Sales receipt template
A sales receipt for goods sold in a shop, at a market or online: items with unit prices, sales tax, a discount if you gave one, how the customer paid and your return policy.
Free, no sign-up. Online, you get a finished PDF in one click.
Download the sales receipt template
What’s in this template
- Your shop's details and the customer's name
- Receipt number, date and payment method
- Lines with item, quantity and unit price
- Subtotal, discount, sales tax and total paid
- Notes for your return or exchange policy
How to fill it in
- Pick a format. Download the Word or Excel file or the printable PDF, make your own copy in Google Docs or Google Sheets, or fill the template in online and download the finished PDF.
- Add your shop and the buyer. Put your shop name, address and phone at the top, and the customer's name under Sold to; an email is enough for online orders.
- List the items. Add one line per product with the quantity and unit price, then the discount and the sales tax rate where you sell.
- Add the payment and the policy. Write how the customer paid (card ending, cash, PayPal), put your return policy in the notes, and give or email the receipt.
When to use it
Use the sales receipt when goods change hands and are paid right away: a sale in your shop or at a craft fair, an order shipped from your website, a few boxes sold to a café that pays at the door. The customer gets proof of purchase; you get a numbered record of the sale.
If the buyer pays later, send a sales invoice instead, and a payment receipt once it is paid.
Tips
- Describe items the way they appear on the shelf, so the customer can match the receipt to the product for a return.
- Put the return policy on every receipt. “Returns within 30 days with this receipt” avoids arguments at the counter.
- Use one numbering series for all sales receipts, whether printed or emailed.
Frequently asked questions
What is a sales receipt?
A record of a sale paid on the spot: what was bought, the prices, the tax and how it was paid. The customer keeps it as proof of purchase for returns and warranties; you keep a copy for your books.
Do I have to show sales tax on the receipt?
Where you collect sales tax, show it as its own line with the rate, so the customer sees what part of the total is tax. Leave the tax line at 0 if what you sell is not taxed where you sell it.
Sales receipt or sales invoice?
A sales receipt is for goods already paid; a sales invoice asks a buyer, usually a business, to pay later.
