# A PIX QR code for a small business — the complete counter setup

> A static PIX QR with a random EVP key covers counter payments at zero cost — the customer scans, types the amount, and pays instantly. Print the code at 4 cm or larger with the copia e cola string and your business name beside it, and reconcile payments from your bank or PSP statement.

Source: https://useqr.app/docs/payments/pix-qr-for-small-business · Last reviewed 2026-08-21 · UseQR is free forever, MIT licensed, no signup.

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## The setup in four steps

1. **Register a random (EVP) key** in your bank's app. Of the five
   [PIX key types](/docs/payments/pix-key-types), the EVP is the only one that reveals
   nothing when printed and can be rotated later without changing accounts. Do not print
   your CPF.
2. **Generate a [static code](/docs/payments/pix-static-vs-dynamic-qr)** with the
   [PIX builder](/pix): key, business name (max **25 ASCII characters**), city (max **15**).
   Leave the amount empty for a counter code.
3. **Print it properly** — size, contrast, quiet zone below.
4. **Test before laminating**: scan with two different banking apps and confirm the name
   shown on the confirmation screen is yours.

Total cost: nothing. Receiving PIX into a personal account is free; for business accounts,
whether your bank or PSP charges to receive is their commercial decision — check your
account terms, not a generator's marketing.

## Amount in the code, or typed by the customer?

For a counter serving varied baskets, **leave field 54 empty**. The customer scans, types
the total you tell them, and confirms. One code covers every sale.

Fix the amount in the code only where the price is genuinely fixed — a set-menu lunch, a
service with one price, an invoice with the total printed on it. A fixed-amount code for a
variable-price counter forces you to generate and swap codes constantly, which is how codes
end up wrong.

## Printing the counter code

- **Size:** the [10:1 rule](/docs/print/qr-code-size-for-print) — minimum code width is
  roughly scan distance divided by 10. A counter scan happens at 30–50 cm, so print at
  **4–5 cm minimum**. Check your exact case with the [size calculator](/size-calculator).
- **Contrast and quiet zone:** dark modules on a light background, **≥ 4 modules** of clear
  space on every side. Run the [print checklist](/docs/print/qr-code-print-checklist) before
  committing to a laminated standee.
- **Copia e cola:** print the [payload string](/docs/payments/pix-copia-e-cola) small
  beneath the code. It rescues customers whose cameras struggle and costs one line.
- **Your name, large.** The dominant PIX fraud is a sticker pasted over a genuine code. Your
  printed business name should match what the app displays from field 59, so a mismatch on
  the confirmation screen is visible to the customer. Laminated codes behind the counter or
  under glass are harder to overlay than a taped sticker at arm's reach.

Keep the design file. If you ever rotate the EVP key, you will reprint.

## MEI, informal sellers, and who this works for

The mechanics are identical whether you are a registered MEI, a larger company, or an
informal seller: a key, a static code, instant settlement to your account. The differences
are administrative — which account type the key attaches to and how you declare income —
and belong to your accountant, not your QR code. Nothing about the code itself changes.

## Reconciliation without software

A static code has no per-sale webhook — payment confirmation is your bank app's notification
and your statement. That is fine at counter volume: each incoming PIX lands instantly and is
visible before the customer leaves.

If you invoice, set the `txid` field (1–25 letters or digits) to the invoice number when
generating that invoice's code, so the reference appears in your statement. When order
volume outgrows statement-reading, that is the honest signal to move checkout flows to
[dynamic codes](/docs/payments/pix-static-vs-dynamic-qr) through a PSP — not before.

## FAQ

### What does it cost a small business to accept PIX by QR code?
The code itself costs nothing to create or use. Receiving into a personal account is free;
some banks and PSPs charge business accounts to receive. Check your account terms — the QR
code adds no cost of its own.

### Which PIX key should a shop print?
A random EVP key. It works identically to CPF, CNPJ, email or phone keys but discloses
nothing about you on a photographed, shared, public print, and it can be deleted and
replaced without changing bank accounts.

### How big should a counter PIX code be?
At least 4–5 cm across. Customers scan at 30–50 cm, and the working rule is code width of at
least one tenth of scan distance, with a four-module quiet zone on every side.

### How do I know a payment arrived?
Your bank app notifies you the moment a PIX lands — settlement is instant. For invoices, put
the invoice number in the txid field so it appears against the payment in your statement.

## Try it

- https://useqr.app/pix
- https://useqr.app/validate
- https://useqr.app/size-calculator