Car Rental Receipt Template

A rental agreement is signed when the vehicle goes out. It sets the terms: who is renting, which vehicle, the rate, the return date and the rules on mileage, fuel and extras. The closing receipt is issued when the vehicle comes back. It confirms what was actually charged under that agreement and what the renter actually paid.

The template on this page is the closing receipt. It is aimed at small rental operators and independent hosts who check vehicles in by hand. It also suits renters who need a proper record for an expense claim when the rental company has only given them a card slip.

Two related documents cover different situations: a car sale receipt for when ownership of a vehicle changes hands, and a taxi receipt for a ride with a driver rather than a self-drive rental.

A deposit or a card hold is not the rental charge, so keep them apart on the receipt.

A deposit taken as money (cash or a bank transfer) is money you received and are holding. At return, show the deposit received, how much of it was applied to the charges, and how much was refunded or is still to be refunded.

A card pre-authorisation (hold) reserves funds on the renter's card but is not a payment. The receipt should show the final amount actually charged as the total paid. List the hold separately, for example as "pre-authorisation of 200.00 at pickup; final charge 273.00". How quickly the unused part comes off the renter's account depends on when the rental company finalises the charge or cancels the hold, and on the renter's card issuer, so finalise or release it promptly at return. The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's report on consumer experiences with overdraft programs records participants describing rental car holds on debit cards that took several weeks to resolve. In the UK, regulation 78 of the Payment Services Regulations 2017 says that where the amount of a card payment is not known in advance, the payer's provider may block funds only if the payer agreed to the exact amount, and must release the blocked funds without undue delay once it knows the final amount, and in any event immediately after it receives the payment order.

Deposit rules, hold amounts and what you may deduct for damage depend on your agreement, your payment processor and local law. This page explains how to record them, not what you are allowed to charge.

Worked example (the sample values in the Word and Excel files): a 4-day rental at 45.00 per day is 180.00. The car was driven 740 km against an allowance of 680 km (170 km a day), so 60 km extra at 0.25 per km adds 15.00. The renter accepted an optional collision damage waiver at 12.00 a day (48.00). The car went out full and came back at 3/4, so there is a refuelling charge of 20.00, plus a location fee of 10.00. The subtotal is 273.00. The sample leaves the tax line at 0.00 with a rate placeholder for you to fill in where tax applies, so the total and the amount paid are both 273.00. The 200.00 hold placed at pickup is noted under payment and is not part of the total.

1. Have the rental agreement in front of you and copy its number, the renter's name and the vehicle details onto the receipt.
2. Record the return date, time and location.
3. Read the odometer and fuel gauge with the renter present and write both readings next to the pickup readings.
4. Work out the rental days and any extra distance (miles or km), and add only charges the agreement provides for.
5. Show the deposit or hold separately, and record what happens to it.
6. Enter the total paid and the payment method, give the renter a copy and keep one with the agreement.

The PDF is a blank form for filling in by hand at the counter. The Word and Excel files use the same layout with sample values filled in; overwrite them with your own figures and save a copy for each rental.