The customer sent a transfer screenshot and wants a receipt now; should I issue it before the money reaches my account?
No. Wait until the money shows in your own account. A receipt is your statement that you received the funds, and the tool cannot see your bank or check any transfer; the footer of every receipt says as much. If the customer is in a hurry, give them something that documents what is owed without claiming a payment that has not happened.
Why waiting matters
A transfer screenshot is taken on the customer's phone the instant they tap send. The transfer can still bounce for a technical reason, sit between two banks for a day or more, or turn out to be an old transfer or an edited image. Issue the receipt at that moment and the customer now holds a document from you saying you were paid, whether or not the money ever arrives.
A receipt that is wrong protects nobody. A document that says something untrue creates the dispute it was meant to prevent.
Step by step
- Thank the customer for the screenshot and tell them the receipt follows as soon as the funds show in your account.
- Open your banking app and find the credit by amount and sender name; an SMS alert alone is not enough.
- Once it is there, open the Receipt generator, choose 'Bank transfer', and copy the reference from your statement into the details.
- Set the 'Payment date' to the day the money reached you.
- Create the PDF and send it in the same chat.
The customer needs paper now
Usually they need something for their employer or their own records by a deadline. If what they need is proof of what they owe and what was agreed, an invoice does that without claiming receipt. Prepare one with the Basic invoice generator and leave 'Amount paid' empty until the funds arrive.
If they insist on the receipt itself, the straight answer works best: 'I will send it within minutes of the money arriving.' Most customers accept that once they understand why.
When arrival takes longer
- Transfers between two different banks can take longer than transfers inside one bank.
- A transfer sent over a weekend or public holiday may only be processed on the next working day.
- An international wire can arrive short because of intermediary bank fees; receipt what actually arrived.
In every one of these cases the rule is the same: the receipt follows the money, not the screenshot.
Common questions
I issued it early and the transfer never came. What now?
Tell the customer in writing straight away that the funds did not arrive and that receipt number such and such is void, and keep that message. The tool has no way to recall a file you already sent.
Can the tool verify the transfer if I enter its reference?
No. The reference is text printed as typed, and the tool is not connected to any bank.