Receipt Generator
Issue a dated receipt for a cash, card or bank payment and download it as a PDF.
A receipt confirms that a payment has been made; an invoice asks for one. A UK receipt shows your business name, the date, the amount received, how it was paid, what it was for and the invoice it settles. If you are VAT-registered and the sale is under £250 including VAT, it can double as a simplified VAT invoice.
Your details
Sole traders must show their own name and business address. If you are VAT registered, add your VAT number: the VAT breakdown is shown automatically. Saved in this browser and reused across all five document tools.
Only if you are VAT registered.
Limited companies must show this.
Resized to 400px wide and kept under 150 KB. Stored in this browser only; not included in share links.
Received from details
The last five are remembered when you download, so you can pick them next time.
Document details
Auto-increments when you download. Next new document: INV-0001.
Leave 0 to use the total.
Line items
Prices are net of VAT. Choose the VAT rate per line; 0% also covers exempt items and businesses that are not VAT registered.
- £
Line total £0.00
Discount
Applied across every line before VAT, so each VAT rate is charged on the discounted amount.
Notes and terms
Template
- Subtotal
- £0.00
- VAT @ 20%
- £0.00
- Total
- £0.00
Free, no signup. Everything stays in your browser.
Source: GOV.UK: Invoicing and taking payment from customers. Last updated .
How to use the receipt generator
When do I need to give a receipt?
Whenever a customer asks for one, and always for cash. A receipt is the customer’s evidence of payment and your record that the invoice is settled. Business customers need it for their books; a household customer may need it for a warranty or an insurance claim. If you take payment by bank transfer the statement already proves it, but a receipt that quotes the invoice number saves everyone a search later.
What should a receipt include?
- A unique receipt number
- Your business name, address and contact details, and your VAT number if registered
- The customer’s name, and their address if the receipt will act as a VAT invoice
- The date the payment was received
- The amount received and the payment method
- What the payment was for, and the invoice number it settles
- Any balance still outstanding, or the words “paid in full”
Can a receipt be a VAT invoice?
Yes, for retail sales under £250 including VAT. A simplified VAT invoice needs your name, address and VAT number, the date, a description, the VAT rate per item and the total including VAT; it does not need the customer’s details. Above £250 the customer needs a full VAT invoice to reclaim the tax, so issue an invoice first and a receipt when it is paid.
What does a worked example look like?
The electrician from our invoice example is paid by bank transfer and issues a receipt against invoice INV-0042:
| Line | Detail | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice settled | INV-0042, kitchen rewire | £900.00 |
| Of which VAT | at 20% on £750.00 | £150.00 |
| Payment method | Bank transfer, received 14 days after invoice | |
| Received | Paid in full | £900.00 |
How do I use the receipt generator?
- Enter your details, or let the generator reuse the ones saved from your last invoice.
- Add the customer, the date of payment and the method.
- Enter the invoice number and amount, or list the items if there was no invoice.
- Choose a template and download the PDF, or copy the share link for an email.
Part payments are common on larger jobs: record each one on its own receipt and show the balance remaining, so the final receipt can say paid in full. If a payment was made in error or goods come back, do not alter the receipt; raise a credit note instead.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a receipt the same as an invoice?
- No. An invoice is a request for payment and is issued before money changes hands; a receipt is proof that payment was made. You can issue a receipt without an invoice for a cash sale, but a business customer paying on terms needs the invoice first.
- Do I have to give a receipt by law?
- There is no general legal duty to issue one, but a VAT-registered business must give a VAT invoice to another VAT-registered customer who asks, and a receipt can serve that purpose below £250. In practice refusing a receipt invites disputes. Give one for every cash payment.
- What should a cash receipt show?
- The same details as any receipt, plus the words “paid in cash” and the exact amount tendered. Number it in sequence and keep a copy, because cash leaves no bank trail. HMRC looks closely at businesses with cash income and poor receipt records.
- Can I issue a receipt for a deposit?
- Yes. Show the deposit received, the quote or invoice it relates to and the balance still due. When the balance is paid, issue a second receipt that references the first and states paid in full. Both documents stay in your records.
- How long do I need to keep receipts I issue?
- Keep copies for at least five years after the 31 January filing deadline of the tax year they belong to, and six years if you are VAT-registered. The generator saves nothing on a server, so download the PDF and file it with your bookkeeping. A share link only works while you keep the data in your browser.
Related tools
- Invoice generatorBuild a VAT-compliant UK invoice, preview it live and download it as a PDF, free, with no signup.
- Credit note generatorCorrect or cancel an invoice properly with a numbered credit note that references the original.
- Quote generatorSend a professional quote or estimate as a PDF, then convert it to an invoice with one click when the job is done.
- VAT calculatorAdd or remove VAT at 20%, 5% or 0%, and see what you would pay on the Flat Rate Scheme for your trade.
- Templates libraryDownload invoice, quote and receipt templates as Word, Excel and Google Sheets files.
- Purchase order generatorRaise a numbered purchase order for a supplier with line items, delivery details and terms.
Read next
- How to invoice as a sole traderA step by step guide to writing, numbering, sending and chasing invoices as a UK sole trader, with a worked example.
- What must a UK invoice legally include?The details every UK invoice must show, the extra items a VAT invoice needs, and what sole traders and limited companies must add.
Cite this page: “Receipt Generator”, SoleKit, https://solekit.co.uk/receipt-generator