Payment solutions for Swiss associations – 5 practical guides

In Switzerland, there are over 100,000 associations – and almost every one of them is faced with the question sooner or later: How do I collect membership fees, donations, tickets, and festival revenues digitally? Whether cashless at the association's festival, membership fees via payment link, donations through an online form, merch and tickets in the association's shop, or a central platform for the entire association – our five guides show you step-by-step for every payment occasion how to set up the right solution, what it costs, and which Swiss providers are suitable.

This overview page summarises all five guides and helps you to find the right entry point – whether you are planning an association festival, want to modernise the annual collection of membership fees, or as an umbrella association want to bring 50 sections under one platform.

Guide 1: Cashless collection at the association's festival

QR code · Tap to Pay · Card terminal · Festival catering

At the association's festival, bratwurst and a lack of cash meet: visitors have no cash, helpers juggle with change, and at 23:00 the treasurer is still rolling coins. This guide compares three methods for cashless collection at the stand – printed QR code (CHF 0 hardware), Tap to Pay on the helper's smartphone, and a mobile card terminal – and shows you how to get ready to start in 30 minutes.

For whom: Sports clubs (amateur football tournament, home game catering), music associations (annual concert with bar), scouts (district festival stand), shooting clubs (village festival), any association with 1–4 festivals per year.

Core topics: Three methods compared (8 criteria), cost calculation for 80–200 transactions, setup instructions per method, billing for association accounting, three practical examples (football tournament, concert, scout flea market).

→ To the guide: Cashless collection at the association's festival

Guide 2: Collecting membership fees digitally

Payment link · Recurring · QR invoice · Association software

The annual collection of membership fees is the biggest time-killer for every association treasurer: Excel lists, sending out QR invoices, chasing up for weeks, writing reminders. A payment link (Paylink) by email solves the problem: the member clicks, chooses TWINT or credit card, and pays in seconds. The treasurer sees the payment immediately. This guide compares four methods – from the paying-in slip to the association software – and calculates from when the switch is worth it.

For whom: Any association with 30+ members that collects annual or seasonal fees. Particularly valuable for gymnastics clubs, music associations, choirs, and martial arts clubs with monthly fees.

Core topics: Four methods compared (Excel vs. Paylink vs. webshop vs. association software), cost calculation for 200 members at CHF 120 each, recurring payments (Recurring), practical example "Gymnastics club: from 6 weeks to 12 days", step-by-step guide.

→ To the guide: Collecting membership fees digitally

Guide 3: Collecting donations as a Swiss association

Donation form · QR code donation · Recurring Donations · Tax basics

For non-profit associations, support associations, animal associations, and social projects, donations are the main source of income. This guide shows you how to set up an online donation form with a logo and suggested amounts, offering QR code donations on-site at the stand or on flyers, and automating patrons' contributions as recurring donations. Additionally, it explains the tax basics: When is an association allowed to issue donation receipts, and what is needed for the cantonal tax exemption?

For whom: Non-profit associations, support associations, animal shelters, parents' associations, charities, social projects – all associations where donations are a central source of income.

Core topics: Four donation channels (form, QR, Paylink, Recurring), provider comparison (RaiseNow vs. PSP vs. association software), TWINT-only QR vs. multi-payment method QR, patron levels, tax exemption and donation receipt, cost calculation for CHF 15,000 donation volume.

→ To the guide: Collecting donations as a Swiss association

Guide 4: Association shop – selling merch, tickets, and courses online

Mini webshop · Fan shop · Ticket sales · Course registration with payment

Ordering shirts via WhatsApp, paying for concert tickets via bank transfer, reserving course slots with a handshake – it works until orders go under and payments are missing. A mini webshop shows the offer, takes the order, and collects the payment in one step. Without coding knowledge, without your own website, set up in under an hour.

For whom: Sports clubs (shirts, caps, water bottles), cultural associations (concert tickets, theatre), course associations (yoga 10-ticket subscription, cooking course single booking), any association that wants to sell 3–20 products online.

Core topics: Three use cases (fan shop, ticket shop, course registration), comparison table (own webshop vs. mini webshop vs. social media), combination of on-site + online (pre-order + collection at the event), cost calculation for 50 orders/month, step-by-step setup.

→ To the guide: Creating an association shop

Guide 5: Payment solution for associations – one platform for all sections

Platform · Split Payment · Sub-Merchants · Association reporting

Umbrella organisations with 20–500 sections face a structural problem: each section has its own payment solution (or none at all), the association has zero overview and has to request the association's share manually. The solution: A central payment platform where each section gets its own account with its own branding and its own payout. Via Split Payment, the association's share is automatically deducted from each transaction. No content in the Swiss market covers this topic – this guide is the first.

For whom: Cantonal sports associations, professional associations with continuing education offers, music associations with regional sections, umbrella organisations with a section structure.

Core topics: Three architecture models (decentralised vs. platform vs. white label), Split Payment explained, sub-merchant onboarding, two reporting levels, three scenarios (sports association, professional association, music association), regulatory aspects (AMLA, FINMA, SRO), cost comparison with 40 sections and CHF 500,000 volume.

→ To the guide: Payment solution for associations

Which guide fits your association?

All five guides at a glance – sorted by payment occasion, Payrexx product, and typical association type.

All prices excl. VAT. Fees apply to Swiss consumer cards and TWINT. Status 2026, guide values.

Accounting and billing for associations

No matter which payment solution your association chooses – at the end of the event or the collection cycle, the cash register must balance. Modern Payment Service Providers provide you with an online Dashboard with daily closing, CSV export, and breakdown by payment method. This significantly eases the work of the association's treasurer and the audit by the review body.

Booking in the Swiss SME chart of accounts: You book PSP transaction fees as bank charges (account 6840) – without VAT deduction, as payment services are tax-exempt according to Art. 21 para. 2 no. 19 VAT ACT. A transit account (e.g. 1090) neatly reflects the time delay between member payment and payout to the association's account.

For most Swiss associations, the following applies: As long as the annual turnover remains below CHF 100,000 and the association is not registered in the commercial register as commercial, no value-added tax is due. Income from membership fees, donations, festivals, and shop sales is booked as revenue in the association's accounting – regardless of whether cash or cashless payments were collected.

All association payments from a single source

With Payrexx, you combine QR code payments, Paylinks, and a mini webshop through a single merchant account – with consolidated billing and payout to your Swiss association IBAN. Non-profit organisations receive a 50 % discount on paid subscriptions.