Mandatory cashless payments from 1.5.2026
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February 18, 2026
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The deadline has been moved to 1. 5. 2026
The deputies of the National Council of the Slovak Republic approved the postponement of the deadline for the obligation to allow customers to make cashless payments in amounts over 1 euro from the original date of 1.3.2026 to 1.5.2026. In practice, this means more time for technical preparation, especially for smaller businesses, sole traders and craftsmen who have not used eKasa or sales recording systems before and need to catch up on software settings, QR payments or purchasing a terminal.
At the same time, the amendment to the Payment Services Act establishes an important detail: Banks will not be able to charge a fee for notifications of cashless payments until the end of 2027, if the technical solution of the Financial Directorate of the Slovak Republic is used for this purpose.
What exactly will be mandatory and who does it apply to?
Under the new rules, the seller will be obliged to allow the buyer to make a non-cash payment for the sale of goods or the provision of a service. for amounts over €1, at the latest from 1.5.2026.
It is important to note that the law does not specify a single correct cashless method. The obligation is fulfilled if the entrepreneur realistically enables cashless payment, for example by card, their own commercial solution, or via state-supported QR payments.
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Why the state is pushing QR payments: notification system and the fight against leaks
Since this is an obligation set by the state, the Financial Administration of the Slovak Republic, in cooperation with STU, is developing a system Instant Payment Notifier (NOP). The goal is to create an accessible and secure alternative to traditional cashless payments via payment terminals, which is also to be connected to sales records and simplify proof of payment in real time.
The state also expects that the notification system will be a tool in the fight against tax evasion and contribute to greater transparency of revenues.
How QR payments will work in practice
In a full-fledged solution with notification to the cash register, the principle is as follows: the cash register (or system) generates a QR payment with a unique transaction identifier and after a successful instant payment, a confirmation is sent to the cash register.
Typical payment process:
The attendant selects the payment method at the cash register. QR payment and displays the QR code to the customer (on the display depending on the device type).
The customer scans the code with their mobile phone.
Mobile banking will open with pre-filled data (if they did not scan directly in the banking application, they will click on the link).
The customer confirms the payment.
The customer's bank sends an immediate payment to the entrepreneur's account.
The entrepreneur's bank will notify the NOP system of a successful payment.
The cashier will receive a notification that the payment for a specific QR code has been made.
The attendant prints the receipt and hands over the goods/service.
Important detail: Payment recipient verification
Since banks have introduced a beneficiary verification service, there was a concern in practice that the customer would have to manually fill in the company name. However, according to the explanation in the documents, it is supposed to be recipient/merchant name must be encoded in the QR code, so that the customer does not have to write anything down manually and the process does not slow down.
The customer can request cashless payment.
The law sets the customer's right: if he wants to pay cashless (for amounts over €1), the merchant must allow him to do so. However, this does not mean that it is mandatory to have QR payments. The entrepreneur chooses the form:
if it has a payment terminal and allows card payments, it does not have to provide QR payment,
If it offers cashless payment via QR payment/mobile banking, it does not need to have a terminal.
End of minimum amount set by the seller for cashless payments
In practice, it used to be common for some merchants to set card payments from €5 and the like. According to the documents, this practice is changing: the limit will be 1 euro, i.e. for sales over €1, cashless payment must be possible for the customer.
Timetable and pilots
According to the documents, the following tests were and are ongoing:
closed pilot "Family & Friends" from 1. 11. 2025,
public pilot in January (with a recommendation to contact the bank to see if they provide a notification service/product, and the cash register supplier to add QR payment),
strict duty: from 1. 5. 2026.
The documents also mention examples of banks that have already included a notification product (e.g. Tatra banka and Slovenská sporiteľňa). However, this may change over time depending on how banks complete their offerings.
Our recommendations
If you want to have it ready on time and without last-minute improvisation:
Choose a solution: terminal vs. QR (static, bank, eKasa with notification).
Contact the cash register supplier: whether it can supplement QR payment and under what conditions.
Check the bank: notification account, settings and payment confirmation method.
Test the process in operation: cent test, operator training, failure scenarios.
Set internal rules: what to do if the internet goes down, what to do if payment is not reported within 90 seconds.