Rent receipt template
By Anthony Basile - updated
A rent receipt is written proof that a tenant paid you: how much, on what date and for which rent period. Print the blank receipt, fill it in by hand or on screen, and keep a copy. If you write receipts often, the CSV receipt log keeps every one in a single spreadsheet.
Download the free rent receipt template
Enter your email to get the CSV and the printable copy. The CSV opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers.
The printable copy is blank, ready to fill in by hand or save as a PDF from your browser's print dialog. It is one letter page with two blank receipts and a cut line between them. Each receipt has a number and spaces for date received, received from, property and unit, rent period, amount received, for, payment method and check number, balance still due and received by (signature).
A filled-in rent receipt
Here is receipt 2026-003 for J. Rivera at the invented Cedar Court triplex: a partial October payment that leaves $585 due. The CSV log holds this receipt and the two before it.
Rent receipt
No. 2026-003
- Date received
- 10/5/2026
- Received from
- J. Rivera
- Property and unit
- Cedar Court Triplex, unit 1
- Rent period
- October 2026
- Amount received
- $1,000.00
- For
- Partial payment of October rent and pet rent
- Payment method and check number
- Card
- Balance still due
- $585.00
- Received by (signature)
- K. Morgan
| Receipt number | Date received | Rent period | Amount received | Payment method | Balance after payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-001 | 8/18/2026 | Aug 18-31 2026 | $700.00 | ACH | $0.00 |
| 2026-002 | 9/2/2026 | September 2026 | $1,585.00 | ACH | $0.00 |
| 2026-003 | 10/5/2026 | October 2026 | $1,000.00 | Card | $585.00 |
| Total | $3,285.00 |
When to give a rent receipt
Give a receipt every time a tenant pays in cash or by money order. Those payments leave no bank record on the tenant's side, so the receipt is the only proof they have, and your copy is the matching record on yours.
For checks, ACH and card payments, the bank record shows that money moved. A receipt still helps: it ties the payment to a rent period and states the balance left. Some states and cities require a receipt for cash payments or when a tenant asks for one, so check the rules where your property is.
What a rent receipt should show
- A receipt number, so each receipt can be found later and no number is used twice.
- The date you received the payment.
- The tenant's name, as it appears on the lease.
- The property address and unit.
- The rent period the payment covers, such as October 2026.
- The amount received, in numbers, and in words for a cash payment.
- The payment method: cash, check (with the check number), money order, ACH or card.
- The balance still due after this payment, or zero when the account is paid up.
- Your name or your company's name, and your signature.
How to use this rent receipt template
The printable receipt fits two to a letter-size page, with a cut line between them. The CSV is a log with one row per receipt and the same fields.
- Download the printable receipt or the CSV receipt log below.
- Number your receipts in order, for example 2026-001, 2026-002, and never reuse a number.
- Fill in the date, the tenant, the property, the unit and the rent period the payment covers.
- Write the amount and the payment method. For a check, add the check number.
- Take the balance left after this payment from the tenant's rent ledger and write it on the receipt.
- Sign it, give the tenant the original and keep a copy, or record the same details as a row in the CSV log.
Common rent receipt mistakes
- Leaving out the rent period. A receipt for $1,000 that never says which month it pays is hard to match to the ledger later.
- Marking a partial payment as paid. Write the balance still due, so the receipt and the ledger agree.
- Skipping receipts for cash. Cash leaves no other record, so it needs a receipt most of all.
- Reusing or skipping numbers. Numbers in order let you and your accountant see that every receipt is accounted for.
- Keeping no copy. File yours with the lease or scan it, so you can match it to the bank deposit.
Frequently asked questions
Is a rent receipt the same as a rent ledger?
No. A receipt covers one payment. A rent ledger lists every charge and payment for a tenant with a running balance. The balance on each receipt should match the ledger on the same date.
Can I email a rent receipt instead of printing it?
Yes. Open the printable receipt, fill it in, and choose Save as PDF in your browser's print dialog. Email the PDF to the tenant and keep the file with their records.
Do I need to give a receipt for rent paid online?
The payment confirmation usually serves as the tenant's record. A receipt from you is still useful when the tenant asks for one, or when a payment is partial and you want the remaining balance in writing. Rules on receipts vary by state and city, so check the ones that apply to your property.
Should a rent receipt include the security deposit?
Give the deposit its own receipt. You hold the deposit on the tenant's behalf, so keeping it off the rent receipt keeps the rent balance accurate.
What should I do when a tenant pays in cash?
Count it with the tenant there, write the receipt on the spot, keep a copy for each of you and deposit the cash promptly, so the bank record matches the receipt.
Keep every payment on record
KeyRing records each tenant's lease, rent charges, payments and deposit as they happen, so the date, amount and balance for every payment live in one place for every property you own. Your first subscription starts with a 14-day free trial.