Receipt › Payment receipt format

Payment receipt format: what to put on it

A receipt is the payer's proof that they paid you. If there is ever a dispute, the receipt is the first thing anyone asks for, so every detail on it should be exact.

The parts of a payment receipt

1. The heading "Payment Receipt" (or "Money Receipt").
2. Your details: business name, address, phone, and GSTIN if registered.
3. Receipt number and date. One running series, for example RCT/26-27/001, separate from your invoice numbers.
4. Received from: the payer's name, and address, phone or GSTIN where useful.
5. Amount in figures and in words. Words stop anyone changing ₹5,000 into ₹55,000.
6. How it was paid: cash, UPI, cheque, bank transfer, card or demand draft, with the cheque number or UPI / bank reference (UTR), its date and the bank.
7. Against: the bill or invoice numbers this payment settles.
8. Towards: what it is for, such as "full payment", "part payment" or "security deposit".
9. Balance still due, if the payment is only part of the bill.
10. Signature of the person receiving the money, and a revenue stamp where it is needed (see revenue stamp on receipts).

A sample

A printing press issued invoice INV/26-27/014 for ₹48,500 to a coaching centre. On 4 Nov 2026 the centre pays ₹30,000 by cheque. The receipt reads:

When the cheque is not yet cleared, many businesses add "Subject to realisation of cheque" in the notes.

Receipts for common cases

• Full payment of a bill: "against INV/26-27/014, towards full payment", no balance.
• Security deposit: "towards security deposit for shop no. 4, refundable on vacating". Keep the original receipt safely; you need it to get the deposit back.
• Advance before work starts: choose the type "Advance received" (see advance receipt under GST).
• Fees, donations, subscriptions: write the period or purpose in "Towards", for example "tuition fee for November 2026".

Common mistakes

• No bill number. Without it, nobody knows which bill the money paid, and part payments get mixed up.
• No reference for UPI or bank payments. The UTR or UPI reference lets both sides find the payment in their bank statement.
• Giving a receipt before a cheque clears without saying so.
• One receipt for two payers, or two receipts with the same number.
• Calling a receipt an invoice. A receipt only proves payment; it is not a bill. See receipt vs invoice.

Doing it in the maker

Every field above is on the form, in this order. The amount in words is written for you, the next receipt number is suggested for each business and financial year, and saved customers come back as suggestions. Choose "Original and office copy" to print two copies, one for the payer and one for your file. Every receipt is kept under Saved receipts.