Pix supports multiple modalities designed to cover a wide range of financial interactions — from instant transfers to QR code payments, cash withdrawals, and invoice-based collections. Each modality has its own rules, requirements, and operational flows, all standardized across the national payment system. This page provides a clear overview of the core Pix modalities and how they operate within the BACEN regulatory framework.

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1. Pix Transfer (Standard transfer)

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Pix Transfer is the most common modality — an instant transfer between two accounts using:

• Pix keys (CPF/CNPJ, phone, email, EVP)
• Manual entry (bank, branch, account, and recipient name)
• Copy-and-paste codes (EMV string)

Use cases

• Person-to-person transfers
• Merchant payments without QR codes
• Internal and external account movements

Requirements

• Sender must authenticate
• Recipient must be a Pix participant
• Transaction must pass fraud and risk checks

Rules & limitations

• Instant settlement (seconds)
• Available 24/7
• Daily or nightly limits may apply (risk-based)

Flow (simplified)

1. Sender authenticates and initiates payment
2. Institution validates account, balance, limits, and risk indicators
3. SPI settles the transaction
4. Receiver’s account is credited instantly

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2. Pix QR Code

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Pix supports QR codes for payment initiation. They follow BACEN’s EMV standard and fall into two main categories:

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Static QR Code

Reusable QR code containing:

• Fixed recipient information
• Optional fixed amount
• Optional additional reference

Typical uses

• Small merchants
• Donation links
• Informal commerce

Characteristics

• Same QR reused for all payments
• Amount may be edited by the payer
• Minimal update requirements

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Dynamic QR Code

Generated for each individual transaction, offering more features and security. Two official types:

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Dynamic Immediate

• One-time use
• Predefined amount
• Expiration timestamp
• Additional data fields for reconciliation

Use cases: e-commerce checkout, POS systems, service providers.

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Dynamic with Due Date

• Supports future due dates
• Multiplier fields
• Penalties, fines, interest
• Updates via additional Pix Cobrança APIs

Use cases: billing, invoicing, utilities, subscription payments. Rules & limitations

• QR codes must follow BACEN’s EMV 4.3 pattern
• Dynamic codes must be validated with backend signatures when available (CRC field)

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3. Pix Saque and Pix Troco

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Pix Saque and Pix Troco enable cash withdrawal at participating merchants.

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Pix Saque

Customer performs a Pix transfer to withdraw cash. Flow:

1. Customer initiates Pix Saque
2. Merchant receives the Pix
3. Merchant hands over equivalent cash

Use cases: cash access in areas without ATMs.

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Pix Troco

Customer pays a value higher than the purchase and receives the difference in cash. Example: item costs R$70 → customer sends R$100 → receives R$30 in cash. Requirements

• Merchant must opt into Pix Saque/Troco
• Merchant must publish maximum withdrawal thresholds

Limits (BACEN)

• Daily and per-transaction limits may vary
• Typically higher limits during daytime

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4. Pix Cobrança (Invoice-Based Pix)

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Pix Cobrança is Pix’s equivalent of invoicing or billing. It allows:

• Creation of charge requests with or without due dates
• Automatic calculation of penalties, fines, and interest
• Updating charges
• Cancellation and reconciliation flows

Two formats:

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Cobrança Imediata (Immediate Charge)

Payment must be made instantly. Often used in POS or service scenarios.

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Cobrança com Vencimento (Due Date Charge)

Supports future dates, used for:

• Utilities
• Tuition
• Subscriptions
• Merchant billing

Rules

• Charge must contain a unique transaction ID
• Penalties must follow configured rules
• Expired charges may or may not accept payments depending on configuration

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5. Pix Agendado (Scheduled Pix)

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(If supported by the institution) Pix Agendado allows the payer to schedule a Pix payment for a future date. Use cases:

• Bill payments
• Recurring transfers
• Salary disbursements (internal)

Characteristics

• Institution must allow scheduling
• Pix Agendado must be validated at scheduling time and execution time
• Payer may cancel according to institutional rules

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6. Pix Automático (Automatic Pix)

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Pix Automático will allow registered agreements where payments are pulled automatically from the payer’s account. Expected features:

• Mandate-based authorization
• Automatic recurring debits
• Pre-notification of due charges
• Cancellation support

Ideal for:

• Subscriptions
• Utility bills
• Tuition
• Insurance premiums

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7. Pix Internacional (Cross-Border Pix)

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Pix Internacional aims to enable instant payments between Brazil and partner jurisdictions. Expected characteristics:

• Currency conversion
• Risk and AML checks
• SPI interoperability with partner infrastructures
• Transparent end-to-end flow

This modality is under development and not fully defined yet.

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8. When to use each modality

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Use standard Pix transfer for:

P2P transfers, small purchases, splitting bills.

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Use static QR for:

Small merchants, service providers, simple collection.

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Use dynamic QR for:

E-commerce, delivery, POS, billing.

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Use Pix Saque/Troco for:

Extending cash withdrawal coverage.

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Use Pix Cobrança for:

Recurring billing, utilities, formal invoicing.

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Use Pix Agendado for:

Future payments without immediate settlement.

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Use Pix Automático for:

Recurring agreements (subscriptions, utilities).

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Use Pix Internacional for:

Cross-border instant transfers (when released).