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What a payment receipt has to say

Oct 21, 2026QuotePaidQuotePaid

A receipt is the invoice plus proof of payment. Here are the fields that make it useful — and why you should never write one by hand.

When a client asks for "un reçu" or a receipt, they are not asking for a new document. They are asking for proof that a specific invoice was paid. That means the receipt is derived from the invoice, and almost every quoting app treats it that way instead of asking you to type a fourth document.

The six fields a receipt needs

  1. A reference to the invoice it settles — the invoice number is the whole point. A receipt that does not name the invoice is a note, not a receipt.
  2. Your company details, or at least the name the client will recognise on their bank statement.
  3. The client's name.
  4. The amount received and the currency.
  5. How it was paid — bank transfer, cash, cheque, card reader on site — and the date.
  6. The remaining balance, if the client paid in part. If there is no balance, say "paid in full" so nobody asks again next month.

Why "partial payment" is the case that breaks tools

A 30% deposit is normal in building work. Plenty of apps handle it badly: they either mark the invoice paid (wrong — the money is not there) or refuse the payment at all (so you record it in a notebook). What you want is:

  • the payment recorded against the invoice,
  • a receipt for the amount actually received,
  • and the balance still visible on the invoice, so the reminder you send later is about the right number.

A receipt is not an e-invoice

Worth saying plainly: a PDF receipt is proof of payment between you and your client. It is not a certified e-invoice, and from September 2026 in France receiving invoices will require a certified platform. QuotePaid's lite version does not claim compliance; a compliant version is planned before the 2027 deadline.

The practical version

Record the payment the moment it lands — transfer, cash, card reader — and let the app write the receipt: invoice number, amount, method, date, balance. Print it, send it, or just keep it in the file.

QuotePaid generates the receipt automatically when you mark an invoice paid, including partial payments. 14-day trial, no card.