If you practise as a complementary medicine therapist in Switzerland — naturopath, osteopath, reflexologist, acupuncturist, medical massage therapist or any other recognised discipline — Tarif 590 is your daily billing tool. Yet many practitioners still make mistakes that delay their patients' reimbursements.
This guide covers everything you need to know in 2026: how the tariff works, codes by discipline, the mandatory DataMatrix, QR-Bill, required numbers, and the most common mistakes.
Tarif 590 is the standardised billing system for complementary medicine in Switzerland. It was developed to allow supplementary health insurance companies (VVG/LCA — Insurance Contract Act) to process invoices uniformly.
Unlike Tarmed (used by medical doctors) or Tarif 312 (physiotherapy under KVG/LAMal), Tarif 590 exclusively covers services reimbursed by supplementary insurance. It is managed by the industry's umbrella organisations.
Who is concerned? Any therapist recognised by ASCA, RME or EMR who bills supplementary insurance. This includes: naturopaths, osteopaths, acupuncturists, ayurveda therapists, reflexologists, medical massage therapists, kinesiology, sophrology, and many other disciplines.
Tarif 590 works on a system of 5-minute periods. Each session is broken down into periods, and each period is billed at a fixed price that you set.
Calculation elements:
Concrete example:
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Session duration | 60 minutes |
| Number of periods | 12 (60 / 5) |
| Tariff code | 1062 (Classic massage) |
| Price per period | CHF 12.00 |
| TPV | 1.00 |
| Invoice total | CHF 144.00 |
VAT note: recognised complementary medicine services are VAT-exempt under Art. 21 para. 2 no. 3 of the LTVA (RS 641.20). If you are exempt, the note «Exempt (Art. 21 para. 2 no. 3 LTVA)» must appear on your invoice.
Each discipline has its own 4-digit code starting with 1 (codes starting with 7 are reserved for Tarif 312 — physiotherapy). Here are the most common codes:
| Code | Discipline |
|---|---|
| 1062 | Classic massage (incl. therapeutic, colon) |
| 1004 | Acupuncture (incl. electro, laser, moxa, auricular) |
| 1200 | Anamnesis / assessment / diagnosis (general code) |
| 1085 | Phytotherapy (incl. spagyric) |
| 1052 | Foot reflexology |
| 1066 | Manual lymphatic drainage |
| 1203 | Osteopathy |
| 1060 | Kinesiology |
| 1100 | Shiatsu |
| 1102 | Sophrology / Caycedian Sophrology |
| 1215 | Ayurveda (KT therapy) |
| 1057 | Homeopathy (treatment / consultation) |
If your discipline is not listed here, consult the complete list on the ASCA website or contact your professional association. The code must always match the discipline for which you are recognised.
Since 2022, Swiss supplementary insurance companies require a DataMatrix code on every Tarif 590 invoice. This 2D code (standard ISO/IEC 16022) contains the information needed for identification and automatic processing of the invoice.
The DataMatrix contains (127 bytes, # separator):
Important: without a valid DataMatrix, supplementary insurance companies may refuse reimbursement. This is the most common mistake among therapists who bill manually.
Since 30 September 2022, the old payment slips (BVR) have been replaced by the QR-Bill (standard SIX Group IG v2.3). Each invoice must now include a Swiss Payment QR code allowing the patient to pay directly via their banking app or Twint.
Mandatory QR-Bill elements:
Swiss rounding: amounts are rounded to the nearest 5 centimes (commercial rounding, not banking). For example, CHF 143.62 becomes CHF 143.60, and CHF 143.63 becomes CHF 143.65.
To issue compliant Tarif 590 invoices, you need three numbers:
1. RCC Number (Creditor Code Register)
Issued by SASIS SA (santésuisse subsidiary). Format: letter + 6 digits + dot + 2 digits (e.g. K123456.12). This number identifies you as a service provider with insurance companies. Mandatory to bill supplementary insurance.
2. GLN (Global Location Number)
13-digit number that identifies your place of practice. Obtain it from your association (ASCA, RME) or directly via Refdata. Required for the DataMatrix.
3. Swiss IBAN
Your Swiss bank account (CH... format) for the QR-Bill. If you have a QR-IBAN (IID 30000-31999), the reference will be a 27-digit QR Reference. Otherwise, a SCOR reference (ISO 11649) is used.
There are several tariffs for therapists in Switzerland. Here are the main differences:
| Criterion | Tarif 590 | Tarif 312 | Tarif 581 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disciplines | Compl. medicine | Physiotherapy | Psychotherapy |
| Applicable law | VVG (suppl.) | KVG / VVG | KVG |
| Codes | 1xxx | 7xxx | PA/PB/PE/PK/PL/PN/PW |
| Prescription | Not required | Required | Required |
| DataMatrix | Required | No | No |
| Reimbursement | Per VVG contract | Base (KVG) | Base (KVG) |
Sources : FOPH — Health insurance, LAMal (RS 832.10).
Incorrect tariff code — using a 7xxx code in a 590 invoice or a 1xxx code in a 312 invoice. Insurance companies systematically reject these.
Missing or invalid DataMatrix — forgetting the DataMatrix or generating a code with incomplete data (missing GLN, absent date of birth).
Miscalculated periods — billing 10 periods for 60 minutes (correct: 12 periods). Some therapists round down.
Missing RCC or GLN number — billing without a valid RCC. The insurance cannot verify your recognition and refuses reimbursement.
Incorrect rounding — not rounding to 5 centimes (Swiss standard). A total of CHF 143.62 must be billed as CHF 143.60, not CHF 143.62.
Therago is a Swiss software designed specifically for therapists. It automates the entire Tarif 590 billing process:
All data is individually encrypted (AES-256-GCM) and hosted exclusively in Switzerland (Geneva), in compliance with the new Data Protection Act (nDPA/nLPD, RS 235.1).
Billing with Tarif 590? Therago generates your compliant invoices in a few clicks.
30-day free trialNo credit card. Data hosted in Switzerland.