A receipts journal is an official accounting journal in which you record every day all sales for which you do not issue an invoice. The payment method has no influence (cash, bank card, bank transfer,...).
💡 The receipts journal is mandatory as soon as you receive income that has not been the subject of sales invoices.
It should not be confused with the cash journal or bank journal, which only record transactions (payments).
A sales-type journal
Accounting law requires you to keep one sales journal per type of income. This journal simply lists income received in chronological order.
The sales invoice journal 🧾
The journal lists every sales invoice issued. These invoices are listed in a numbered sequence. An invoice is mandatory when your client is a professional.
The receipts journal 📝
Receipts are income for which there is no sales invoice. They therefore represent a fully-fledged type of income. This income generally comes from a payment made by bank transfer or in cash.
💡 It's simple: you make a sale or provide a service without issuing a sales invoice? Then it is a receipt. However, be careful not to create a duplicate. This happens if you categorise as a receipt an amount for which you had already issued an invoice.
Difference between a receipt and a sales invoice
Receipt | Sales invoice | |
Client type | Private individual | Mandatory if issued to a professional |
Supporting document | Receipt in the receipts journal | Invoice in the sales journal |
Example | A patient pays for their physiotherapy session at the end of the appointment | A lawyer invoices their services |
Time of payment | Immediate, before the receipt | After the invoice |
Accounting entry | Upon validation* of a month (for all receipts of the month) * in the monthly receipts book | Upon sending an invoice |
Who is it for? | Physiotherapist, speech therapist, psychologist, dentist, doctor,... but also photographer, coach,... if providing services to a private individual | Lawyer, architect, consultant,... for a professional client or |
⚠️ If you issue a sales invoice, the amount paid by the client must never be included in your receipts. In that case, your income would be duplicated.
Furthermore, one of the main differences lies in validation: a sales invoice is immediately recorded in your accounts. A receipt is only validated at the end of the month, when the month is closed in the monthly receipts book.
Special features of the receipts book
Modifications prohibited ⛔
It is prohibited to delete or modify data entered in the receipts journal.
If you have made an error, you record the correction separately, at the time you identify the mistake.
Permitted formats 📲
You can keep your receipts journal in a paper book. The pages must be bound and numbered: no separate sheets may be added or removed.
If you keep this journal in digital format, it is prohibited to simply use an Excel file. You must opt for software that meets compliance requirements, such as BILLY. One of the key points is the timestamping of operations in a database and the impossibility of modifying them.
Daily entries ✍🏻
You must record at least one overall amount per day in your receipts journal. If the selling price exceeds €250 incl. VAT, then you must add a separate line specifically for that sale.
💡 In practice, we recommend adding a receipt for each sale made. Thanks to synchronisation with your bank, BILLY handles this automatically. Your accounts are therefore clearer and this saves you from having to justify yourself in the event of an audit.
Distinction by VAT rate 🔢
Each receipt added must have a corresponding VAT rate: 0, 6, 12 or 21%.
Difference from the cash book
The receipts journal is not a cash book. In a cash book, you record all cash payments. These are generally income, but they can also include, for example, a cash withdrawal for personal use (private withdrawal) or a deposit to the bank (bank deposit).
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