Receipted Invoice: Definition, Wording to Add and Templates

A receipted invoice (facture acquittée) is an invoice on which the business that carried out the work certifies, through a dated note, that it has received payment. The expression comes from common usage: no text defines it. It is issued by the creditor, that is, the business waiting for payment, usually with its signature or stamp.

The creditor is the person to whom a sum is owed: the craftsperson or construction business that issued the site invoice. The debtor is the client who must pay. The certification comes from the creditor, because only they know whether the funds have reached their account or their till. The business takes the original invoice and adds a note such as “Paid on [date]”, preferably near the total. The services, amounts and numbering do not change.

Does a receipted invoice have a legal definition?

No. The expression “facture acquittée” has no dedicated legal definition, and the law does not require any particular wording. It is a commercial practice. What matters is not the word used, but what the document establishes: who received which sum, from whom, on what date and for which invoice.

What evidential value does a receipted invoice have?

A receipted invoice is a written document in which the business acknowledges having been paid. In a dispute over a payment, it is in principle the client claiming to have paid who must prove it, and they can produce this document among other items: bank statement, copy of a cheque, receipt. The court assesses all the evidence submitted to it; no automatic value attaches to the note. A signature or stamp is not required for the note to exist, but it identifies its author and strengthens the document.

Who decides to mark an invoice as paid within the business?

The manager or the person in charge of administration adds the note after checking receipt of the funds on the bank statement. An invoicing management tool that tracks the status of each payment shows which invoices are still pending. If several people issue invoices, set a written rule: no note without checking the statement, and only one person authorised to sign. A tiler who invoices three jobs a month can, for instance, make do with a weekly check of the account.

Key points “Receipted invoice” is a matter of usage: with no dedicated legal definition, the note is not required by any general rule. The creditor business issues it: it acknowledges in writing, with a date, that it has received payment. The client can produce this document as evidence: so only mark an invoice as paid after verified receipt of funds. The note is added to the original invoice, without changing its amounts or its numbering.

An invoice goes through several states. It is first issued: the business sends it to the client to request payment. It becomes paid when the funds are received. It is receipted when the business acknowledges this payment in writing on the document. An invoice can therefore be paid without ever being receipted, if nobody adds the note.

What is the difference between a receipted invoice, a receipt and a payment certificate?

The vocabulary overlaps. According to Service-Public Entreprendre, the invoice can also be called a “quittance (issued after payment)”. A receipt, or quittance, is therefore a document in which the creditor acknowledges having received a sum, either in a separate document or in the form of an invoice issued after payment. The receipted invoice is the original invoice bearing the receipt note. No general rule draws a clear line between these documents: the distinction rests on usage, and it is the content of the document that counts.

A payment certificate is a letter from the business confirming that it has received a sum. It is not a copy of the invoice: it refers to it. For a third party, what matters is the content: who received, from whom, what sum, what date, which invoice. A certificate that omits the invoice reference forces the recipient to match the documents themselves, and risks being refused.

How should you respond when a client asks for a “proof of payment”?

A client whose bathroom has just been renovated asks their plumber for a “proof of payment”. The term is vague: it can mean a receipted invoice, a receipt or a certificate. Rather than guess, the business asks what the recipient expects, and avoids producing a document that is refused and then having to produce a second one. Three questions are enough:

• Which exact document is requested: receipted invoice, receipt or certificate?
• Is a specific invoice needed or all the invoices for the job?
• Must the document show a particular date, payment method or amount?

Record the client’s answer in the job file. If the request later changes, you will know which document you provided, on what date and on what basis.

A receipted invoice is used to prove that a works expense has actually been paid, and not merely ordered or invoiced. It shows which work was carried out, by which business, and that its price was paid on a given date.

Is a receipted invoice mandatory?

No, there is no general obligation to mark an invoice as paid, and the receipt note is not among the mandatory particulars. Service-Public Entreprendre states that an invoice must contain its legal particulars, whether the client is an individual, a business or a public body, and that an invoice addressed to an individual must state the existence and duration of the legal guarantee of conformity, of at least 2 years. These particulars concern the original invoice, whether or not you mark it as paid. A requirement for a receipt note may, however, come from the recipient.

What does a receipted invoice prove, and to whom?

Towards the client and the court, the scope is clear: the receipt note is a written acknowledgement of payment, which the judge assesses along with the other documents. Towards the tax authorities, the bank and the insurer, it is not confirmed: each sets its own requirements, and no general rule says that the receipt note is sufficient or that it is required.

Where can you check the requirements of grant and loan schemes?

The Ministry of Ecological Transition presents the energy renovation grants, the Coup de pouce Chauffage scheme and the energy savings certificates scheme. The Coup de pouce Chauffage page details the required invoice particulars; it does not mention the receipt note. For the eco-loan, see the Service-Public éco-PTZ page and the one from the ministry.

What does a business risk if it delays or refuses?

No text provides for a specific penalty for a business that is slow to mark an invoice as paid. The risk is indirect: the client may lose time on a grant, loan or insurance file, and the business relationship suffers. As long as payment has not been received, do not mark the invoice as paid, and explain this to the client. Prepare a template note and ask the client for the list of documents accepted by their recipient.

No receipt wording is required by any text, but certain elements make the document usable. The more complete the note, the less room there is for dispute. It must remain legible, preferably near the total, without covering the original information, and it does not replace any mandatory particular of the invoice.

• The formula: “Paid” or “Received with thanks”.
• The payment date: the date on which the business actually received the funds.
• The payment method: bank transfer, cheque, cash, bank card.
• The amount paid, useful when the payment does not cover the whole invoice.
• The creditor’s identity: business name, name and capacity of the signatory.
• The signature or stamp of the business, which identify the author of the certification.

When should the note be added?

Add the note on actual receipt of funds, that is, when the money has really been received. A promise to pay, an announced transfer or a cheque handed over are not enough.

A masonry firm finishes a house extension and issues its final invoice. The client announces a transfer and asks for the receipt. The manager waits for the credit to appear on the account, two days later, then adds the note with the date of receipt, the payment method and the amount. Marking it as paid on the mere announcement would have exposed the business to acknowledging in writing a payment it had not received, had the transfer been cancelled.

What happens to the receipt note with electronic invoicing?

According to impots.gouv.fr, a scanned “paper” invoice, an ordinary PDF or a document sent by email will no longer comply with the electronic invoicing regulations. The authorities cite, as particulars to be placed in a dedicated field, the SIREN number of the supplier and of the client or the issue date. To find out how to show a receipt note in this framework, ask your software vendor and read the guide to electronic invoicing in construction.

When a payment is late, chase the client before marking the invoice as paid. The guide to anticipating unpaid invoices in construction details follow-up and reminder routines. Once the note has been added, keep a copy of the document with the original invoice and the proof of receipt.

A job rarely generates a single invoice paid in one go. Payments are staggered, and the receipt note follows this staggering: you mark as paid only the part actually paid, with the corresponding date and amount.

How to mark a progress invoice as paid?

A progress invoice (facture de situation) is an interim invoice that requests payment for the progress of the work at a given date. The article on progress statements explains how it works. Each progress invoice is paid separately: mark each one as paid when it is settled, without a global note on the last invoice, because each payment has its own date. A tracking table (issue date, receipt date, status of the receipt note) avoids forgetting a note or adding it too early.

How to mark a partial balance and a retention as paid?

When the client pays only part of the invoice, state the amount actually received and specify that a balance remains due, for example “Paid to the extent of [amount received], balance of [remaining amount] still due”. The retention (retenue de garantie) is a sum that the client temporarily withholds from the price of the work, to cover any reservations at handover. As long as it has not been paid, it is not receipted: you issue a new receipt note when it is released and actually paid.

How to mark a deposit invoice as paid?

A deposit is a sum paid in advance on the price of the work. Add the note to the deposit invoice when the deposit is received, with its date and payment method. The conditions of the deposit and its treatment in the final invoice are detailed in the dedicated article.

What procedure should you follow for each receipt note?

1. Find on the bank statement the credit corresponding to the invoice.
2. Match its amount to that of the invoice or progress invoice.
3. Add the note with the actual date, the payment method and the amount.
4. File the receipt note with the original invoice and the proof of receipt.

Two templates are enough in most cases. Copy the text, replace the fields in square brackets, such as [amount paid], with your own values, and place the note on the invoice, near the total. The substance stays the same; only the identification of the client changes.

Which template for an individual client?

Invoice paid on [payment date] by [payment method], for an amount of [amount paid]. Done at [city], on [date the receipt is issued]. [Name and capacity of the signatory]. [Signature and stamp of the business]

Which template for a business client?

Received with thanks: invoice no. [invoice number] paid by [name of the client business] on [payment date] by [payment method], for an amount of [amount paid]. Done at [city], on [date the receipt is issued]. [Name and capacity of the signatory], for [name of the creditor business]. [Signature and stamp of the business]

What should you check before sending the document?

• The invoice number and the client’s name match the original invoice.
• The payment date is the date the funds were received, as seen on the account.
• The amount paid is consistent with the statement, especially for a partial payment.
• The name and capacity of the signatory are clearly stated.

What does subcontracting change?

If you work as a subcontractor for a main contractor, your client is a business client and the second template applies. The clauses of your subcontracting contract govern the payment relationship. The receipt note is added to the invoice particulars without replacing them.

Two situations call for caution: the client asks for the document long after payment, or the business discovers that it has marked as paid an invoice that was not settled. In both cases, the note must reflect what was actually received.

How to respond to a client who asks for the receipt months after payment?

Before certifying anything, check the receipt of funds in your accounts and on your bank statements. If you cannot find the payment, sign nothing and ask the client for proof of their payment. If the payment is confirmed, prepare the document from the original invoice, stating the actual payment date and the date on which you issue the receipt, to avoid any confusion between the two.

What does a business risk if it marks an invoice as paid wrongly?

A receipted invoice is a document from the business acknowledging payment, and the client can produce it as evidence. If the note is wrong, the business will have to show that it received nothing, for example with its bank statements, and the court will assess all the documents. The older the error, the harder it is to correct.

If you marked an invoice as paid by mistake Inform the client in writing, without delay, that the note is wrong, stating the invoice concerned and the amount still due. Keep this exchange, the original invoice and your bank statements. If the client disputes it, get advice from your accountant or a legal adviser before replying on the substance.

Which mistakes should you avoid?

• Marking as paid when the cheque is handed over, before it is cleared.
• Marking as paid on the strength of an announced but unconfirmed transfer.
• Adding a global receipt note to a partial payment.
• Marking the retention as paid before it has been released.
• Leaving the note without a date, or without a signature or stamp.
• Rewriting the original invoice instead of adding a note to it.

How long should these documents be kept?

The page Everything about invoicing from Service-Public Entreprendre reminds us that invoicing is subject to rules on mandatory particulars, deadlines and retention. No specific period is given here: check the applicable period on that page. In practice, keep together the invoice bearing the receipt note, the statement or cheque deposit slip that proves receipt of funds, and the exchanges with the client.