EPC QR code generator (GiroCode) for SEPA bank transfers
An EPC QR code puts a euro bank transfer into one scan. The payer opens their banking app, scans the code on your invoice, checks the filled-in transfer and confirms it, with no IBAN to type.
The format is set by the European Payments Council in its guideline EPC069-12, so one code works with every banking app that supports it. German banks promote it as GiroCode, Austrian banks as Zahlen mit Code, and many banking apps in the Netherlands, Belgium and Finland read it too. Support depends on the payer's bank, so scan your own code with a banking app before you send invoices out.
What goes into the code
- Who gets paid: the account holder's name, up to 70 characters.
- IBAN: checked with the standard IBAN check digits, so a typo is caught before you print.
- Amount (optional): in euros, from 0.01 to 999,999,999.99. Leave it empty and the payer types the amount.
- Payment note (optional): an invoice number or a short message, up to 140 characters.
- BIC (optional): within the EEA the IBAN is enough; add the BIC only if a bank asks for it.
Codeshed writes version 002 of the format in UTF-8, always at error-correction level M as the guideline requires, and test-scans the result before you download it.
What it cannot do
- It is for euro transfers only. Swiss QR-bills (francs), Polish transfer codes (złoty) and Brazilian PIX use other standards, and Codeshed does not make them.
- It does not move money or check that an account exists. It fills in the transfer form, and the payer still confirms the payment in their own app.
- A printed code cannot be changed. If the amount or the IBAN changes, make a new code.
How to make one
- Open the bank payment code in the studio.
- Enter the name and IBAN, and if you like the amount and the invoice number. The preview updates as you type.
- Download SVG or PDF for an invoice template, or PNG for an email or a web page.
- Scan the result with a banking app before you send it out.
Everything happens in your browser: the name and IBAN you type are never sent to Codeshed. The code is static, so it keeps working for as long as the account does, with no subscription behind it.
Sources
Fields and limits follow the European Payments Council guideline EPC069-12, Quick Response Code: Guidelines to Enable Data Capture for the Initiation of a SEPA Credit Transfer (europeanpaymentscouncil.eu). A summary of where it is used is on Wikipedia.
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Codeshed’s batch maker for up to 1,000 QR codes or barcodes from a list, a spreadsheet or running numbers comes with Codeshed Plus, the app subscription.
Codeshed is a trading name of Third Coffee Studio Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 17517422.