Should receipts have their own number series, separate from invoices?

Why one series is not enough

An invoice and a receipt record different events: the invoice says what is owed, the receipt says what arrived. One invoice might be matched by one receipt, three installment receipts, or none yet. A deposit might arrive before any invoice exists. Share one number or one series between them and you end up with gaps and duplicates nobody can explain.

A different prefix for each fixes that at a glance: RCT means a receipt, INV means an invoice.

A simple system for a small business

1. Pick a receipt prefix unlike your invoice prefix, such as RCT, then the year and a four-digit number: RCT-2026-0001.
2. Keep a sheet with a few columns: receipt number, date, customer, amount, invoice reference if any.
3. Before each new receipt, look at the last row and take the next number, then add the new row straight away.
4. In the Receipt generator, type the number in 'Receipt number', and the invoice number in 'Invoice reference' when the receipt settles an invoice.
5. Restart at 0001 each year if you like; the year in the number keeps them unique.

What the tool will not do

It does not remember your last number, suggest the next one, or stop you reusing an old one. Everything in your browser is forgotten when the page closes. The preloaded example starts at something like RCT-2026-0001, but that is only an example, not a counter. So the sheet is not an extra chore: it is the only memory your series has.

The downloaded file is named after the receipt number, for example receipt-RCT-2026-0001.pdf, so saving them in one folder sorts them by number automatically.

The invoice reference field in detail

• It is optional, and its line is left off the receipt when empty, as with a deposit taken before any invoice.
• It holds up to 30 characters and prints exactly as typed.
• The tool does not check the invoice exists, so copy the number from the invoice itself rather than from memory.

When you later issue the invoice in the Basic invoice generator, enter what was received in its 'Amount paid' field and mention the receipt number in its notes, so the link runs both ways.