Why receipts matter

Your receipts are important documents for your business because they acknowledge that a transaction has taken place between your business and another party.

Serving as both a proof of payment and a record of transacted goods means that this document is critical to your business operation. Because receipts are often itemized, it’s also possible to determine critical information about a sale — such as the identity of the payer — or how a payment should be allocated.

You may also need to submit your receipts for tax purposes, to clarify discrepancies in your tax return, or to clear up any misunderstandings with the internal revenue service in the event of an audit.

While receipts make practical sense from a business perspective, you may be required by law to provide a receipt as proof of transaction, depending on where your business operates. Check with a lawyer before deciding not to offer a receipt during your sales process.

What information should a receipt contain?

Most receipts require a basic set of information along with industry-dependent customization. Here are some basic items you should include on your receipt form:

• Company name
• Business address
• Phone number
• Email
• Receipt number
• List of purchased items
• Subtotal
• Applicable taxes
• Final total

Depending on what type of business you operate, you may also include additional information or you may choose to deliver your receipts in different ways.

For example, a rent receipt template or rent deposit receipt template might include information on the rent payment or the security deposit whereas a taxi receipt template might include the transit information and a subtotal of the fare.

If you operate a small business through an online channel, you might also contain information on how to download a printable PDF of your digital receipt so that customers can save it for their records.

Receipt templates for your business

Whether you need a cash receipt template to sell goods or a donation receipt that you can issue to customers, our free receipt templates can help you create and send this essential business documentation with ease.