Free Receipt Template UK

A receipt is proof that a payment has been made, as opposed to an invoice, which is a request for payment. A UK receipt should show a receipt number and the date of payment, your business name and address, the payer's name, what the payment was for (usually the invoice it settles), the amount received, the payment method, and a reference. If you are VAT registered and it doubles as a VAT receipt, add your VAT number and the VAT included. Copy the free template below; no email required.

The template

Copy it straight into a document, email or point-of-sale system. Square brackets mark the fields to replace. Delete the VAT line if you are not VAT registered, and delete the balance line if the payment settles the invoice in full.

RECEIPT

Receipt number: REC-0001
Date of payment: [date]

Received from:
[Customer / payer name]
[Customer address]

Received by:
[Your company / trading name]
[Your address]
[VAT registration number, if registered]

--------------------------------------------------------------
Description                          Amount
--------------------------------------------------------------
Payment for invoice [INV-0001]       GBP [0.00]
--------------------------------------------------------------
                     Amount received: GBP [0.00]
  of which VAT [20]%:                 GBP [0.00]
--------------------------------------------------------------

Payment method: [cash / card / bank transfer / cheque]
Reference: [INV-0001]
Balance remaining on account: GBP [0.00]

Received with thanks.
[Name]
[Position], [Your company name]

What a UK receipt should include

1. A clear "Receipt" heading and a unique receipt number
2. The date the payment was received
3. Your business (or trading) name and address
4. The name of the person or business who paid
5. A description of what the payment was for, usually the invoice number it settles
6. The amount received
7. The payment method (cash, card, bank transfer, cheque) and a reference
8. Any balance still remaining on the account

Keep a copy: you must keep records of money your business receives (for a limited company, for 6 years from the end of the financial year they relate to: gov.uk company and accounting records, read 29 October 2026), and a receipt is the cleanest evidence that a given invoice has been settled.

When the receipt is also a VAT receipt

If you are VAT registered and the customer needs to reclaim the VAT, the receipt has to work as a VAT receipt: show your name, address and VAT registration number, the date, a description of the goods or services, and the amount paid including VAT and the VAT rate. HMRC allows a simplified (less detailed) VAT invoice where the supply is 250 pounds or less and the customer agrees; above that the customer needs a full VAT invoice, not just a receipt. Source: VAT Notice 700, paragraph 16.6.1, which lists what a simplified invoice must show (read 29 October 2026).

Receipts and invoice finance: allocation is everything

When you fund invoices through factoring or invoice discounting, a provider advances part of an invoice's value up front (how much depends on the provider) and releases the balance, less fees, when the customer pays. That release depends on the provider being able to match the incoming payment to the funded invoice. A receipt that names the invoice number is the record that makes the match clean.

Unallocated or part payments with no reference are the ones that sit in query and slow the cash coming back to you. Receipt every payment against its invoice, show the balance, and your ledger stays fundable. If invoices are overdue rather than paid, see the unpaid invoices hub and the statement of account template.

Companion templates

• Invoice template: the request for payment a receipt confirms is settled.
• Statement of account template: a periodic summary of invoices, credits and payments.
• Credit note template: to reduce or correct an invoice you have already issued.