Rent Receipt Template

In this article:

• What is a rent receipt?
• Why should you use a rent receipt?
• How to write a rent receipt
• How to send a rent receipt
• Rent receipts for electronic payments

If your tenants pay their rent by sending a check through the mail or delivering it directly to you, they may ask for a rent receipt. A rent payment is the same as any other financial or retail transaction, and providing receipts is a good business practice. Half (50%) of renters deliver their rent in person* — so having a written record of each payment will help you and your tenant keep track of your finances. You can create a rent receipt template yourself or download our free template.

What is a rent receipt?

A rent receipt is a document that proves a landlord or property manager received a tenant's rent payment. A monthly rent receipt should be sent out after a tenant pays their rent invoice.

A rent receipt is most commonly used for:

• Cash payments
• Check payments
• Money orders

How a rent receipt works

Here are the steps for issuing monthly or one-time tenant payment receipts:

1. The landlord collects the payment.
2. The landlord writes and signs the receipt.
3. Both the landlord and the tenant keep a rent receipt copy for their records.

Should you give a receipt to tenants for security deposits or pet rent?

As a landlord, you should document proof of all tenant payments. When a lease agreement is signed and pet or security deposits are paid, a receipt should be issued. If you charge pet rent or other monthly fees, those can be included on your rent receipt, as long as they're all paid at the same time. For any non-monthly payments, you’ll use a different format of rental receipt, such as a security deposit receipt.

Why should you use a rent receipt?

A rent receipt should be used by the landlord or property manager to streamline the way payments are tracked as they come in. Rent receipts also provide the tenant with proof of payment, so they can keep track of their finances.

Here are some reasons why you should always issue a rent receipt: 

1. Rent receipts create a paper trail for cash payments

You may not accept cash, and that's fine, just include the provision in your rental agreement. But if you do, a rent receipt shows proof of payment for funds that otherwise can't be tracked. If you ever get audited, you'll need a way to document your rental deposits. The same applies to payments made by money order, which more landlords are willing to accept.

2. Rent receipts may be required by the city or state

Several states require landlords to provide a receipt upon request, so check your local laws. The statutes vary, with some states mandating a receipt for all forms of payment and others requiring receipts only for cash or money orders. But even if you don't have a legal obligation, providing a rent receipt upon request is a good business practice.

3. Rent receipts simplify your record keeping

Your landlord business is just that — a business. And accounting is an important part of any business, especially when financial transactions are as large as monthly rent payments. Whether you do your bookkeeping using rental-specific software, a rental income and expense spreadsheet or paper files, you'll need to keep a landlord rent receipt copy in paper or digital form for each payment the tenant makes.

4. Rent receipts help minimize disputes

If a tenant claims to have made a rent payment you never received, a rent receipt — or lack of one — will tell the tale. Should any rent-related issues escalate, having a clear record of payments received might also boost your credibility and support your case.

If you're concerned a tenant will use a rent receipt to claim the rent was paid when a check bounces, don't fret:

• Rent receipts don't protect check bouncers.
• The returned check is ample proof that the payment was not valid.

As a landlord, you should keep a copy of the rent receipt for your records and document the details in a payment tracking system. This will help you keep track of late payments, bounced checks, missed payments and other issues.

How to write a rent receipt

Our easy-to-use rent receipt template provides all you need to create receipts for tenant payments. When writing a rent receipt, you should include:

• The date the payment was received
• The tenant's full name
• The full name of anyone else who made the payment on behalf of the tenant
• The name of the landlord or property manager receiving the payment
• The rental property address and unit number
• The rent payment amount and any other payments like utilities or pet rent
• The method of payment
• The rental payment period (e.g., May 1-31, 2019)
• The remaining monthly balance and any late fees, if applicable

Once a payment is processed, you should sign and date the printable rent receipt.

Here's a rent receipt example:

This free sample rent receipt (which you can download via the green button at the top of the article) is a customizable document, so you can type in the information instead of having to print it out and handwrite the details. This makes it easy to avoid errors, and you can even email the completed receipt for rental payment to your tenant to ensure delivery.

How to send a rent receipt

There are a few ways to send a rent receipt:

• Print and personally deliver it to the tenant.
• Print and mail the receipt to the tenant.
• Email the rent paid receipt to the tenant in PDF format.

Rent receipts for electronic payments

While rent receipts are traditionally used for cash, check or money order payments, 57% of renters prefer to pay online* — and creating rent receipts is still important for bookkeeping and your tenant's records. If the tenant pays rent online, you can send a traditional rent payment receipt or an electronic one. With Zillow Rental Manager, you can:

• Easily and securely collect rent using ACH, debit or credit — it's free for you, and free for your tenant if they choose to pay using ACH. 
• Set up automatic payments and automatic reminders for your tenant. 
• Receive notifications when a tenant initiates a payment.

For more articles, tips and trends on property management and being a landlord, visit our Rental Resource Center.

*Zillow Group Consumer Housing Trends Report 2019 survey data