Free Receipt Generator: Create and Download a PDF Receipt

This free receipt generator creates a clean, professional receipt for any payment: cash, card, check, bank transfer or apps such as Zelle, PayPal and Venmo. Add your logo, what the customer paid for, sales tax and the payment method, and the receipt is stamped "Paid in full", or shows the balance remaining for a partial payment. It runs entirely in your browser, so nothing you type is sent to our servers.

How to make a receipt in four steps

1. Add your business details and, if you like, your logo.
2. Add the customer who paid. An address is optional.
3. Enter the payment details: receipt number, payment date, payment method and a reference such as the check number, a transaction ID or the last 4 digits of the card. If the payment settles an invoice, add the invoice number.
4. List what was paid for, add sales tax if you charged it, and leave "Paid in full" ticked or enter a partial payment. Then download the PDF and send it to the customer.

What a receipt should include

For most businesses no federal law prescribes a receipt format. For taxes, receipts are supporting documents: IRS Publication 583 lists sales slips, paid bills, invoices, receipts, deposit slips and canceled checks as the records that back up the entries in your books.

Card payments: never print the full card number

Under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA), electronically printed card receipts given to customers may show no more than the last five digits of the card number and must not show the expiration date. On this receipt, enter only the last 4 digits, for example "Visa ending 1234". If you choose card payment and type something that looks like a full card number, the generator asks you to shorten it.

Partial payments and deposits

Untick "Paid in full" and enter the amount received now. If the customer paid part of the same bill earlier, for example a deposit, enter it under "Paid earlier". The receipt then shows the total, the earlier payment, this payment and the balance remaining, and the stamp reads "Partial payment" until the balance reaches $0.

Example: a $1,200 job with a $300 deposit. The receipt for the deposit shows $300 paid and $900 remaining. The receipt for the final payment shows $300 paid earlier, $900 paid now, a balance of $0.00 and the "Paid in full" stamp.

Receipt or invoice?

Already sent an invoice? Open it in our invoice generator and click "Create a receipt for this invoice": the receipt opens with the customer, the items and the invoice number filled in, and a deposit recorded on the invoice appears as "Paid earlier". To give money back after a return, issue a credit memo instead of changing the receipt.

Donation receipts follow different rules

This tool is made for sales and payment receipts. Charities have special rules: for any single contribution of $250 or more, the donor needs a written acknowledgment that names the organization, states the amount of cash or describes (without valuing) donated property, and says whether the organization gave goods or services in return, with a good-faith estimate of their value if it did. IRS Publication 1771 explains the details.

How long to keep receipts

Keep copies of the receipts you issue and receive at least as long as the IRS can examine the return they support. That is generally 3 years from the date you filed, 6 years if you leave out income of more than 25% of the gross income shown on the return, and 7 years if you claim a loss from worthless securities or a bad debt deduction. Employment tax records must be kept for at least 4 years.

Your data stays on your device

The generator runs entirely in your browser. Your receipt is saved automatically in this browser's local storage and nothing is sent to CarefreeCredits.com. Use "Export receipt data" for a backup and "Delete saved data" to remove it from the browser.

Frequently asked questions

Is this receipt maker free?

Yes. There is no account, no limit on the number of receipts and no watermark on the PDF.

Can I make a receipt for a cash payment?

Yes. Choose "Cash" as the payment method. For cash it is especially useful to add the "Received by" signature line, because there is no bank record of the payment.

Can I create a rent receipt?

Yes. Enter the rent period as the item, for example "Rent for November 2026, Unit 4B", and the payment method. Some states require landlords to give a receipt for certain rent payments, especially cash, so check your state's landlord-tenant rules.

Do I have to charge sales tax?

It depends on your state, what you sell and where your customer is. Many services are not taxable, while most goods are. Leave the rate at 0% if you do not collect sales tax.

How do I number receipts?

Any system works as long as each number is used only once, for example RCT-0001, RCT-0002. "New receipt" counts the number up automatically.

Can I add my logo?

Yes. Upload a PNG or JPG file. It is resized in your browser and appears on the preview and in the PDF.