What info should be in a cash receipt?

A cash receipt can be relatively simple. It should include:

  • the date the client paid you,
  • who provided the payment,
  • the payment amount,
  • what the payment was for (i.e. rent),
  • who received the payment,
  • subtotal, taxes, and the remaining balance due (if any).

If you run a business with lots of transactions you understand that record keeping can be a major headache. That's why it's important to make sure you're specific about what the receipt was for and when the transaction occurred. You'll also want to make sure you specify any taxes paid as well as amounts owed for your accounting records.

How can you make the cash receipt template look professional?

Sample cash receipt template

Above all, you want your receipt to be properly organized. No matter how many receipts your customer obtains from you, each one should be the same. You'll also want to make sure your business name and contact information will be clearly posted on the receipt. If they decide to purchase something from you again, they have your contact info handy.

Generally the best way to make a professional receipt is to use a pre-made template (shown above and more here) or receipt maker. These tools let you skip the hassle and effort of designing your receipt. After that all you need to think about is filling the right information.

How and when should you send a receipt?

Receipts should be provided for every product or service purchased from your business, even if the customer is paying with cash.

You can print the receipt as you sell the product or service and give it to the customer immediately after their purchase. You also have the chance to email your receipt in PDF form to your customers. You'll likely want to do this as soon as possible after their purchase so they have the receipt handy for reference.

How to organize cash receipt templates?

Occasionally you'll want to look back at your receipts, for example to: calculate and estimate your income, a customer needs you to refer to an old receipt, or if you're audited. Early on it's not a big deal since you have all your files in one place.

However as you send out more cash receipts or print more pieces of paper, you'll slowly start accumulating a lot of files. It'll become harder and harder to find the right things and keep track of your cash receipt templates.

That's when you'll wish you'd used a proper invoicing software. If you use Invoice Simple to generate and send your receipts you'll have easy access to reports and advanced search functions (among other benefits).