Get started by downloading the best sales receipt template from BILL. These receipt templates make it quick and easy to reach your clients without a receipt maker.
A sales receipt (or purchase receipt) is a transaction record you give your customers after they pay for your services. You fill out the sales receipt, then send it to your customer through email or paper mail.
The receipt confirms that you received the payment and gives the customer a document for their records. You’ll also keep a copy of the sales receipt for your own records.
Businesses issue receipts when money changes hands, but there are specific receipt types used in some contexts.
In most cases, our simple receipt template will cover your needs.
Start using our simple receipt template and reap the following benefits of using sales receipts in your operations.
A sales receipt provides a payment record for both you and your customer. When your customer reviews their expenses, makes a budget, or needs to reorder your services, they’ll check the sales receipt. The receipt has everything they need to know about the payment, including a list of services with prices, the date of the payment, and the billing address.
If your customer pays in installments instead of a single sum, receipts help them keep track of each payment. Your receipt also lists the current balance so they know how much they still owe you. This reduces the likelihood of missed payments, duplicate payments, and disputes about how much they paid.
Consistently using sales receipts provides a clear record of each payment. Keep receipts for tax season so you can accurately report your income. You’ll also check receipts when you track your monthly profits and expenses.
Receipts send the message that you’re an experienced business owner. If you don’t send a receipt, customers wonder if you keep track of payments, making them more likely to dispute the balance.
Create professional receipts to show clients that you track every payment, service, and client to keep your expenses in order. Your expertise impresses them, turning them into a repeat customer.
If you allow exchanges or returns, a receipt provides proof of purchase so customers can request their return. Think of it like shopping at the grocery store: they won’t refund your item if you can’t prove that you bought it in the first place. This provides added convenience because you won’t have to dig through your payment history.
A simple sales receipt template helps you create receipts without the need of a receipt maker.
Each document has information about the transaction, including the date and payment amount. Keep the receipt in your file, then refer back to it during tax season or a customer dispute. Sending a receipt also shows professionalism on your part, inspiring the customer to hire you again.
To make a receipt, start by keeping a record of each client. Use a spreadsheet to track each customer’s name, billing address, current balance, and the goods sold or services rendered. Date each service so you don’t accidentally charge customers for the same service twice. Don’t delete old transactions–you might need to refer back to them later.
When you receive your payment, refer back to this record to make your receipt. Download a free sales receipt template from BILL, then adjust the colors and branding and fill out the information. List every payment even if it’s small. Even if your customer only paid a few dollars, you both need to know where that money went.
Your sales receipt may include the following information:
The layout is nearly as important as the information itself. Would you hire a business again if their “receipt” was an email with just the date and price? Your sales receipts should have clean, professional layouts that immediately show customers what they need to know. Use tables, branding, and neat content blocks to show your clients that you value their business.
To edit a sales receipt template, download one of the templates below, then open the document in a word processing program. Save a clean copy so you don’t have to re-download the receipt template every time. Afterward, copy the file and give it a descriptive file name so it doesn’t get lost among the rest of your receipts.
Click on each text box to customize your sales receipt template, change the logo, colors, and layout. Update everything on the receipt, including the date, balance, and receipt number–your program may not update this information automatically. If you have multiple purchases on the receipt, add or remove rows as necessary.
You’ll use a sales receipt every time a customer makes a payment. If they’re paying in one lump sum, you can prepare the receipt ahead of time and send it right away.
To make it easier, use BILL to track your customers’ payments directly through the platform. BILL tracks each installment and gives your customers multiple payment options, including cash, check, PayPal and credit card. You’ll also set up invoices and submit them directly with the software.
Sales receipts are particularly valuable if your customer pays in cash. Since cash doesn’t have a digital record, they can’t prove that they bought your service otherwise. Depositing it in your bank account won’t help you because it doesn’t record where you received the money. If you’re not in front of a computer, make two copies of a paper cash sales receipt and add your copy to your records.
Below is an example of a sales receipt provided by a landscaping company.
To understand it fully, let’s break it down into its individual sections.
At the top is the receipt date, detailing when the payment was made, as well as the name of the business providing the receipt. At a glance, someone will know who provided the receipt and when it was provided.
Following this section is the line-by-line breakdown of the goods or services paid for. Each line details what the item was and how it’s billed (e.g., per hour, per shrub). It’s important to detail how each line was billed in case of any disputes.
The amounts are totaled with any applicable discounts and taxes for the final paid amount. In the notes sections, the business details why there was a discount and how the payment was made. By providing the check number, both the business and customer have the information needed to track down a payment if it goes missing.
Finally, both the business and customer details are listed, outlining who was involved in the transaction. A copy will be provided to the customer and kept in the business’s records to keep documentation of the payment if needed.
Yes, a sales receipt is a different document than an invoice. An invoice is a document you send requesting payment from a customer while a sales receipt is a record of the payment being made.
However, both a sales receipt and an invoice contain much of the same information. Both provide an itemized breakdown of what’s being billed as well as the business and customer information.
While sales receipts are not a mandatory document, it’s best practice to provide a sales receipt for each payment that’s received. They will help in the case of disputes, refunds, tracking payments, and tallying up income come tax season.
Yes, digital sales receipts are appropriate to send to customers. You can easily create a sales receipt using our template and send it to a customer in a PDF format. Alternatively, create a sales receipt in Excel or Google Sheets, which is usable on different kinds of devices.
The IRS recommends that you hold onto any supporting documents for a 3 to 7 year period. This applies to your own receipts for both purchases and sales.
It’s best practice to keep digital receipts in cloud storage for ease of access and safety in case they need to be referenced during an audit.
Some common examples of industries that provide sales receipts include: