Self Employment: How to Make a Receipt

by Alan Li, Demand Media
Printed receipts are much more convenient than handwritten receipts.

Printed receipts are much more convenient than handwritten receipts.

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Self-employment refers to the status of someone who runs her own business and is therefore her own employer. Self-employed business owners need to create and offer receipts to their customers for much the same reasons as any other business owner. Receipts are useful for record-keeping for both the business and customers, they demonstrate a degree of professionalism on the part of the business, and customers will expect to receive receipts for their transactions. Self-employed workers can and should use computers to print receipts, but they can also use pen and paper.

Step 1

Select the word processor to be used in creating the receipt. As of the date of publication, Microsoft Office offers free receipt templates. Receipt templates can be accessed through choosing to create a new document and then scrolling through the options to find templates. Once the right template has been found, it is a simple matter of filling in the template with the needed details.

Step 2

Create the receipt's header, which should include the business's name, its contact details, and the date/time of the transaction in question. For example, if a proprietor sold books to a customer, the receipt's header should include the business's name, address, phone number and/or other contact information, and the date/time at which the transaction was conducted.

Step 3

Describe the product being sold in the transaction. For example, if the proprietor sold three separate books to its customer, it should list each book's name, the quantities sold of that product, and other relevant details that can be used to identify the specific transaction. It might also be helpful to include an identification code if the product has one. For example, each book has an ISBN number that should be included in order to help identify it on the receipt.

Step 4

Describe the price charged on the product, the taxes charged on the sale, and provide a total cost at the end. For example, if the proprietor sold three books at $100, $150, and $200 in a state with a 10 percent sales tax, it should list the price of each book, list the sales tax of $45, and then sum up the total cost of $495 at the end of the receipt.

Things Needed

  • Computer
  • Paper
  • Printer


  • Receipts can be customized in order to better meet either the proprietor or the customer's needs. For example, a proprietor can choose to also include the customer's contact details for ease of identification and include business logos to boost brand recognition.

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