Goodbye Abonnementsbestätigung: Tarif 595 explained for Swiss gyms

Oct 5, 2026 • Sahin U.

If you run a certified gym in Switzerland, the paperwork your members use to claim money back from their health insurer (Krankenkasse) is changing. From 1 January 2027, a self-made confirmation or a Word template will no longer be accepted.

That's less than three months away. Here's what Tarif 595 is, what changes, and what you need to do. And there's good news at the end.

What is Tarif 595?

Many Swiss gym members with supplementary health insurance (Zusatzversicherung, VVG) can claim back part of their gym membership. How much is refunded depends on their insurer and policy.

It only works if the gym holds a recognised quality label: Qualitop, Qualicert, or others.

The process is simple. The member pays the gym, the gym issues a confirmation, and the member sends it to their insurer (the Tiers Garant model).

Tarif 595 is the Swiss-wide tariff for health-promotion services, such as fitness memberships, group courses, personal training and online offers. It sets how these services are documented for insurers. It was revised recently, and from 2027 it's mandatory.

What changes on 1 January 2027

From that date, Tarif 595 is required for all health-promotion providers. In practice:

Receipts must come from software: Insurers will only accept receipts produced by professional software using the national invoice standard (XML 5.0) set by Forum Datenaustausch. Homemade PDFs and templates will no longer be accepted.
New document, new name: The standardised Rückforderungsbeleg replaces the old Abonnementsbestätigung.
QR codes, no edits: Each Rückforderungsbeleg carries a QR code that insurers can scan. It can't be corrected by hand after it's issued.
Official tariff positions: Services are billed with official Tarifziffern instead of free-text descriptions.
GLN number required: Besides your ZSR number, you'll need a GLN number. Both are issued by your certification body.
Yearly updates: Tariff positions can change, usually on 1 January each year.

What your members receive

Members receive receipts for their membership and payment. For the insurance claim, they hand in two of them:

Rückforderungsbeleg: the refund receipt
Barcodeblatt: a barcode sheet with QR codes the insurer scans

What it means for gym owners

You need software that supports Tarif 595: Every receipt issued from 1 January 2027 has to follow the new standard.
Get your numbers in order: You need a ZSR and a GLN number, both issued by your certification body. If you already have a GLN, you can keep using it. Running several locations or working with multiple coaches? Check with your certification body which numbers you need. Each location gets its own GLN, and coaches may need their own too.
Map your memberships: Every membership type in your offer needs to be assigned to the correct tariff position.
Collect more member data: Each Rückforderungsbeleg needs the member's AHV number and their insurance details, including their insured-person number. These must be recorded before the receipt is created. Members can't add them by hand afterwards. The easiest way: collect them once from your current members, then make it part of your sign-up.
Expect stricter rules: Receipts are tied to the membership term, not to individual payments. The start date is the real start of the membership and can't be moved on request. Multi-year memberships are listed year by year. Mistakes can't be fixed by editing: the receipt is cancelled and a new one issued.
Your pricing doesn't change: Tarif 595 sets the format, not the price. You set your prices as before.
Existing memberships keep running: Nobody needs a new contract. Only the receipt your members get changes.

You don't have to wait for January, either. Once your software and numbers are in place, you can start issuing Tarif 595 receipts right away.

The risk of waiting: if your system isn't ready in January, your members can't claim.

What it means for members

How you pay and claim stays the same. You pay the gym and send the receipt to your insurer.
You'll get receipts for your membership and payment. Send the Rückforderungsbeleg and the Barcodeblatt to your insurer.
Your gym will ask for your AHV number and insurance details once. This is required by the new standard. Without it, the gym can't issue your receipt.
Your policy still decides. A correct Rückforderungsbeleg means your insurer can process your claim. It doesn't guarantee a payout. Check your supplementary policy for what's covered.

What you can do today

You can already prepare for the switch by:

confirming your ZSR and GLN numbers with your certification body
collecting AHV numbers and insurance details from your members

The good news: what Boxbase is doing

We're building Tarif 595 support directly into Boxbase for Swiss gyms:

Automatic receipts: Rückforderungsbelege are generated from the membership data you already keep in Boxbase.
Self-service for members: members get their receipts automatically and can download them anytime in the app.
One place for admins: manage, check and send receipts from your dashboard.
No extra tools: no separate billing software and no manual paperwork.

Release is planned for October/November, well before the 1 January 2027 deadline, so you have time to check your data before it counts.