Every piece of paper from a checkout looks like "a receipt", but they aren't all the same document. For a household budget the difference rarely matters. When you're claiming expenses from an employer or keeping records for your own business, though, what kind of document you have decides whether it proves what you need it to prove.
At a glance
| Document | What it shows | Proves payment? | Shows what you bought? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Itemized receipt | Store, date, each item, tax, total, payment method | Yes | Yes |
| Credit card slip | Merchant, date, masked card number, amount, sometimes a tip line | Yes | Usually not |
| Invoice | What you owe, due date, payment terms | Not on its own | Yes |
| E-receipt | Same as a paper receipt, sent by email or kept in an app | Yes | Usually yes |
| Packing slip | Items in a delivery | No | Yes |
Itemized receipts
The long receipt from a store or restaurant lists every item, the subtotal, tax, the total and how you paid. This is the most useful document for most purposes because it proves both that you paid and what you paid for.
When an expense policy or a tax authority asks for "receipts", this is usually what they mean. Thermal paper fades, though, so photograph important ones soon after you get them.
Credit card slips
When you pay by card, you may get a short slip showing the merchant, date, a masked card number, an authorization code and the amount. At restaurants you often get a second slip where you write in the tip and sign.
A card slip proves a payment happened, and your card statement records the same charge. What neither shows is what you bought. For meals and business purchases, many expense policies want the itemized receipt as well as the card slip, so ask for both when it matters.
Invoices
An invoice is a request for payment: it shows what you owe and when it's due. On its own it doesn't prove you paid. Pair it with proof of payment, such as a paid stamp, a bank transfer record or a card statement line, before treating it as a completed expense.
E-receipts
Online orders, rideshares and many stores email receipts or keep them in an app. They count just as much as paper receipts. The risk is that they're scattered across inboxes and apps, so save them to one folder or print them to PDF when you're organizing a month's expenses.
Packing slips
A packing slip lists what's in a delivery box. It's useful for checking an order arrived complete, but it isn't proof of payment and usually shows no prices.
Organizing mixed receipts
If you keep several kinds of documents, add a Receipt type column to your spreadsheet. When someone asks for proof later, you'll know straight away whether you have an itemized receipt or only a card slip.
- Itemized receipts and card slips can both be photographed and added to the receipt tool. The date, store and total go into a table, and you only need to fill in the receipt type.
- For e-receipts, a screenshot can be added too, but app layouts differ from printed receipts, so check the values.
- Match card slips against your statement once a month to spot anything missing.
Summary
An itemized receipt proves payment and what you bought, a card slip proves payment only, an invoice proves what you owe, and a packing slip proves what arrived. Keep the itemized receipt whenever an expense might need justifying, and note the document type as you go.