Confirm that money has been received, with the payment method, date and transaction reference that make a receipt usable for bookkeeping and reimbursement.
A receipt proves payment already happened. The method, date and reference are what make it usable for bookkeeping and reimbursement.
An invoice asks for money. A receipt confirms money arrived. They cover opposite ends of the same transaction, and using one where the other belongs causes real problems: a client who receives an invoice after paying thinks they are being billed twice, and a client who receives a receipt instead of an invoice has no document to pay against.
What makes a receipt usable is the payment evidence — how it was paid, when it cleared, and the reference number that ties it to a bank line or card statement. A receipt missing those three details is just a second copy of the invoice, and it will be rejected by any finance department trying to reconcile against their own records.
If you were paid less than the full amount, say so on the receipt. A partial payment recorded as a full one creates a false settled position: the customer believes the matter is closed while your ledger still shows a balance, and sorting that out six months later is far harder than writing the outstanding amount on the document now.
Freelancers often need both documents in sequence — invoice the client, then issue a receipt once the transfer lands. Both are free here, both run in the browser, and neither needs an account or adds a watermark.
An invoice is issued before payment and requests it; a receipt is issued after payment and confirms it. The invoice creates the obligation to pay, the receipt documents that the obligation has been met.
Who paid, who was paid, the amount, the date payment was received, the payment method and any transaction reference. Including what the payment was for makes it usable for expense claims and bookkeeping.
Yes, and you should state the outstanding balance on the document. Recording a partial payment as if it were the full amount leaves the customer believing nothing further is owed.
In many business-to-business transactions a marked invoice is accepted as proof of payment, but a standalone receipt is clearer, and some clients — particularly larger organisations — require one for their records.