What is an official receipt?

It is a formal, numbered receipt that a business or organization issues to confirm it received a payment. It shows the issuer's details, who paid, the amount in words and figures, what the payment was for, how it was paid, and the signature of an authorized person.

Is this a BIR official receipt?

No. In the Philippines, the BIR requires sellers to issue duly registered invoices, and an invoice printed by an accredited printer needs an Authority to Print first. This template is not registered with the BIR and not printed under an Authority to Print. Since the invoicing rules under the Ease of Paying Taxes Act took effect on April 27, 2024, the BIR treats the invoice as the primary evidence of a sale and the official receipt as a supplementary document. Ask your Revenue District Office or a tax advisor which documents you must issue.

What is the difference between an official receipt and an invoice?

An invoice asks for payment and shows the amount due and when it is due. An official receipt is issued after the money arrives and confirms it was received. If the payment settles an invoice, write the invoice number in the purpose line of the receipt.

Why write the amount in words as well as figures?

A figure can be changed with a stroke of a pen; the same amount written out in words is much harder to alter without it showing. If the two ever disagree, the receipt is unclear, so check they match before you sign.

Which tax IDs go on the receipt?

The Tax ID line under "Issued by" is for your business's own tax identification number, such as an EIN in the US, if your tax authority expects it on receipts or your customers need it. The Payer's tax ID line is for the customer's number, and only when they ask for it. Leave either line blank rather than writing a personal identification number.

Who should sign an official receipt?

Someone your business has authorized to issue receipts, such as the owner, a manager or a cashier. They sign on the Authorized signature line and fill in Print name and title, so the payer knows who confirmed the payment.

What if I make a mistake on a numbered receipt?

Don't reuse the number. Write "VOID" across the spoiled receipt, keep it with your copies, and issue a new receipt with the next number. That way your sequence has no unexplained gaps.

Official Receipt Template

Q: How long should I keep copies of official receipts?

In the US, the IRS says you generally must keep records that support income shown on your tax return until the period of limitations for that return runs out. Other countries set their own periods, so check with your tax authority.

An official receipt template for a formal, numbered receipt that records who issued it, who paid, the amount in words and figures, what the payment was for and how it was made, signed by an authorized person, as a blank PDF form plus Word and Excel files

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Quick answer:An official receipt is a formal, numbered receipt a business or organization issues when it receives a payment. The template on this page has an "Issued by" block with the business name, address and tax ID, a receipt number and date, the payer's name, address and (if needed) tax ID under "Received from", the sum in words, the amount received in figures, what the payment was for, the payment method, check or transaction number and date received, and lines for an authorized signature and the signer's printed name and title. It confirms money already received, so it has no due date. What a receipt must contain depends on where you do business, so check the rules of the tax authority there. In the Philippines, the template is not a BIR-registered official receipt or invoice and is not printed under an Authority to Print. It comes as a blank PDF form to fill in by hand, plus Word (.docx) and Excel (.xlsx) files with sample details to replace; the Excel file has no formulas.

OFFICIAL RECEIPT

PAID

Issued by

Business name:: Example Services Inc.
Address:: 400 Example Boulevard, Sampletown
Tax ID:: [Tax ID]
Phone / email:: [Phone or email]

Receipt details

Receipt no.:: 004127
Date:: Nov 9, 2026

Received from

Name:: Example Trading Co.
Address:: 45 Sample Avenue, Sampletown
Payer's tax ID:: [Payer's tax ID, if needed]

Amount and purpose

The sum of (in words):: One thousand two hundred fifty and 00/100
For:: Rental of meeting room B on Nov 14, 2026

Amount received: 1,250.00

Payment

Payment method:: Check
Check or transaction no.:: [Check or transaction no.]
Date received:: Nov 9, 2026

Authorized signature

Print name and title

Please keep this receipt as your record of payment.

Official receipt (formal numbered receipt): sample preview. Download it below.

Key Features

Everything you need in a professional receipt template.

"Issued by" block with business name, address, tax ID and phone or email

Receipt no. and date, for a numbered sequence you keep without gaps

Received from: the payer's name, address and, if needed, their tax ID

The sum in words, the amount received in figures, and what the payment was for

Payment method, check or transaction no. and the date the payment was received

Authorized signature with the signer's printed name and title

Blank PDF form to print and 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.

OFFICIAL RECEIPT

PAID

Issued by

Business name:: Example Services Inc.
Address:: 400 Example Boulevard, Sampletown
Tax ID:: [Tax ID]
Phone / email:: [Phone or email]

Receipt details

Receipt no.:: 004127
Date:: Nov 9, 2026

Received from

Name:: Example Trading Co.
Address:: 45 Sample Avenue, Sampletown
Payer's tax ID:: [Payer's tax ID, if needed]

Amount and purpose

The sum of (in words):: One thousand two hundred fifty and 00/100
For:: Rental of meeting room B on Nov 14, 2026

Amount received: 1,250.00

Payment

Payment method:: Check
Check or transaction no.:: [Check or transaction no.]
Date received:: Nov 9, 2026

Authorized signature

Print name and title

Please keep this receipt as your record of payment.

Official receipt (formal numbered receipt)

A formal numbered receipt from a business or organization: the issuer's name, address and tax ID, who the payment was received from, the amount in words and in figures, what it was for, the payment method and an authorized signature.

Confirms a payment received

Download

What an official receipt is

An official receipt is a formal, numbered receipt that a business or organization issues when it receives a payment. It names the issuer and its tax ID, the person or business that paid, the amount in words and in figures, what the payment was for and how it was made, and it is signed by someone authorized to issue receipts on the organization's behalf. The receipt number links each payment to your books, and the copies you keep show every payment you acknowledged.

Calling a receipt "official" doesn't give it legal standing on its own. What a receipt must contain, and whether you must use a registered or government-approved form, depends on where you do business and how you are registered for tax. Check the rules of the tax authority where you do business before relying on any template, including this one.

Official receipts in the Philippines (BIR)

In the Philippines, "Official Receipt" is a document regulated by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), and its role changed in 2024. Revenue Regulations No. 7-2024, which implements the Ease of Paying Taxes Act, made the invoice the main sales document. The BIR's digest of Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 77-2024 says the invoice "is now the primary evidence for recording sales of goods and services" and that the Official Receipt "is treated as a supplementary document" (BIR: RMC No. 77-2024 digest). The circular gives April 27, 2024 as the date the invoicing rules took effect.

The same circular says that an Official Receipt issued for a sale of goods or services is not evidence of the sale and counts as failing to issue an invoice, which is subject to penalty. An Official Receipt, Payment Receipt or Acknowledgement Receipt may still be issued when a payment is collected later, and Revenue Regulations No. 11-2024 says these documents "serve as proof of payment that cash has been received" (BIR: RR No. 11-2024 digest). Invoices printed by an accredited printer need an Authority to Print (ATP) from the BIR first, and the circular describes businesses applying for an ATP for the Official Receipts they keep using as supplementary documents.

This template is not a BIR document. Downloading or printing it does not register it with the BIR, it is not printed under an Authority to Print, and it is not an invoice under RR No. 7-2024. Don't issue it in place of a BIR-registered invoice or official receipt. If you are registered with the BIR, ask your Revenue District Office or a tax advisor which documents you must issue. The BIR lists the regulations on its Ease of Paying Taxes page.

How to fill in the official receipt

Issued by. Enter your Business name, Address and Phone / email. Fill in the Tax ID line with your business's tax identification number if your tax authority expects it on receipts or your customers need it, for example an EIN in the US. If your business has no tax ID of its own, leave the line blank rather than writing a personal identification number.
Receipt no. and Date. Number receipts in one unbroken sequence and never reuse a number. The Date is the day you issue the receipt. If you spoil a receipt, write "VOID" across it and keep it with your copies, so anyone checking your records can see why a number is missing.
Received from. Enter the Name and Address of the person or business that paid. Fill in Payer's tax ID only when the payer asks for it, for example a business customer that needs it for its own records; otherwise leave it blank.
Amount. Write the amount in words next to The sum of (in words), for example "One thousand two hundred fifty and 00/100", and in figures next to Amount received. Check that the two match before you sign. A figure is easy to change; the same amount written out in words is much harder to alter without it showing.
For. Say exactly what the payment was for. "Payment of invoice 2041, office cleaning, October" is clearer than "services". If the payment is a deposit or part of a larger amount, say so here.
Payment. Enter the Payment method (cash, check, bank transfer or card), then the Check or transaction no. the payer can trace: the check number, the transfer reference, or the last four digits of a card. Never write a full card number. For cash, leave the number blank. Date received is the day the money reached you, which can be earlier than the receipt date.
Authorized signature. The person signing should be someone your business allows to issue receipts. Under Print name and title, add their name and job title so the payer knows who confirmed the payment. The template has no separate box for a company stamp or seal; if you use one, stamp it next to the signature.
Copies. Give the original to the payer and keep a copy, in number order, with your other records. The footnote asks the payer to keep the receipt as their record of payment.

Keep a copy of every receipt you issue

A numbered receipt is only useful as a record if you keep the copies. In the US, the IRS lists receipt books and invoices 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 and how long they apply.

Official receipt vs. invoice

An invoice asks for payment. It lists what was supplied and its price, and sets the payment terms and due date. You send it before the customer pays. See the invoice templates.
An official receipt confirms that payment arrived. It records the amount, what it was for and how it was paid, and it asks for nothing. If the payment settles an invoice, write the invoice number in the purpose line.

If your tax authority prescribes a particular invoice or receipt for sales, issue that document. A receipt like this one doesn't replace it.

PDF, Word or Excel

PDF: a blank form to print and fill in by hand, for payments taken in person.
Word (.docx): the same layout filled with sample details. Type over them, then save a copy as PDF to send.
Excel (.xlsx): the same layout with sample details. There are no formulas: type the amount received in figures and the sum in words yourself.

Other receipt templates

For a payment against an invoice that shows the balance after the payment, use the payment receipt.
For a one-off payment between individuals, use the acknowledgment receipt.
For gifts to a charity, use the donation receipt.
For a simple general-purpose receipt, see the generic receipt or the cash receipt.
For trades and services, see the plumbing, handyman and hotel receipts.
By format, see the Google Docs receipt templates, Google Sheets receipt templates, Word receipt templates, Excel receipt templates and PDF receipt templates, or browse all receipt templates.

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What's included in this receipt template

	Invoice	Official receipt (this template)	Payment receipt
Purpose	Asks for payment	Confirms a payment was received	Confirms an invoice has been paid
When you issue it	Before the customer pays	After the money arrives	After the payment that settles the invoice
Amount	Line items, total, amount due	Amount received, plus the sum in words	Amount invoiced, amount paid now, balance after this payment
Due date	Yes	No	No
Payment details	How the customer can pay	Payment method, check or transaction no., date received	Payment method, payment reference, date received
Where to find it	Invoice templates	This page	Payment receipt template page

When this isn't for you

If you haven't been paid yet, send an invoice: a receipt confirms money already received. If you are in the Philippines and registered with the BIR, this template is not a BIR-registered invoice or official receipt, so use the documents your registration requires. If you are a charity acknowledging a gift, use a donation receipt, which has the statements donation rules can require.