Sales Receipt

A sales receipt is proof of a completed transaction: it records what was sold, the amount, the tax, the payment method, and the date—issued at the moment the customer pays. Where an invoice is a request for payment that creates a receivable, a sales receipt documents payment that has already happened. There's no due date, no payment terms, no balance owing.

You use a sales receipt when payment and delivery happen together: a client pays by card on the spot, buys a digital product, or pays a deposit before you've issued any invoice. If you invoiced first and the client paid later, you'd typically send a payment confirmation or a paid invoice rather than a separate sales receipt—though many businesses send a receipt anyway as the client's record. Invoicing software usually generates receipts automatically when an online payment goes through.