How to add a payment QR code to an invoice
The gap between sending an invoice and being paid is mostly friction: your client has to open their banking app and retype an IBAN correctly. A QR code removes that step.
Why a QR code gets you paid faster
Think about what your client actually does when your invoice arrives. They open the PDF, find your bank details, open their banking app, start a new payment, and retype an IBAN — 20-something characters — plus the amount and the reference. Then they check it. Then, quite often, they decide to do it later.
"Later" is where invoices go to age. Every extra step between reading the invoice and confirming the payment is a chance for the task to get deferred, and deferred tasks become the reason you're sending a polite follow-up three weeks on.
A QR code collapses that sequence into: point camera, check amount, confirm. It also removes the two most common causes of a payment going astray:
- Mistyped account numbers, which bounce back days later.
- Missing payment references, which arrive as an unidentifiable amount that nobody can match to your invoice.
What to put in the code
Whatever you encode, it should carry enough that the client doesn't have to fill anything in:
- Payee name — as it appears on your bank account, not your trading nickname
- Account identifier — IBAN, or whatever your market uses
- Amount — the exact total due
- Currency
- Payment reference — your invoice number, so reconciliation is automatic on both sides
The reference is the part people forget
If you encode everything except the invoice number, the money arrives and you still have to work out which invoice it settles. Put the invoice number in the reference field. It's the difference between a paid invoice and a mystery deposit.
Which standard applies where
| Region | Common approach | What the client scans with |
|---|---|---|
| Eurozone / SEPA | EPC QR code (SEPA credit transfer) | Their banking app |
| Switzerland | Swiss QR-bill | Banking app |
| Anywhere | A hosted payment link from your payment provider | Phone camera → browser |
If your clients are European businesses paying by bank transfer, an EPC-style payload is the natural fit — no card fees, and it opens directly in their banking app. If you'd rather be paid by card, generate a payment link with your provider and encode that URL instead; the camera opens a checkout page.
Both work in Quick Invoice Generator PDF, because the QR field takes a link rather than locking you into one scheme.
Adding one to your invoice
In Quick Invoice Generator PDF
- Open the invoice and expand the additional fields section.
- Paste your payment link into the QR code link field. The app checks that it's a usable link and warns you if it isn't.
- Set the caption shown above the code. It defaults to "Scan to pay", translated into whichever language the invoice is set to.
- Preview the PDF. The code renders next to the totals block, where a person looking for "how do I pay this" will actually see it.
- Scan it yourself with your own phone before you send the first one. Confirm the amount and reference come through correctly.
Payment QR codes are a Pro feature.
Getting the caption right
A bare QR code on an invoice is ambiguous — is it a tracking code, a link to a portal, a verification thing? Clients who aren't sure won't scan it, which defeats the point.
The default caption, "Scan to pay", works because it's unambiguous. If you customise it, keep it that plain. "Scan to pay — bank transfer" is good. "Quick payment options" is not: it tells the client there's a decision to make, and decisions cause delay.
And if you invoice international clients, remember the caption follows the invoice language setting — so a German client sees it in German without you changing anything about your own phone.
Put a scan-to-pay code on your invoice
Add a payment QR code with your own caption and shorten the gap between sending and getting paid.
Free plan: 10 invoices, 3 shares a month · No account · No ads
Frequently asked questions
What is a scan-to-pay QR code on an invoice?
It's a QR code printed on the invoice that encodes your payment details or a payment link. The client scans it with their phone camera or banking app, and the payment screen opens pre-filled — no retyping your IBAN, no transposed digits, no missing payment reference.
What should the invoice QR code link to?
Whatever gets you paid fastest in your market: an EPC/SEPA credit-transfer payload for European bank transfers, or a hosted payment link from your payment provider. The app accepts any valid link, so you choose the destination.
Is the payment QR code free?
Payment QR codes are a Pro feature in Quick Invoice Generator PDF. Everything else about the invoice — line items, VAT breakdown, PDF export — works on the free plan.