Free Sales Receipt Template (PDF, Word & Excel)
A sales receipt records a sale that was paid for on the spot: the goods went one way, the money went the other, and the receipt captures both in the same moment. An invoice, by contrast, bills now for payment later; a sales receipt documents a sale already settled. It's the itemized one in the receipt family: line items, quantities and prices, not just a single amount. Free to download below in PDF, Word or Excel — list what was sold and hand the customer their copy. No sign-up, no watermark.
Download the sales receipt template
Sales receipt template
An itemized receipt for goods sold and paid for on the spot.
Every download is free — no email, no sign-up, no watermark.
The Word file also opens in Google Docs. In the Excel file the line totals and subtotal are live formulas; the tax figure is a cell you type in yourself.
What goes on a sales receipt
A sales receipt is an invoice's shape with a receipt's meaning: the same item grid, but everything on it already happened. The fields:
- Receipt number — one sequence, in order, separate from any invoice numbering you use. Two documents with the same number is the outcome to avoid.
- Date of sale — the sale and the payment happened together; one date covers both.
- Seller details — business name, contact, and where returns or questions should go. On a receipt handed to a stranger at a market stall, the contact line is the difference between a customer and a chargeback.
- Sold to — optional for a walk-up cash sale, worth filling for anything with a warranty, a serial number, or a delivery to arrange.
- Line items: description, quantity, unit price, line total — specific enough to identify what left: "Bookshelf, oak, 5-shelf" rather than "furniture". For serialized goods, put the serial number in the line.
- Subtotal, tax and total — enter the tax rate and amount you charge; the template adds nothing on its own. If no tax applies to the sale, write zero rather than leaving the line blank — a blank reads as forgotten.
- Payment method — cash, card, or transfer reference, next to the total it settled.
- Received by — whoever took the payment signs or initials. It's still a receipt: somebody received the money, and the paper should say who.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a sales receipt and an invoice?
A sales receipt records a sale that's already paid; an invoice requests payment for later. Same grid of items and amounts, opposite tense. If your customer pays on the spot, the sales receipt is the only document the sale needs.
Can I use the sales receipt for services instead of goods?
Yes — write the service as the line item, the way you'd want it remembered: "Lawn mowing, front and back, June 14" rather than "services". The quantity column takes hours or visits as easily as pieces.
What about the tax line?
The tax line is yours to fill: enter the rate and amount you charge on the sale, and the Excel version leaves that cell for you to type — nothing on the template works tax out for you. What rate applies to what you sell is a question for your accountant, not this page.