Quote, invoice or receipt: which document do you need?

A quote describes proposed work

Use a quote to set out scope, quantities, prices, GST treatment and conditions before the work is agreed. Include an expiry or validity period when relevant and identify what is outside the stated scope. A vague quote invites disagreements about what the price covers.

For example, a quote could describe two hours of installation at $90 per hour before GST, plus a $50 taxable part. The total is $253 including $23 GST. The customer can review the work and price together.

An invoice requests payment

Use an invoice when requesting payment for the relevant goods, services or agreed stage. Refer back to the quote where helpful. Check whether the work, quantity or price changed and explain any agreed variation clearly.

Do not assume a quoted document automatically becomes a suitable tax invoice. Its title, issue date, tax details and other required information need to match its purpose. Our quote tool prints a note explaining that the quote is not a tax invoice.

A receipt records a payment

A receipt acknowledges the amount received. Add useful payment details such as the date, method and related invoice reference in the notes. Only issue it for a payment you have confirmed in your own records.

The receipt maker records the amount entered. It does not connect to a bank, verify a transfer, mark another system’s invoice paid or send a customer a notification. For partial payments, make the amount received and remaining balance explicit in your records.

Keep the documents connected

Use recognisable references, such as QUO-0012 and INV-0038, and note the relationship between them. Save final PDFs in a job folder. This makes it easier to explain the sequence without relying on browser drafts.

Our quote, invoice and receipt tools keep separate local drafts. They do not automatically transfer customer details or maintain a ledger. For recurring billing and reconciliation, use a suitable bookkeeping workflow.

Common questions