A receipt is written proof that money changed hands. Whether you run a market stall, rent out a spare room, do odd jobs for cash, or collect donations for a club, you will eventually be asked for one, and a scrawled note on the back of an envelope does not inspire confidence. This receipt maker gives you a tidy, itemized receipt with a bold PAID stamp, in the colour and position you choose, in under two minutes, entirely in your browser, with no account and no watermark.

The layout mirrors our invoice generator, so if you already send invoices from this site, the receipts you issue afterwards will match. Type in the details, watch the preview update as you go, then download a letter-size PDF.

Issue a receipt whenever a customer pays you, and especially whenever they pay in cash. Card and bank payments leave an electronic trail; cash does not, so a receipt is the only record either of you will have. Many jurisdictions require businesses to provide a receipt on request, and some require one for every sale above a certain value. Landlords are often legally obliged to give a written receipt for rent paid in cash, and charities need to issue donation receipts so donors can claim tax relief.

Receipts are also useful on the other side of the transaction. If you have paid a contractor a deposit, asking them to complete a receipt protects you if there is a dispute later about how much was paid and when.

A receipt only does its job if it answers every obvious question. At a minimum it should show:

• Who was paid — your business name and contact details.
• Who paid — the customer, tenant or donor.
• The date the payment was received.
• A unique receipt number so it can be referenced later.
• What was paid for — one line per item or service, with quantities and prices.
• Tax collected, shown separately if you charge sales tax, VAT or GST.
• The total and the payment method (cash, card, check, transfer).
• A reference where relevant — a check number, transaction ID or the invoice number being settled.

The receipt template here has a dedicated field for each of these, plus a signature line for the person who received the money. Fields you leave blank are simply omitted from the PDF, so a quick cash receipt stays short while a detailed sales receipt can carry everything.

Cash receipt. Set the payment method to "Cash", list what was bought, and hand the PDF (or a printed copy) to the customer. Keep the receipt number sequence running so your bookkeeping has no gaps.

Rent receipt. Put the tenant under "Received from", the property address in the line item ("Rent — 12 Oak Street, Apt 4 — March 2026"), and the rental period in the notes. Tenants frequently need rent receipts for housing benefit claims, visa applications and tax returns, so date them accurately.

Donation receipt. Record the donor, the amount, and a statement in the notes about whether any goods or services were provided in return. Add your organization's registration number in the "Issued by" address block if your tax authority expects it.

Deposit receipt. Note the total price of the job in the notes, the deposit amount as the line item, and the balance outstanding so both parties agree on what remains to be paid.

Download two copies: one for the customer and one for your records. Most tax authorities expect you to keep sales records for several years, and a folder of numbered PDF receipts is far easier to search at year end than a shoebox of carbon copies. If you issue receipts regularly, keep a simple spreadsheet that logs the receipt number, date, payer and amount; it takes seconds per receipt and turns tax time into a sorting exercise rather than a reconstruction.

Looking for the step before the receipt? Create the bill with the invoice generator, price the job first with the estimate generator.