What is the difference between a receipt and a tax invoice?
In short
- A receipt confirms payment was made. It's proof of transaction, not a formal accounting document.
- A tax invoice is a formal legal document detailing the sale, including tax charged - required for VAT reclaims and business accounting.
- For reimbursement, a receipt is often enough; for VAT reclaim, you need a tax invoice with your company's details.
What a receipt is
A receipt confirms that a payment was made. It typically shows the date, amount paid, and what was purchased. Coffee shop slips, credit card charge confirmations, and email order confirmations are all receipts.
Good enough for internal reimbursement, but usually not detailed enough for tax reclaim or formal accounting entries.
What a tax invoice is
A tax invoice is a legal document with specific required fields, typically issued by a VAT-registered business. It's the document your finance team needs to reclaim input VAT and to record the transaction properly.
What must be on a tax invoice
- Seller's legal name, address, and VAT/tax number.
- Buyer's legal name, address, and VAT/tax number.
- Invoice number and date of issue.
- Description of goods or services.
- Net amount, VAT/tax rate, VAT/tax amount, and gross total.
trip1 and hotel invoices
trip1 provides an EU VAT-compliant invoice for its own service fee. For the hotel stay, the hotel issues the VAT invoice - ask reception at check-out with your company details.
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receipt vs tax invoice - FAQ
No. A receipt confirms that payment was made. A tax invoice is a formal legal document detailing the sale and tax charged - required for VAT reclaims.
For internal reimbursement, a receipt is usually enough. For VAT reclaim or corporate accounting, ask for a tax invoice with your company's details.
trip1 provides an invoice for its service fee. The tax invoice for the hotel stay itself is issued by the hotel.
Seller name, address, and tax number; buyer name and tax number; date; invoice number; description of services; amount excluding tax; tax rate; and total.
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