Login

Get started

Sign me up

<h2>What you’ll learn</h2>


<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>How to define an invoice, bill, and receipt</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>


<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>The difference between these payment documents</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>


<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>When to use each of these to make your payments process smoother</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>



Invoices, bills, and receipts all have distinct functions in any business transaction. Understanding the difference between each of these documents can help you stay organized and get paid faster.


The main difference between invoices and bills hinges on who originates the document and the point at which the document is generated and shared during a transaction. Receipts are issued to document the completion of a transaction.


<h2>What is an invoice?</h2>


An invoice is a financial document sent to customers when goods and/or services get provided. The invoice may request immediate payment or establish a future due date.


<a href="https://gohopscotch.com/blog/a-small-business-owners-guide-to-invoicing/">Standard invoices</a> typically include the following information:


<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Details on the item(s) sold or services rendered</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>


<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Amount owed</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>


<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Payment terms</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>


<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Due date</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>


<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Contact information</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>



Invoices need to be tracked with a filing system to properly manage <a href="https://gohopscotch.com/blog/accounts-payable-vs-accounts-receivable/">accounts receivable</a> and ensure that payments get made on time. By dating and numbering your invoices, you’ll have a record of how much money is owed and when to expect it.


<h2>What is a bill?</h2>


You receive a bill when you owe money to an individual or organization. A list of your bills represents your accounts payable. If you don’t keep track of these expenses, you could seriously impact your cash flow.


Most bills include:


<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Details on what was purchased</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>


<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Amount owed</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>


<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Payment options</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>


<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Due date</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>



Paying bills on time is important to avoid late fees and other penalties.


<h2>What is a receipt?</h2>


Receipts are given to clients when payment is received and the transaction is complete. Receipts are vital for business owners and customers as they help track purchases. It’s easier to track expenses if you catalog receipts.


Information you might see on a receipt includes:


<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Transaction date</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>


<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Amount paid</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>


<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Payment type</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>



<h2>Comparing invoices, bills, and receipts</h2>


Invoices, bills, and receipts serve different purposes and have different processes. Invoices get sent before they’re due, bills are paid on time, and receipts are issued for every purchase.


Here’s a further breakdown of the differences between these standard documents.


<h3>Invoice vs receipt </h3>


An invoice gets sent before payment is received, while a receipt gets issued after payment is received.


Almost every transaction that requires an invoice also needs a receipt. However, the reverse isn&#8217;t true. If the transaction is settled immediately, like inside a storefront, a receipt alone will suffice.


As a business owner, you will both give and receive receipts.


<h3>Invoice vs. bill</h3>


Businesses send invoices and receive bills. The bills represent money owed to sellers, like vendors. Invoices are used to track accounts receivable, and bills are used to track accounts payable.


If a buyer receives goods or services and does not pay at the moment of sale, it’s appropriate for the seller to send an invoice. When that invoice reaches its destination, it becomes the customer’s bill.


<h3>Bill vs. receipt</h3>


A bill notifies you that payments are due. Receipts get provided when that payment has been finalized. Bills usually provide instructions on how to pay, and receipts provide proof of payment.


Bills and receipts are typically linked. Customers expect to receive a receipt after their bill gets paid.


<h2>When should I use an invoice, bill, or receipt?</h2>


Invoices, bills, and receipts are documents that your business will handle frequently. They&#8217;re each suitable for specific situations.


<h3>Invoice</h3>


Invoices are sent to customers and usually contain itemized purchase details, payment terms, due dates, and contact information. Invoices should be issued when goods or services require future payments.


<h3>Bill</h3>


When your business makes a purchase, you&#8217;ll receive a bill if you don&#8217;t pay upfront.


There&#8217;s never a situation where you need to issue a bill. The bills that your customers pay are your invoices.


<h3>Receipts</h3>


Receipts should be given to customers and vendors when payments get made. Receipts provide proof of payment as well as details about the transaction.


Receipts are necessary for every transaction unless the customer declines.


<h2>Use Hopscotch to automate invoicing and bill pay</h2>


Invoices, bills, and receipts are essential for monitoring the money that flows in and out of your business. Ensure you use the right document for each transaction to help streamline operations and maintain accurate payment records.


Learn how Hopscotch can <a href="https://gohopscotch.com/">make accepting &amp; sending payments easier</a> for your business, and <a href="https://app.gohopscotch.com/register">sign up</a> today to experience instant, fee-free payments.

The Difference Between Invoices, Bills, &amp; Receipts

Difference-between-invoices-bills-and-receipts.png

The 5-Step Guide To Managing Customer Payments

A Guide To ACH Payments For Small Business Owners

Tailwind + Hopscotch

desola-lanre-ologun-IgUR1iX0mqM-unsplash

How trustworthy is Hopscotch?

Willa vs Hopscotch: What You Need To Know

Choosing the best invoicing software for freelancers

End Card

The Ultimate Guide To Six-Figure Freelancing

End Card (1)

The Best Pricing Strategies for Freelancers

End Card (2)

Getting Paid on Time as a Freelancer

Invoicing-for-graphic-designers.png

Invoicing for Graphic Designers

Web Development Invoicing

How-to-pay-yourself.jpg

How to Pay Yourself as a Small Business Owner

Future-of-B2B-payments.png

Building the Future of B2B Payments with Reed Switzer and Thomas Rein

Fixed-vs-variable-costs.jpg

The Difference Between Fixed and Variable Costs

How-accepting-credit-card-payments-can-help-you-grow-your-business.png

How Accepting Credit Card Payments Can Help Your Business Grow

Ruby-Money-x-Hopscotch-Webinar.jpg

Hopscotch x Ruby Money Webinar: Guide to Paying Taxes as a Freelancer

Every-resource-you-need.png

Every Resource You Need to Know as a Freelancer

6-must-have-email-templates-for-freelancers.jpg

6 Email Templates For Freelancers To Earn More Money And Get Paid Faster

TankTalks-Podcast-Transcript.png

How Failing at Your First Startup is the Best Education for Young Entrepreneurs with Reed Switzer

Preventing-payment-fraud.png

Payment Fraud: What is it and How Can it be Prevented?

Organizing-Your-Small-Business-For-Success.jpg

How to Organize Your Small Business for Success

How-to-prepare-cashflow-for-the-holidays.png

Heading OOO? How to Prepare Your Business & Cash Flow

How-we-built-Hopscotch-Flow.jpg

How We Built Hopscotch Flow

Hopscotch-x-Quickbooks-integration.png

Hopscotch x QuickBooks Integration: Feature Launch

Accounts-payable-vs-accounts-receivable.png

The Difference Between Accounts Payable & Accounts Receivable

Growing-your-business-in.png

Growing Your Business in an Unpredictable Economy

5-tips-for-more-accurate-cashflow-projections.jpg

5 Tips to Make More Accurate Cash Flow Projections

Common-cashflow-problems-and-how-to-solve-them.jpg

Common cash flow problems small businesses face and how to solve them

The-problem-with-accepting-paper-checks.jpg

The Problem with Accepting Checks as a Business

The-ultimate-guide-to-growing-your-revenue-as-a-freelancer.png

The Ultimate Guide to Growing Your Revenue as a Freelancer

Hopscotch-is-officially-open-for-business.jpg

Hopscotch is officially open for business

Whats-the-diff-between-ACH-and-wire-transfer.png

What’s the difference between ACH and Wire Transfers?

How-does-Hopscotch-make-money.png

How does Hopscotch make money?

Why-you-need-recurring-payments-for-your-small-business.jpg

Why You Need Recurring Payment Processing for Your Small Business

The-power-of-faster-payments.png

The Power of Faster Payments

Budget-vs.-Forecast.png

Budget vs. forecast: which is right for small businesses?

ACH-Transfers_-What-are-they-and-how-do-they-work.jpg

ACH transfers: What are they & how do these payments work?

Picking-payment-types-that-work-for-your-business.png

Picking payment types that work for your business

Six-tips-to-writing-effective-overdue-invoice-letters.png

Six Tips for Writing Effective Overdue Invoice Letters

A-small-business-owners-survival-guide.png

A Small Business Owner's Survival Guide to Economic Decline

How-to-handle-price-increases.png

How to Handle Price Increases

How-to-handle-clients-that-dont-pay-as-a-freelancer.png

How to Handle Clients Who Don’t Pay as a Freelancer

6-Payment-terms-every-freelancer-should-know.png

6 Payment Terms Every Freelancer Should Know

Announcing-Private-Beta-Funding-1.png

Announcing our private beta and recent funding

Is-outsourcing-right-for-your-business.png

Is outsourcing right for your business?

Announcing-Private-Beta-Funding.png

Guide-to-invoicing.png

Guide for Invoicing as a Small Business or Freelancer

Life-at-Hopscotch.png

Life at Hopscotch

Basics-of-building-a-business-budget.png

The Basics of Building a Business Budget

HOP_Blog_3.6M.png

Hopscotch emerges from stealth to improve B2B payment experiences

The Difference Between Invoices, Bills, & Receipts

Related Articles

The 5-Step Guide To Managing Customer Payments

A Guide To ACH Payments For Small Business Owners

Tailwind + Hopscotch

How trustworthy is Hopscotch?

Willa vs Hopscotch: What You Need To Know

The Difference Between Invoices, Bills, &amp; Receipts

Related Articles

The 5-Step Guide To Managing Customer Payments

A Guide To ACH Payments For Small Business Owners

Tailwind + Hopscotch

How trustworthy is Hopscotch?

Willa vs Hopscotch: What You Need To Know

The Difference Between Invoices, Bills, & Receipts