What is a cash receipt?

It is a receipt a business gives a customer to confirm a sale paid in cash. This template lists the items, the amount due, the amount tendered and the change given, with a receipt number, date, time and the signature of the person who took the money.

What is the difference between amount tendered and amount due?

The amount due is the price of the sale: the subtotal plus any sales tax. The amount tendered is the cash the customer handed over. The difference is the change given back.

How do I work out the change?

Subtract the amount due from the amount tendered. In the sample, the customer hands over 80.00 for a 71.50 sale, so the change given is 8.50. If they pay the exact amount, the change is 0.00.

Why number cash receipts?

Numbers let you show that every receipt is accounted for. Use one unbroken sequence, never reuse a number, and keep spoiled receipts marked VOID, so your copies can be checked against the cash you took.

Do I need the customer's name on a cash receipt?

Not for an everyday counter sale. Add it when the customer asks or needs it for their own records, for example for their own expense records.

How long should I keep copies of cash receipts?

In the US, the IRS says you generally must keep records that support income on your tax return until the period of limitations for that return runs out, and it lists receipt books among the records of gross receipts. Outside the US, check your tax authority's rules.

What is the difference between a cash receipt and a petty cash voucher?

A cash receipt records money coming in from a customer. A petty cash voucher records money paid out of a business's own small cash fund, for things like postage or supplies.

Cash Receipt Template

Q: Is there a reporting rule for large cash payments?

In the US, yes. The IRS says a trade or business that receives more than $10,000 in cash in one transaction or related transactions must file Form 8300, generally within 15 days. A cash receipt doesn't replace that report.

A cash receipt template for sales paid in cash that lists what was bought, the amount due, the cash the customer handed over and the change given back, with a receipt number, date, time and signature, as a blank PDF form plus Word and Excel files

Send Payment Receipts With Billed View All Templates

No credit card required.

Quick answer:A cash receipt confirms a sale paid in cash. The template on this page is built for a counter, market stall or job site where the customer pays in notes and coins: it has the business name, address and phone or email, a receipt number, date and time, the customer's name, a table of items (description, qty, unit price, amount), the subtotal, a sales tax line if applicable, the amount due, the amount tendered (the cash the customer handed over), the change given back, the payment method and a received-by signature. Change given is the amount tendered less the amount due. Number every receipt in one sequence and keep a copy, because for a cash sale the receipt and your copy may be the only record. In the US, a business that receives more than $10,000 in cash in one transaction or related transactions must also file IRS/FinCEN Form 8300; a receipt doesn't replace it. The template comes as a blank PDF form plus Word (.docx) and Excel (.xlsx) files with sample details.

CASH RECEIPT

PAID

Business

Business name:: Example Farm Stand
Address:: Booth 9, Sampletown Farmers Market
Phone / email:: [Phone or email]

Receipt details

Receipt no.:: CS-0452
Date:: Nov 7, 2026
Time:: 10:42 a.m.

Received from

Customer name:: Avery Example

CASH RECEIPT line items
Description	Qty	Unit price	Amount
Honey, 16 oz jar	2	12.00	24.00
Eggs, dozen	3	6.50	19.50
Seasonal vegetable box	1	28.00	28.00

Subtotal: 71.50
Sales tax, if applicable: 0.00
Amount due: 71.50
Amount tendered: 80.00
Change given: 8.50

Payment

Payment method:: Cash

Received by (print and sign)

Change given is the amount tendered less the amount due. Thank you.

Cash receipt: sample preview. Download it below.

Key Features

Everything you need in a professional receipt template.

Business block: business name, address and phone or email

Receipt no., date and time of the sale

Received from: the customer's name

Items table: description, qty, unit price and amount

Subtotal, a sales tax line if applicable, and the amount due

Amount tendered and change given, with a footnote that change given is the amount tendered less the amount due

Payment method and a received-by line to print and sign

Blank PDF form to fill in by hand; Word (.docx) and Excel (.xlsx) versions with sample details

Download the receipt template

The PDF is a blank form to print and fill in by hand. The Word and Excel files contain the sample details shown in the preview, ready for you to replace with your own.

CASH RECEIPT

PAID

Business

Business name:: Example Farm Stand
Address:: Booth 9, Sampletown Farmers Market
Phone / email:: [Phone or email]

Receipt details

Receipt no.:: CS-0452
Date:: Nov 7, 2026
Time:: 10:42 a.m.

Received from

Customer name:: Avery Example

CASH RECEIPT line items
Description	Qty	Unit price	Amount
Honey, 16 oz jar	2	12.00	24.00
Eggs, dozen	3	6.50	19.50
Seasonal vegetable box	1	28.00	28.00

Subtotal: 71.50
Sales tax, if applicable: 0.00
Amount due: 71.50
Amount tendered: 80.00
Change given: 8.50

Payment

Payment method:: Cash

Received by (print and sign)

Change given is the amount tendered less the amount due. Thank you.

Cash receipt

A receipt for a cash sale: what was bought, line by line, the amount due, the cash tendered and the change given, with the receipt number, date and time and a received-by signature.

Confirms a payment received

Download

What this cash receipt records

A cash receipt confirms that a customer paid for something in cash. This layout is for a sale paid at the moment of purchase, at a counter, a market stall or on a job: it lists what was bought, totals it as the Amount due, then records the Amount tendered (the cash the customer handed over) and the Change given back. The receipt number, date and time, and the signature of the person who took the money, tie the receipt to your cash records.

A card or bank payment leaves a record with the bank. A cash payment doesn't, so the receipt you hand over and the copy you keep may be the only record of the sale.

How to fill in the cash receipt

Business. Enter your Business name, Address and Phone / email. At a market or event, the address can be the stall or booth, as in the sample.
Receipt no., Date and Time. Use the next number in your sequence. The time helps when you match receipts against the cash in the drawer at the end of the day.
Received from. Enter the Customer name if they give it. For a quick counter sale, you can leave it blank.
Items. For each item, enter the Description, Qty and Unit price. The Amount is qty × unit price.
Subtotal, sales tax and amount due. The Subtotal is the sum of the amounts. Fill in Sales tax, if applicable only if you charge sales tax on the sale; check the sales tax rules where you sell before you leave it out. Otherwise leave it at 0.00. The Amount due is the subtotal plus any sales tax: the price of the sale.
Amount tendered. Enter the cash the customer actually handed you, for example 80.00 for a 71.50 sale.
Change given. Enter the amount tendered less the amount due, as the footnote says. In the sample, 80.00 less 71.50 is 8.50. If the customer pays the exact amount, the change is 0.00.
Payment. Write "Cash" as the Payment method. The Word and Excel samples already show it.
Received by. The person who took the money prints their name and signs.

Give the original to the customer and keep a copy.

Amount tendered and change given

Write the amount tendered before you count out the change, then check that the change you hand back matches the receipt. Recording both amounts settles any later question about whether the customer handed over a 50 or a 100, and lets you check the change you gave.

Because the change goes back to the customer, the money you keep from the sale is the amount due, not the amount tendered. If every cash sale gets one of these receipts, then at the end of the day your cash drawer should hold your starting float plus the amount due on each receipt you wrote.

Numbering and keeping copies

Number every receipt in one unbroken sequence and never reuse a number. A pre-numbered, duplicate receipt book does this for handwritten receipts: the carbon or second copy stays in the book.
Void, don't destroy. If you spoil a receipt, write "VOID" across it and keep it with your copies, so a missing number has an explanation.
Keep the copies in number order with the day's cash count.

In the US, the IRS lists cash register tapes and receipt books among the documents that support a business's gross receipts (IRS: What kind of records should I keep), and says that, generally, "you must keep your records that support an item of income, deduction or credit shown on your tax return until the period of limitations for that tax return runs out" (IRS: How long should I keep records). Outside the US, your tax authority sets the record-keeping rules.

Large cash payments in the US

A receipt doesn't replace a report to the government. The IRS says that trades and businesses must report cash payments of more than $10,000 on IRS/FinCEN Form 8300, whether the cash arrives as one lump sum or in related transactions, and that the form is generally due within 15 days after the business receives the cash (IRS: Form 8300 reference guide). The business must also give each person named on the form a written statement by January 31 of the following year. The same guide explains what counts as cash and when installment payments add up to a reportable amount.

Cash receipt or a different receipt?

This cash receipt is for a sale paid in cash on the spot, where you need the items, the amount due and the change.
The cash payment receipt on the Google Docs receipt templates page is a short "received from, the sum of, for, paid by" acknowledgment with the amount in words and figures. Use it when someone hands over a payment with no itemized sale and no change, such as a cash deposit.
The blank simple receipt on the blank receipt template page is the same kind of one-payment receipt left completely blank, for any payment method.
For a payment against an invoice, use the payment receipt. For rent, use the rent receipt.
A petty cash voucher is a different record: it documents money paid out of your own cash fund, while this receipt records money coming in.

PDF, Word or Excel

PDF: a blank form to print and fill in by hand at the counter or stall.
Word (.docx): the same layout filled with sample details. Type over them, then print or save a copy as PDF.
Excel (.xlsx): the same layout with sample details. Each line amount is qty × unit price, and the subtotal, sales tax, amount due and change given are formulas. Sales tax is the subtotal times the "Tax rate (enter your rate)" cell, which is 0% in the sample; type your rate there if you charge sales tax. You type the items and the amount tendered. Leave unused item rows empty instead of deleting them, because the totals refer to them.

Other receipt templates

For a payment between individuals, see the acknowledgment receipt.
For vehicles, see the car rental receipt and the car sale receipt.
By format, see the Google Sheets receipt templates, Word receipt templates, Excel receipt templates and PDF receipt templates, or browse all receipt templates.

Skip the Templates — Create Receipts Online

Why fill in templates by hand? With Billed you can invoice clients and send them a payment receipt once they've paid — all in one place.

Try Billed For Free

No credit card required.

What's included in this receipt template

	Cash receipt (this template)	Cash payment receipt	Blank simple receipt
Use it for	A sale paid in cash on the spot	A payment handed over with no itemized sale	Any single payment, filled in by hand
Items listed	Yes: description, qty, unit price, amount	No: one "For" line	No: one "For" line
Amount	Amount due, amount tendered, change given	The sum in words and the amount received	The sum in words and the amount received
Time of sale	Yes	No	No
Sample details	Yes, in Word and Excel	Yes, in Word and Excel	None: blank in every format
Where to find it	This page	Google Docs receipt templates page	Blank receipt template page

When this isn't for you

If the customer hasn't paid yet, send an invoice: a receipt confirms money already received. If a payment settles an invoice, use a payment receipt that names the invoice. If you are recording money paid out of a petty cash fund, use a petty cash voucher or your expense records instead. A cash sale of more than $10,000 in the US also needs Form 8300, which this receipt doesn't replace.