What goes on a photography receipt
The retainer is what holds the date, and it is the payment most likely to be disputed later — usually by somebody who cancelled and would like it back. The receipt is where its terms get restated at the moment the money actually moves.
- The date paid, and the amount
- What it secures: the date, the package, the hours
- That it is non-refundable where it is, and from when
- The balance remaining, and the date it falls due
- The event date and the location
- What is included in the package it relates to
- How it was paid
The sample line items and example prices this sheet opens with are on the photography invoice template — the same table, which is about the trade rather than about this paper, so it lives in one place rather than on all six.
What you get
A PDF, and a link your customer can open in any browser. Word and Excel versions are not available yet — if a spreadsheet is what you need, this is not yet the tool for it, and saying so is cheaper for both of us than you finding out after typing everything in.
Pick how it looks
Six looks, from a plain classic sheet through a bold top band to a shop ticket, and your initials go on automatically until you upload a logo. See all six.
How to send it
Most customers want the paper on their phone, so the receipt goes out by WhatsApp, text or email, or as a link that needs no app and no account on their side. Or download the PDF to print it or keep it for your own records.
Questions
Should the receipt repeat the cancellation terms?
One line is enough and it is worth it. The retainer receipt is the document a client keeps and the contract is the one they file and forget, so a note saying what the retainer is and that it holds the date is the version they will actually read.
When should the balance be paid?
Before delivery, and on event work usually before the day. Say the date on the receipt alongside the retainer. Chasing a balance after a wedding, when the client already has what they wanted, is the commonest collection problem in this trade.