Receipt maker
Free receipt maker for paid invoices, deposits and cash
Make a payment receipt for a paid invoice, a deposit or a cash job, then print it or save a PDF with no watermark.
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How to make a receipt for a customer
- Fill in who it is from and for. Your business name and details, the customer, a receipt number and the date the payment arrived.
- Add the items and the tax. Pick your trade for ready lines or type your own, then add any discount and the tax rate.
- Record how they paid. Choose the method, and if they paid part, enter the amount received so the balance still owed prints on the receipt.
- Sign it and send it. Draw, type or upload a signature, then print it, save a PDF, download it as an image or send it by email or WhatsApp.
Proof they paid, while they are still standing there
Fill in what was paid and for what, and the payment receipt builds itself as you type: items, tax, the method, your logo and a signature. Part payments are handled honestly, with the balance still owed printed on the receipt and a QR code that lets them clear it on the spot.
Print it, save a PDF, download the receipt as an image or paste it into an email or a chat. Free, no signup, and nothing you type is stored or leaves your browser (how to check that yourself).
- Free receipt generator
- Printable receipt or PDF
- Nothing leaves your browser
What a receipt has to show
A receipt is proof that money arrived. That makes it a different document from an invoice, which is a request for money, and it needs four things an invoice does not.
- The date the payment was received, not the date the work was done or the invoice raised. This is the date that matters for both sides' accounts.
- How it was paid. Card, bank transfer, cash or check. It is what lets either party match the receipt to a bank line months later.
- The amount actually received, which is not always the amount invoiced.
- Anything still outstanding. A receipt for a part payment that does not say so reads as settlement in full, and that is an expensive misunderstanding.
Add a receipt number, your business details and what the payment covered, and the document is complete. Everything above is on the receipt this page builds.
A worked example
A customer hands over $180 in cash on March 14 after a repair job. The receipt needs the date paid (March 14), the amount received ($180), the method (cash) and a line confirming it settles the job in full: the document is marked PAID.
Now say the same $180 job only got a $100 deposit that day. The receipt still needs the date, amount and method, but it is marked PART PAID instead, with the $80 still owed printed on it. Enter the amount actually received above and this page fills in both versions for you.
Receipt, invoice or proof of payment?
Invoice
Sent before payment. States what is owed, when it is due and how to pay. Creates the debt.
Receipt
Sent after payment. Confirms what arrived, when and by what method. Closes the debt.
Proof of payment
The payer's own evidence: a bank statement or card record. Useful, but it is not a document you issue.
If you need the first of those, the invoice generator writes it, and the quote generator covers the stage before that.
Part payments and deposits
A deposit is the most common reason to issue a receipt, and the most common one to get wrong. Two rules keep it clean.
- State the balance on the receipt itself. Enter the amount received above and the balance appears automatically, with the document marked PART PAID rather than PAID.
- Keep the same reference across all of it. A deposit receipt, a balance receipt and the invoice they relate to should carry numbers anyone can line up in a minute.
How long to keep receipts
In the US the IRS generally expects records to be kept for three years from the filing date, longer in specific circumstances such as unreported income or worthless securities. In the UK it is five years after the January filing deadline for the self-employed, six years for limited companies. Check your own position, and when in doubt keep them longer: storage is cheap and reconstructing a year of receipts is not.
Nothing you type here is stored or uploaded, so save or print the receipt before you close the tab.
Receipt questions, answered
What has to be on a receipt?
Your business name and contact details, a receipt number, the date payment was received, who paid, what it was for, the amount received, the method, and any balance still outstanding.
Do I have to give a receipt?
Rules vary by country and by trade, and a customer paying cash can generally ask for one. Issuing them by default is simpler than deciding case by case, and it settles arguments about whether payment was made.
Can I use a receipt as proof of payment?
Yes. A receipt is the seller's confirmation that the money arrived, which is usually what a customer needs for a refund, a warranty claim or their records. An invoice is the opposite document: it asks for money before it is paid. The payer can also show their own proof, such as a bank statement line, which carries weight because a third party issued it.
Does a receipt need to show tax?
If you charge tax, show it as its own line with the rate, because your customer may need to reclaim it. Enter a rate above and it appears separately from the subtotal.
Is a handwritten receipt valid?
Generally yes, if it contains the required information. A printed one is easier to read, harder to dispute and quicker to reproduce if it is lost.
Is the receipt maker free and private?
Yes. No signup, nothing uploaded, and the receipt is built in your browser and gone when you close the tab, so print or save it before you leave. The nothing leaves your browser page shows how to check.
Can I make a receipt without a company?
Yes. A receipt records that money changed hands, not that a company exists. Put your own name where the business name goes, add an address people can reach you at, and it does the same job for a private sale, a tutor or a sole proprietor.
What is a rent receipt and does it need anything extra?
It needs the period the rent covers, the property address and the method of payment, on top of the usual amount, date and names. Landlords in many places have to supply one on request, and for cash rent it is often the only proof the tenant has.
How do I write a receipt for a cash payment?
Exactly as for any other payment, with the method recorded as cash. Cash leaves no bank trail, so the receipt is the only record either side has. Number it, keep your own copy, and both of you sign if the sum is large.
Should a receipt show the payment method?
Yes, and it takes one word. It tells you which card, transfer or cash sale the entry matches when you reconcile later, and it settles arguments about whether a check ever cleared.
Can I send a receipt by WhatsApp or text?
Yes. Nothing requires paper. Sending it while you are still standing there is the surest way to get it to the customer, and a copy in their messages is easier to find later than one in a carrier bag.
Do I need to give a receipt for a deposit?
Yes, and it matters more than most. Say what the deposit is for, the full price, the amount received and the balance still owed, with the same reference as the invoice. Enter the amount received above and the receipt is marked PART PAID with the balance printed on it.
What receipt number should I start at?
Anything, as long as numbers only ever go up and are never reused. Starting at 0001 tells everyone this is your first sale, so many people start higher. Matching the receipt number to the invoice it settles makes each one easy to find later.
How do I know if my customer opened the receipt?
Send it as a link from your account instead of downloading it, and the document gets its own page. You see when it was opened, how long they stayed on it and which lines they questioned, all on your dashboard. The first four documents you send that way are free with an account. Building and downloading is free with no account and stores nothing.
Can a receipt be signed online?
Yes. Sent as a tracked link, your client signs on the page with a finger or a mouse, with no account and nothing to install. The signature is kept with the document along with the date, the time and the address it came from, and it appears on the copy you export. The invoice tracking page sets out what is recorded, what is stored and what stays free with no account.
How do I create a receipt for a payment I already took?
Put the amount, the date and the method, then the items if the client wants them itemized. Create a receipt this way whenever money has already changed hands, whether cash at the door, a card, or a bank transfer that has landed. If the money has not arrived yet, it is an invoice, not a receipt, and the invoice generator is the page.
Can I make a receipt for a payment I did not receive?
No. This receipt maker records money you actually received, for work or goods you actually supplied. A receipt for a payment that never happened is a false record, and using one to claim expenses, a refund or a reimbursement can be fraud.
One job, from quote to cash receipt
Price the job with the quote generator, send it as a link the client can accept, raise the invoice from the same lines, then write the receipt here when the money lands, whether that is a card payment, a bank transfer or cash. If you would rather start from a printable receipt template, there are 200 receipt templates to edit.
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