What to Put on a Receipt: Six Essential Items

Published: Oct 19, 2026 | Updated: Oct 19, 2026 | About (Japanese)

Key points

Payer, amount, description, date and issuer are the core
Write the amount tax included and add the breakdown
A blank payer (上様) can be a problem for the recipient

The format of a receipt is not strictly set by law. Still, to spare the recipient trouble with expense claims or tax filing, it is safer to include the six items below.

Six items to include

Payer: the name of the person or company that paid. For a company, use the formal name.
Amount: the amount, tax included, written clearly. It is common to add marks on both sides, like "¥12,000 -", to prevent alterations.
Description: what the payment was for. "For goods" works, but something specific such as "for photography" is easier to check later.
Date: the day the money was received.
Issuer: the name of the person or company that received the money.
Acknowledgment: a line such as "Received the above amount with thanks".

Nice to have

Tax breakdown (amount per tax rate)
Address and phone number
A receipt number
Invoice registration number, if you are registered

Common questions

Is 上様 (blank payer) okay? For a private customer it is often fine. People who claim it as a company expense may need a name, so it helps to ask first.
Can the description be blank? Better not. A blank leaves room for someone to fill it in later.
Issue date or payment date? Basically, the day the money was received.

With Create a Receipt PDF you can enter all of these in one place.

Use "Create a Receipt PDF" (free)

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Merge PDFs: Combine several PDF files into one, in the order you choose.
Add Page Numbers to PDF: Add page numbers to a PDF, choosing position and style.

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