Freelance receipt template, and when to send one
The money has landed. You are relieved, and you move on to the next job. But on the other side, someone in finance is looking for proof they paid you.
A receipt is that proof. It takes a minute, and it makes you look like someone clients want to pay again.
- A receipt confirms money you received. An invoice asks for money you are owed.
- Send one for every payment: deposits, balances and one-off jobs.
- It needs a number, the date paid, who paid, what for, how much and how.
- When there is a balance still due, say so on the receipt.
- Keep a copy. It is your record too.
The template
Copy it, and replace everything in square brackets.
- Title: Receipt
- Receipt number: [0001, then 0002 and so on]
- Date paid: [The day the money arrived]
- Received from: [Client name or company]
- Received by: [Your name or business name, email]
- For: [What the payment covers, and the invoice number]
- Amount paid: [Currency] [amount]
- Paid by: [Card, bank transfer, mobile money, cash]
- Balance still due: [Currency] [amount], or "None"
A receipt fits on half a page. If yours is longer, something belongs on the invoice instead.
End with one line of thanks. "Thank you, it was a pleasure to work on this" is enough.
What a receipt must show
A good receipt answers five questions at a glance:
- Who paid whom? Both names, as they appear on the invoice.
- For what? The job in a few words, plus the invoice number it settles.
- How much, in which currency? The exact amount you received.
- When? The date the payment arrived, not the date you wrote the receipt.
- How? The way they paid, so their records match their bank statement.
Things that are useful, not essential:
- your address, if your country or your client asks for it;
- a tax number, if you are registered for VAT, GST or a similar tax;
- a reference from the payment, such as a transfer ID.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Brand film for a spring launch, invoice 0041 | USD 1,400 |
| Paid by card on 14 Nov | USD 1,400 |
| Balance still due | None |
Receipts for a deposit and for the balance
When work is paid in two parts, send two receipts. Each one confirms one payment.
The deposit receipt goes out the day the deposit lands:
- it names the deposit invoice;
- it shows the amount paid;
- it shows the balance that will be due on delivery.
The balance receipt goes out when the rest arrives:
- it names the balance invoice;
- it shows the total of the job, both payments, and "Balance still due: none".
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Website redesign, deposit invoice 0057 | USD 900 |
| Paid by bank transfer on 3 Nov | USD 900 |
| Balance due on delivery | USD 900 |
This is what makes deposits feel safe for clients. They see the money was recorded, and they know exactly what is left. If you are not asking for deposits yet, our guide on how to ask for a deposit has the words to use.
When to send one
Send a receipt:
- the same day the money arrives, while the client still remembers paying;
- for every payment, even a small one;
- when a client asks, even for an old payment. Their accountant may need it.
You can skip it only when your client's own system already gives them a record they are happy with. If in doubt, send it. Nobody minds getting one.
Receipt or invoice: the difference
People mix them up, so here is the short version.
| Invoice | Receipt | |
|---|---|---|
| Its job | Asks to be paid | Confirms you were paid |
| When it goes out | Before payment | After payment |
| Has a due date | Yes | No |
| Shows how to pay | Yes | Shows how they paid |
An invoice needs more detail: every line of the work, the due date and how to pay. Our creator invoice template lists each line a brand expects, and our guide on how to invoice a brand covers sending it.
Let it send itself
Writing receipts is easy. Remembering to is the hard part, especially when a payment lands at night or while you are busy on the next job.
In Piku, when a client pays one of your invoices from its link, by card or mobile money, the receipt goes to them by itself, with a PDF attached. When you split a job into a deposit and a balance, each part is its own invoice, so each payment gets its own receipt. You get an alert that you were paid. Nothing to write, nothing to forget.
Questions
Do I have to send a receipt if I already sent an invoice?
Not always, but it helps. The invoice asks for money; the receipt proves it arrived. Many clients need both for their own books.
Should a receipt and its invoice share a number?
Give the receipt its own number and mention the invoice number on it. That way each document has one job, and both are easy to find later.
What if the client paid less than the invoice?
Write a receipt for what you received, and show the balance still due. Then send a short note about the difference. Never mark the invoice as paid in full.
Do I need to add tax to a receipt?
Only if you are registered for a sales tax such as VAT or GST where you live. If you are, show it the same way as on the invoice. Check your local rules.