How to generate a receipt online
The editor above is set to the receipt document type. It follows the same seven steps as an invoice, but the result confirms a payment instead of requesting one.
- Basics. Choose your country and whether the payer is a business or a private person.
- You. Enter your business name, address and any tax ID you normally show. Add your logo if you like.
- Client. Enter who paid you. For walk-in cash customers, a name is often enough.
- Items. List what the payment was for, with quantity and price, so the receipt total matches the money received.
- Details. The receipt gets a number from its own series. Add the payment date, the method (cash, card, bank transfer, check) and, if relevant, the invoice it settles.
- Design. Pick one of 12 designs.
- Review & download. Download the PDF, then share it or attach it to an e-mail.
What a payment receipt should show
| Detail | Example |
|---|---|
| The word “Receipt” and a number | Receipt R-2026-052 |
| Your business name and contact | Green Leaf Gardening, 14 Elm St |
| Who paid | Maria Lopez |
| Date of payment | October 18, 2026 |
| What it was for | Fall cleanup, 4 hours |
| Amount received | $240.00 |
| Payment method | Cash |
| Tax, if charged | Shown per rate |
| Reference | Settles invoice INV-2026-118 |
If a payment only covers part of an invoice, say so on the receipt: “Partial payment of $500.00 toward INV-2026-118, balance $750.00.” That one sentence prevents most later disputes.
Honest receipts only
A receipt is evidence. Use this tool for payments that you, as the seller, actually received. Our receipts never imitate the look of a store, restaurant, airline, ride-share or marketplace receipt, and we do not offer brand layouts. Making a receipt in someone else’s name, or for a payment that did not happen, can be fraud.
Turning a paid invoice into a receipt
If you invoiced the client first, you do not need to retype anything. Open the invoice in My documents, click Mark as paid, then Create receipt. The receipt is pre-filled from the invoice and points back to its number. Your document list then shows the invoice as Paid, and the year-to-date paid total updates.
When a receipt is not enough
In many countries, a business customer who wants to reclaim VAT or GST needs a proper tax invoice, not just a receipt. Small amounts are sometimes covered by a simplified invoice instead. Our country pages for the UK, Ireland and New Zealand show the thresholds. In the US, a receipt is commonly used as proof of payment, and sales tax rules depend on your state.
If the customer pays before you deliver, you can confirm the prepayment with a receipt, or send a pro forma invoice first so they know what to pay. For refunds, issue a credit note rather than editing an old receipt. Need a receipt in a fixed file instead? Our blank invoice templates can be relabeled as a receipt.