Receipt - Definition and Overview

A receipt is a document made by a merchant, landlord, vendor, or other creditor in favor of a customer acknowledging having received an amount of money for some purpose. It usually takes the form of something like

Received from Joe Blow the sum of fifty clams (C.50,--) for rent of shed 2 for the month of December 2004. (signed) John Doe

In developed economies, receipts are usually produced only when the deal is executed in cash, or when requested by the customer or required by law; paying by check, credit card, or other method of payment will also produce sufficient documentation of a deal for a customer for most purposes.

The printed tape record produced by a cash register listing a customer's purchases at checkout is technically an invoice, but is usually referred to as a receipt for brevity.

A receipt (usually a return receipt) can be made for the arrival of a parcel or a message.

Example Usage of Receipt