUGFerRD). From the end of 2019, this will also apply to all  e-bills delivered to the new SIX eBill infrastructure via the new NWP interface (see outlook).

 Why?

OElDI repealed as at 1 January 2018
There are no longer any requirements for keeping signed e-bills. The invoice issuer can archive their invoice data in the same way as invoice data sent on other channels.

 Who is affected?
Invoice issuers who process your e-bills with a signature
Technical impact on customers

If the process expressly mentions the archive file, this must be amended beforehand.
Generally speaking, we advise invoice issuers against collecting the signed archive file from now on.
What is changing?

Hybrid format support

We now support deliveries of e-bills in hybrid format (Factur -X/ZUGFeRD 2.0) as per GS1 implementation recommendation 2.0.

 Why?
 
Who is affected?
Invoice issuers and B2B recipients
Technical impact on customers
They have access to the service

  • Connecting as a network partner to the new SIX eBill infrastructure

    According to the current roadmap, e-bills intended for e-banking customers connected to the new SIX eBill portal will be delivered to the SIX eBill infrastructure via the new NWP interface from November 2019 onwards.

    Connecting e-finance to the new SIX eBill portal

    According to the current roadmap, e-bill customers who receive e-bills via e-finance will be transferred to the new SIX eBill portal in the second quarter of 2020. From this point onwards, all e-bills intended for e-banking and e-finance customers will be delivered to the SIX eBill infrastructure via the new NWP interface.

    Discontinuation of old web services

    We have offered improved B2B services since 2016. These are based on new technology and provide numerous benefits in relation to previous B2B web services. Given that needs are changing and security requirements are becoming stricter, the old B2B web services no longer meet the current security standard. This is why we recommend that all software companies still using the old B2B web services should migrate to the new B2B services with the next release. You can find more information in the e-bill manual.

  		•

    Name and brand of the Swiss financial center’s new infrastructure for e-bills sent to e-banking customers. eBill also refers to the new portal where e-banking customers will process their e-bills in future. eBill is the successor to e-bill. The e-bill function in e-finance will therefore also be renamed eBill in future.

    Find out more at The link will open in a new window ebill.ch
    B2B bill
    E-bills sent to business customers who import e-bills directly into their ERP system and process them there.
    eBill   infrastructure
    Technical system used by SIX to operate eBill.
    OElDI
    Ordinance of the FDF on Electronic Data and Information. Repealed as at 1 January 2018.
    Network partner (NWP)
    eBill partner that delivers e-bills for its customers to eBill based on the role model.
    Service provider
    A provider that delivers e-bills to PostFinance for its customers (biller service provider), or that receives e-bills from PostFinance for its customers (customer service provider).
    SIX
    The company that implements and operates eBill on behalf of Swiss banks.
    ZUGFeRD
    A delivery method for e-bills. This stands for “Central User Guide of the Forum for Electronic Invoicing in Germany”.

  • The e-bill manual will be amended in due course.

    If you have any questions, please contact your advisor. As a software partner, you can simply send an e-mail to software-info@postfinance.ch.

    More information about eBill can be found at ebill.ch.