How to Fill Out a Receipt Book for Your Small Business

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Learn how to write a receipt by hand

Co-authored by Paridhi Jain and Hunter Rising

Last Updated: November 14, 2023 Fact Checked

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Writing a Receipt

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Who gets each receipt copy?

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Why are receipt books important?

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Receipt and Invoice Difference

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Expert Interview

Whether you sell products or offer professional services, giving your customers receipts helps you track all your transactions and finances. Receipt books contain multiple fillable forms that you can tear out and give to customers any time you make a sale. If you don't want to hassle with setting up digital receipts, writing them by hand in a book is the perfect way to log your sales. Keep reading, and we'll cover every detail to fill in when you're writing in your receipt book.

Things You Should Know

Put the receipt book’s carbon copy separator flap behind the yellow page of the receipt.
Write the transaction date, contact information, a description of the products, their prices, and any taxes or fees applied to the purchase.
Sign the bottom of the receipt. Give the customer the receipt’s white copy and keep the yellow copy for your records.

Section 1 of 4:

Writing a Receipt

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1
Place the book’s back flap behind the receipt you’re filling out. Receipt books have a cardboard back flap to prevent ink or writing transfer to the receipts on the next page. Look at the receipt number printed in the top corner of the one you’re filling out. The receipt book may have multiple colored pages showing the same number, so keep turning the pages until you see a white receipt with a different number. Place the back flap in front of that page.^{[1]
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- The colored pages are made from thermal or carbonless paper, so anything you write on the top receipt transfers to the copies below it.
- Most styles of receipt books usually have a white copy and a yellow copy of the same receipt, but others may also have pink or blue copies.
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Fill in the transaction date. Write the exact date when you made a sale or received payment from a customer. If you were paid upfront for a product or service, then date the receipt when you’re finished or when the customer receives their things.^{[2]
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- Use black or blue ink when you fill out a receipt book since it will be easier to read.
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Some receipt books will have a single line for your business name while others may have multiple lines for contact information. Write down your name or the name of your business in the matching line near the top of the receipt. If there’s space, include a phone number, business address, website, or email address so a customer can reach you if they have questions.^{[3]
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4
List the purchased items and their descriptions. If you’re filling out a receipt for a single item or service, write down the name of what you sold on the provided line. List any specific sizes, colors, quantities, or details that help you identify the specific product. If you’re writing a receipt for multiple items or services, list each new item on a separate line so they’re easy to read at a glance, like:^{[4]
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- (1) T-shirt - Red - Large
  (1) Tote bag - Green Canvas
  (3) Stickers - Frog Design
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Write down the price of each item. List the price in the same row as the item after its description. Keep the prices on separate lines so it’s really easy to reference how much was paid for each specific item. If you’re writing a receipt for a single item or service, then list the price in the provided box. ^{[5]
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- Keep the quantity of each item in mind when you’re filling out the prices. If you sold 2 shirts and each one sold for $20 USD, then be sure to write $40 USD on the receipt.
- Some single-item receipts have a line like a check where you write out the amount in words. If the item cost $25.50 USD, you’d write “Twenty-five and 50/100 dollars” on the line.
If you sold multiple services or products, add the prices together for your subtotal. Put the subtotal on the matching line near the bottom of the receipt.
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Add in taxes, charges, and adjustments to get the final total paid. Calculate the sales tax of your items by multiplying the subtotal of your items by the tax rate in your area. If there were any other charges to make, like service or delivery fees, or discounts you needed to subtract, list them as well on lines near the bottom of the receipt. When you’re finished, add the adjustments to the subtotal, and write the grand total in the box at the bottom of the receipt.^{[6]
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- Some receipts have sections to mark the payment method. If they paid with cash, just mark the box labeled “Cash.” If they paid with a check, write down the check number to easily reference it.
Look for a signature line in the bottom corner of the receipt, and put down your name. Signing the receipt lets you verify that the receipt is accurate.^{[7]
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Section 2 of 4:

Who gets each receipt copy?

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When you’re finished filling out a receipt in your book, carefully tear out the white copy along the perforated edges. Give that to the person you sold something to so they have a record of their purchase. The writing will transfer to the yellow copy of the receipt so you have it for your own financial records.^{[8]
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Section 3 of 4:

Why are receipt books important?

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Keeping and organizing your receipts in a receipt book makes it really easy to look back chronologically at your sales so you’re able to see what you’ve sold and how much money you received. If you have a dispute with a customer or an audit while you’re doing taxes, you’ll be able to look back through your receipt book to prove how much money was exchanged.^{[9]
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Section 4 of 4:

What is the difference between a receipt and an invoice?

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A receipt is proof of purchase while an invoice is a request for payment. When you sell someone items or finish performing a service for them, write an invoice detailing what you sold and how much to pay. After a customer gives you the money, that’s when you’ll write a receipt as proof that they made the payment.^{[10]
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- If a customer gives you money upfront, then you only need to fill out a receipt and not an invoice.