Templates
Payment receipt format, free in Excel, Word and PDF
A payment receipt is the note you give a customer when they pay: who paid, how much, how, and which invoice it settles. Download the format for cash, card, cheque or bank transfer.
Free download, no sign-up
Filled with the sample shown. The Excel file has formulas for the totals.
In short
A payment receipt confirms money received from a customer: amount in figures and words, method, reference and the invoices it settles. The download here is free, and SimpleERP prints a receipt from every payment you record.
Harbor Supply Co.
Tax number 100 234 567
Payment receipt
RCPT-2026-0041
Received from: Northside Retail
- Payment received against INV-2026-0012$1,416.00
What this document is for
When a customer pays, they want proof, and you want a record of which invoice the money was for. A receipt does both. It matters most for cash, where there is no bank trail, and for part payments, where both sides need to agree on what is still due.
- Proof for the customer that the amount was paid, on what date and by what method.
- A record of what it settled: one invoice, several, or an advance kept on account.
- Cash discipline: numbered receipts make missing cash visible.
What a payment receipt must contain
Tax law does not prescribe a receipt for payment against an invoice. These are the fields that make one useful and hard to dispute.
- Your name, address and tax number and the word "Receipt".
- Receipt number and date, in one series, such as RCPT-2026-0041.
- Received from: the customer's name.
- Amount in figures and in words, so it cannot be altered.
- Method and reference: cash, card, cheque number and bank, or bank transfer reference.
- What it settles: invoice number, invoice total, this payment and the balance left.
- Signature of the person who received the money.
How to fill the template
Put your header in once
Replace Harbor Supply Co. with your name, address and tax number, and save it as your blank copy.
Number every receipt
Use the next number in the series, even for small cash amounts. Never skip or reuse a number.
Write the amount twice
In figures and in words, such as $1,416.00 and One thousand four hundred sixteen dollars only.
Record the method and reference
For a cheque, write its number and bank and note that the receipt is subject to the cheque clearing.
List the invoices it settles and sign
Write each invoice, the amount applied and the balance left, then sign and hand it over.
| Against | Method | Reference | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| INV-2026-0012 | Bank transfer | FT2610104471 | $1,416.00 |
| Total received | $1,416.00 | ||
| Balance on the invoice | $0.00 |
Make it in SimpleERP instead
In SimpleERP a receipt is not a separate document you type. It is the print of a payment you record. Open the invoice, choose Record payment, check the amount and the bank or cash account, and post. The invoice shows paid and the receipt is ready to print.
- Allocated to invoices, oldest due first, or by hand. A part payment leaves the invoice partly paid with the balance shown.
- Overpayments stay on account and can be applied to the next invoice.
- The receipt prints with the amount in words, the method and reference, and a table of invoices settled with the balance left.
- Posts to the books: bank or cash up, the customer's receivable down.
- Cancel a payment and the invoices it settled re-open, with the reason kept in the history.
Illustration of receivables ageing: $2,441 to collect across 5 buckets, with customer totals.
Fields
Every field on a payment receipt, and why
Tax law prescribes the supplier's invoice (in the EU, article 226 of the VAT Directive), not the payment receipt. The fields here are what customers, suppliers and auditors expect to see.
| Field | Required | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Your name, address and tax number | Good practice | Identifies who received the money. |
| Receipt number and date | Good practice | A numbered series makes missing receipts visible. |
| Customer name | Good practice | Records who paid. |
| Amount in figures and in words | Good practice | Words make a changed figure obvious. |
| Method and reference (cash, card, cheque, bank transfer) | Good practice | Lets the bank statement be matched to the receipt. |
| Invoices settled and balance left | Good practice | Both sides agree what is still due. |
| Signature of the receiver | Good practice | Authenticates the receipt. |
Source: No format is prescribed; good practice, verified 5 November 2026.
Common mistakes
Mistakes to avoid on a payment receipt
- Writing the amount only in figures, so $1,416 can become $11,416 with one stroke.
- Not naming the invoice the payment settles, so a later dispute over which bill is unpaid has no record.
- Giving a final receipt for a cheque before it clears, without "subject to clearing".
- Keeping receipts unnumbered or in a loose pad, so a missing cash receipt goes unnoticed.
- Treating an advance as payment of an invoice that does not exist yet, so the customer's balance goes negative with no explanation.
Honest limits
Honest limits
- Receipts are not a separate voucher type. Each one is the print of a recorded payment.
- No tax on advances: an advance is recorded as a payment kept on account, and tax is charged on the invoice.
- No bank feeds. Payments are recorded by hand or from the invoice, not imported from the bank.
Getting started
Start with your first invoice
Sign up with your email
Name, email and a password. No card for the seven-day trial.
Tell us about the business
Pick your country and type your tax number. Currency, tax rates, accounts, units, roles and numbering are set up for that country.
Add what you sell
Add your customer and what they owed on the day you start, or raise and post an invoice. Record the payment, post, then print or share the receipt.
Post your first invoice
Pick the customer, add lines and save. Your first tax invoice can be out within 10 minutes of signing up.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Is a payment receipt a legal requirement?
Usually not for payment against an invoice; the invoice is the tax document. Some countries require a receipt or a tax document when you take an advance, so check yours. A payment receipt is still the customer's proof of payment and your record of cash.
What is the difference between a cash receipt and a payment receipt?
A cash receipt is a payment receipt where the method is cash. The format is the same; for card, cheque or bank transfer add the transaction reference, and for a cheque note that it is subject to clearing.
Should a payment receipt show tax?
No. The tax was charged on the invoice, and the receipt only records that the invoice was paid. Showing tax again on the receipt makes it look like a second tax document.
Can one receipt cover several invoices?
Yes. List each invoice with the amount applied and the balance left. In SimpleERP one payment can be allocated across several open invoices, and the receipt prints the table.
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