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.

The setup in four steps

Register a random (EVP) key in your bank's app. Of the five 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.
Generate a static code with the PIX builder: key, business name (max 25 ASCII characters), city (max 15). Leave the amount empty for a counter code.
Print it properly: size, contrast, quiet zone below.
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; 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.
Contrast and quiet zone: dark modules on a light background, ≥ 4 modules of clear space on every side. Run the print checklist before committing to a laminated standee.
Copia e cola: print the payload string 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 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.