Tarif 595 explained

Tarif 595 is the Switzerland-wide standard for the receipts your customers submit to their supplementary health insurance to claim back part of what they paid for a subscription or course. It becomes mandatory on 1 January 2027, and from that date receipts written on your own template will no longer be accepted.

This guide explains what that means in practice. Every statement links to the official document it comes from.

What Tarif 595 is

Its full official name is Tarif 595 – Ambulante gesundheitsfördernde Leistungen VVG: a Switzerland-wide tariff used to bill health-promotion and prevention services (FAQ 1.1).

It governs supplementary insurance (VVG) — the part of Swiss health insurance that may contribute towards gym memberships, yoga courses and prevention programmes. It has nothing to do with basic insurance (KVG).

Tarif 595 replaces the handwritten Abonnementsbestätigung and every provider's own invoice template with one uniform, machine-readable document that any Swiss health insurer can process.

Where it comes from

The health insurers built it jointly with the certification bodies.

• Helsana states that it developed a uniform tariff for outpatient health-promotion services together with other health insurers and the responsible quality labels and certification bodies (Helsana provider page).
• Responsibility for the tariff's content lies with the participants of the Runder Tisch Gesundheitsförderung — health insurers together with associations, certification bodies and quality labels (Wegleitung §1.4).
• Tariff numbers are administered centrally by Forum Datenaustausch, the Swiss standards body for healthcare data exchange, with a central repository ensuring uniform use (Wegleitung §1.4).
• Qualitop, one of the certification bodies at the round table, describes the background: the methods of health promotion were systematically ordered in 2025 and the tariff developed further, because digitalisation requires clear, uniform standards to process growing invoice volumes (Qualitop).

How it is structured

Tarif 595 is a Pauschaltarif — a flat-rate tariff. Each position represents a whole subscription, and the tariff contains no taxpoint values and no prices at all (Wegleitung §1.1).

What Tarif 595 does not do

Four common misunderstandings, all addressed directly in the official FAQ.

Tarif 595 governs the form of the document. Reimbursement depends on certification and insurer recognition plus the customer's own policy.

Who it applies to

Tarif 595 covers outpatient services of health-promotion professionals — subscriptions, course fees and consultation costs in four areas (Wegleitung §1.2):

• Flat-rate subscriptions for fitness and health centres, movement studios, other facilities, plus clubs and sports promotion
• Group courses and personal training in endurance and strength, body-and-mind training, various course offerings, specific training offerings, and maternity
• Subscription add-ons for fitness and health centres, movement studios and course providers
• Lifestyle group courses and individual consultation

Helsana groups its recognised health-promotion offerings as fitness, back and body school, pregnancy, courses for nutrition, relaxation and movement, and sports promotion (Helsana provider page).

The Wegleitung notes that positions are not graded by competence and take no account of qualifications or diplomas. They do not map to professions as the certification bodies understand them — they correspond to the methods of the health-promotion sector (Wegleitung §1.2).

Which activities are covered

The reference document is the Methodengruppierung (version 04.02.2026), which lists the methods of health promotion with named examples. It is explicitly independent of health insurers and of cost coverage — it organises methods, it does not promise payment. Everything in this section is drawn from that document.

Body-and-mind training

Yoga — named examples include i-yoga, Forrest Yoga, Luna Yoga, Anusara Yoga, AntiGravity Yoga, Air Yoga, Bikram Yoga, Jivamukti Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Kriya Yoga, Sivananda Yoga, TriYoga, Fünf Tibeter, Yogilates and Kinderyoga, plus comparable offerings with a yoga focus.

Also in this group: Qigong, Tai-Chi, mindfulness training (split by focus — stress reduction and resilience, sleep and relaxation, body awareness and movement), Sophrologie, autogenic training, Eutonie, Alexander Technique, Spiraldynamik, Feldenkrais, Zilgrei, and body-and-mind training for adults performed together with babies and children. Waldbaden / Shinrin Yoku appears as the outdoor entry.

Where similar-sounding activities actually sit

Intuition is unreliable here, so it is worth checking rather than assuming.

The remaining groups

• Endurance and strength (indoor) — aerobics, strength training (two groups), endurance training, indoor cycling/spinning, indoor rowing, trampoline training, vibration training, electrical stimulation (EMS), isokinetic training, electromagnetic stimulation (pelvic floor and other body parts), climbing and bouldering, partner dance, solo dance, hip-hop, light martial arts and light karate without body contact, parent-child movement classes
• Endurance and strength (outdoor) — walking and Nordic walking, running and trail running, hiking, cycling, rollersport, rowing, outdoor strength training and bootcamps, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating, buggy fitness
• Water — aqua fitness and its variants, swimming lessons and training for all ages, water classes for adults with babies
• Specific training offerings — programmes aimed at people with heart, lung, rheumatic (including Bechterew), osteoporosis, cancer, back, pelvic floor, metabolic, neurodegenerative or dementia conditions, and fall-prevention training
• Various course offerings — brain fitness training, breathing gymnastics
• Maternity — pregnancy gymnastics and pilates, birth preparation, hypnobirthing, mindfulness for pregnancy and birth, acupuncture for birth preparation, birth accompaniment and massage, postnatal recovery gymnastics and pilates, breastfeeding advice, babywearing advice, baby massage courses
• Lifestyle — health coaching and lifestyle counselling, psychological health counselling, preventive nutrition counselling, self-management and health-literacy courses, nutrition courses, courses for family carers, courses for people with chronic conditions, smoking cessation, first-aid and infant-care courses, obesity, diabetes, nutrition and weight programmes including app-based ones

Add-ons and extras

A separate Zusätze chapter covers training on the training floor with or without sauna and wellness, Groupfitness packages, other facilities (climbing halls, indoor and outdoor pools, wellness areas, ice rinks), club membership and sports promotion, and extras such as registration fees, parking, badge fees, shower use, missed-appointment charges, supplements, drinks, childcare, training material (massage ball, yoga mat, fascia roller), solarium, and asynchronous online offerings.

Complementary medicine: Tarif 590, not 595

Under Tarif 590, preventive treatments are named as measures to increase wellbeing or wellness treatments, measures for early detection or prevention of illness, and measures to avoid relapse after successful therapy — applying to both group and individual sessions (FAQ 5.1).

Two situations worth knowing:

Group courses run by a complementary therapist

For example Feldenkrais courses — these still go through Tarif 590 with treatment reason “Prävention”. Because Tarif 590 has no position for group work and insurers require transparent declaration, the group course or group therapy must be identified in the remarks field (FAQ 5.2).

Holding two ZSR numbers

For example one for complementary medicine and one for fitness — the services must be invoiced separately, with health-promotion services clearly separated from complementary and alternative medicine. Health-promotion services go on the fitness ZSR under Tarif 595; complementary services go on the complementary ZSR under Tarif 590 (FAQ 5.3).

If a business sits near this line, the certification body is the right place to clarify before choosing software. Further detail on Tarif 590 is available in its own FAQ, from certification bodies, or from professional associations (FAQ 5.1).

Certification and insurer recognition

This section addresses the point that is most often misunderstood. There are two separate questions with different answers.

Is certification needed to use Tarif 595?

No. Providers who belong to no association and are not registered with a certification body must still switch their invoices, because the tariff and standard are valid independently of association membership or certification body (FAQ 1.5).

Is certification needed for customers to be reimbursed?

In practice, yes. Reimbursement depends on the insurer recognising the provider, and recognition runs through the quality labels and certification bodies. Helsana states that its recognised health-promotion providers are in particular fitness centres and course providers certified by a quality label or certification body it recognises, along with all fitness centres inside hospitals and medical, chiropractic and physiotherapy practices (Helsana provider page).

Three things follow from that page and the FAQ:

• Tarif 595 does not create recognition. Applying it has no effect on recognition, and requirements continue to differ per area and per insurer (FAQ 1.3).
• Recognition is not a right. Helsana states there is no entitlement to recognition as a service provider or for particular offerings or courses, and that its published conditions apply until further notice and may be adjusted.
• Switching to Tarif 595 requires no new certification. The tariff has no effect on registration — registration is how qualification is demonstrated, and the tariff concerns invoicing only (FAQ 1.2).

The certification bodies

Helsana names these four as its recognised quality labels and certification bodies, while noting the list is not exhaustive, because conditions for recognition and cost coverage are defined differently for each area (Helsana provider page).

Because every insurer sets its own conditions, checking directly with the insurers your customers actually use is worthwhile. Questions about recognition criteria at Helsana go to fachfuehrung.gesundheitsfoerderung@helsana.ch.

ZSR and GLN numbers

Every Tarif 595 receipt carries both numbers. Both come from the certification bodies.

Helsana directs all ZSR and GLN questions to the certification body (Helsana provider page).

Instructors without their own ZSR number continue to have their services handled through the course provider and that provider's ZSR number, as before (FAQ 4.14).

Which ZSR appears on the receipt: always that of the service provider — the fitness centre or course provider — where the course actually takes place (FAQ 3.9).

Software requirements

From 1 January 2027 the invoice form must be produced via a professional software provider, using the newest invoicing standard, version XML 5.0 (Wegleitung ch. 2).

The corresponding restriction is the operative one: self-issued invoice documents are no longer accepted by health insurers (Wegleitung ch. 2 and ch. 6). Own templates in Word or Excel, however carefully made, will not work.

There is no minimum size or price implied. Software providers offer solutions for different needs, from free versions to fully developed professional applications (FAQ 2.4).

Where to find providers

Listed at that date: Softplus Web (Softplus Health AG) · OptaMed and Easy595 (OptaSoft SARL) · Fitness Classification (SFGV) · Medical Invoice (Sumex AG) · fitflowPro (Swiss FitAdmin Solutions AG) · SportsNow (SportsNow GmbH) · PIA Fitness (mañana GmbH).

The list itself notes that it does not claim to be complete and is provided without warranty, so other compliant products may exist. It also marks which products are suitable for use by visually impaired providers.

The FAQ and Wegleitung point to the websites of certification bodies and insurers as the place to find provider lists (FAQ 2.4). Costs are not published in any official document. They must be obtained from the vendors directly.

Dates, deadlines and what to do when

Tarif 595 is already in use

Helsana states that billing outpatient health-promotion services under Tarif 595 is currently required for electronic billing (eTG) (Helsana provider page). The tariff is therefore live and in production today — it simply is not yet compulsory for everyone.

Timeline

A sensible sequence

1. Establish whether the business falls under 595 or 590. The certification body can confirm.
2. Confirm that a ZSR and a GLN are in place, or request them.
3. Choose software and issue test receipts on real subscriptions while there is still time to correct problems.
4. Begin collecting the additional customer data at sign-up now, rather than retroactively from an entire membership base in December.
5. Ensure subscriptions issued from January 2027 use the new format.
6. Each January, check that the software has the updated tariff loaded.

What goes on the receipt

All field requirements below come from the Wegleitung, chapters 3 to 5.

Customer data

The Wegleitung requires all fields from name through sex and insured number to canton to be completed, and separately requires the address field and the AHV number field. Depending on the software, these can be linked to an existing customer database.

• Name and first name
• Street, postcode, town
• Date of birth
• Sex
• Insured number (Versicherten-Nr.)
• Canton
• AHV number
• A legal representative — parents, for example — where applicable
• The GLN of the customer's health insurer, entered in the field beside the customer name; these are stored in the software and selected from a list

Provider data

• Rechnungssteller — GLN and ZSR of the invoice issuer, for example the head office or administrative location of the centre, studio or course provider
• Leistungserbringer — GLN (Provider), GLN (Location) and ZSR (Provider) of the centre, studio or course provider

Fields that are the same on every receipt

Service lines, payment and empty fields

Service lines

A line consists of date, tariff, tariff position, quantity and price per unit; the amount is calculated automatically from quantity and price. The price is given per unit — per monthly subscription, or per single lesson.

Payment details

IBAN and account for the bank connection, currency, any down payment, the payment term, and the VAT number for providers who are VAT-liable. Where VAT liability is set to yes, the corresponding VAT code goes in the MWST column, and the Wegleitung advises checking the current legal requirements.

Fields left empty

Case date and case number, VEKA number, KoGu date and number, diagnosis, remarks, and the partner fields — referrer, employer, case manager, service provider — are all noted as not relevant for health promotion.

Rules that cause rejected claims

These four rules come from the Wegleitung and the FAQ, and each is stated emphatically in the source.

The line date is the subscription start date — and only that

It must correspond to the start of the subscription and may not be changed at a customer's request, for example to 1 January (Wegleitung §4.1, FAQ 3.8).

Every page goes to the customer

All pages must always be handed over or sent, because the customer has to submit all pages to the insurer (Wegleitung ch. 6).

Once printed, the document is final

After printing the invoice can no longer be modified, and a QR code is generated automatically and printed on it as an anti-fraud measure (Wegleitung ch. 6).

Own documents are not permitted

No own invoice documents may be generated; they will no longer be accepted by health insurers (Wegleitung ch. 6).

Tariff positions and where to find them

Terminology

Three terms are easy to confuse, and the Wegleitung §1.3 defines each precisely.

Tarifnummer

The number identifying the whole tariff. For health promotion this is always 595, and it never changes. TARMED, by comparison, is 001.

Tarifziffer

The number of the individual service position within the tariff. This is what is selected per line. The worked example given is position 1001, Training auf der Trainingsfläche, pro 1 Monat, covering equipment-based training on the training floor, for example in a classic fitness centre.

Tarifziffertext

The description belonging to the position. It may not be altered.

Where the official list lives

The authoritative source is the Excel file published by Forum Datenaustausch. Tarif 595 is published there and available to all service providers (FAQ 1.1).

The file has already been revised once, between April and June 2026 — so lists reproduced in blog posts or newsletters go out of date. Compliant software carries the positions internally; the file is mainly needed for checking something or querying a vendor.

Rules for choosing a position

From Wegleitung §4.3, where a selection list of health-promotion methods is offered in the Tarifziffer column:

• Chapter numbers 1 to 6 and the chapter names follow the Methodengruppierung
• Some positions represent groups of offerings listed in the description, and in some cases that list is exhaustive: it must be adhered to, and own interpretations are not permitted
• Positions reflect the subscription categories per lesson / per session, per month, and in some cases per year
• They distinguish between training delivered on site and training delivered exclusively live online (synchronous) — recordings are not included in that
• Depending on the method, they distinguish group courses from personal training / individual setting

Three positions worth knowing by name

Definitions that determine which position applies

Billing common subscription types

From FAQ 3.3 to 3.8 and 4.11.

For questions on individual cases, the FAQ directs providers to their certification body or quality label, or to one of the health insurers participating in the round table.

Electronic submission with eTG

eTG — elektronischer Tiers Garant — sends the receipt directly to the insurer instead of handing it to the customer on paper. Its use is currently voluntary and independent of the health insurer (FAQ ch. 6).

How it works

Per the Helsana provider page, the transition happens in a few steps: customer and subscription data are entered into the invoicing software; the tariff positions are set directly with Tarif 595; the eTG invoice is transmitted via the MediData network to the health insurer; the insurer checks the invoice and reimburses its customers directly, taking the supplementary-insurance conditions into account; and the customer pays the subscription invoice as usual, having signed a consent declaration for electronic transmission of the reimbursement slip at contract signing.

Stated benefits

Time saved and greater efficiency in handling confirmations and reimbursement slips, a reduced error rate through completeness checking, legibility and transparency, savings on paper and postage, and for customers, no separate delivery of documents to the insurer (FAQ 6.1).

Requirements

• MediData participant contract. Transmission runs via MediData, and sending electronic reimbursement slips over the MediData network requires a participant contract; registration can be completed directly at medidata.ch
• Customer consent declaration. The customer completes this once, for example in the subscription contract, and the signature accepts transmission via eTG (FAQ 6.4). Helsana describes it as an agreement between the centre and its customers, and directs providers to their label or certifier
• Fees. Details come from MediData, the certification body and the software provider (FAQ 6.2). No figures appear in the official documents

Two operating rules

No double submission

Combining eTG with a paper invoice is possible, but to avoid duplication the customer must not submit the paper invoice to the insurer — the insurer receives it via eTG and processes it from there (FAQ 6.3, Wegleitung ch. 6).

Cancellations are total only

Cancelling a sent eTG invoice is possible and necessary after an input error, or where a customer withdraws from the contract within 14 days. Only a total cancellation of the whole invoice can be made — no partial cancellation. If the subscription duration changes, the entire invoice is cancelled and the adjusted invoice resubmitted via eTG (FAQ 6.5).

Helsana notes that a document on eTG connection for Fitness-Guide certified centres was still in preparation at the time of writing, and directs providers certified elsewhere to their own certifier.

Answers to common customer questions

• Does this receipt mean the cost will be reimbursed?

  No. Using Tarif 595 offers no guarantee that services are reimbursed by the insurer; insurers are free in their conditions in the supplementary-insurance area, and each decides independently whether and which services it reimburses under its own terms (FAQ 4.13). It depends on the individual policy.

• Will a smaller insurer be able to read it?

  Yes. Tarif 595 is a Switzerland-wide tariff that health insurers outside the Versichererteam Gesundheitsförderung can also read, and the invoicing standard can be processed by all insurers (FAQ 1.4).

• Can the date be moved into the new year?

  No. The “Gültig ab” date must correspond to the subscription start and may not be changed at the customer's request (FAQ 3.8).

• Is one page enough?

  No. All pages must be handed over or sent, because all pages have to be submitted to the insurer (Wegleitung ch. 6).

• What if the customer does not want a personal copy?

  Where a customer wants only the copy for the insurer, the Kopie field can be set to “Nein” (Wegleitung §3.8).

Where to get help

Qualitop runs workshops on Tarif 595. The SFGV lists webinars, FAQ and a Wegleitung as part of the rollout for Fitness-Guide certified centres (SFGV).

Official documents

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This guide summarises publicly available official documentation as of 16 August 2026. Section references are to the 03.03.2026 versions of the FAQ and Wegleitung; the tariff file referenced is dated 03.06.2026. Conditions for recognition and cost coverage differ by insurer and by area, and Helsana notes its published conditions may be adjusted — confirmation with the relevant insurer and certification body is always advisable. Where the official sources give no figure, such as software, certification or eTG costs, that is stated rather than estimated.