Free Deposit Receipt TemplateFill in the form, check the preview, then print it or save it as a PDF. No sign-up, and nothing you type is uploaded.

What is a deposit receipt?

A deposit receipt confirms that you received money toward a purchase or a service. It names the buyer and the seller, the item, the amount paid, the balance and whether the deposit can be refunded. Both sides should keep a copy.

How to write a deposit receipt in 3 steps

1. 1

   Describe the deal

   Who paid, who received the money, and what the deposit is for, described so there is no doubt which item it is: make, model, colour, serial number or VIN.

2. 2

   Fill in the amounts and the terms

   The deposit (written out in words automatically), the full price and the date the balance is due. Then tick Refundable or Non-refundable; the matching terms are printed under the box.

3. 3

   Sign, print, keep a copy

   Sign on screen or on paper, print two copies on one page if you like, and have the buyer sign too. Each of you keeps a copy until the sale is done.

What a deposit receipt should include

• A receipt number and the date the deposit was paid.
• The names of the buyer and the seller, and a way to reach each other.
• What the deposit is for, described clearly enough to tell it apart from anything similar.
• The deposit in figures and in words, and how it was paid (cash, check, transfer).
• The full price, the balance still to pay, and the date it is due.
• Whether the deposit is refundable, and what happens if either side backs out.
• The seller’s signature, and ideally the buyer’s too, agreeing to the terms.

Refundable or non-refundable?

A refundable deposit comes back to the buyer if the sale does not go ahead. A non-refundable deposit is usually kept by the seller if the buyer walks away, because the seller held the item and turned other buyers down.

Even a “non-refundable” deposit is normally returned if the seller is the one who cannot complete the sale. And in some places a seller cannot keep more than a reasonable amount, whatever the receipt says. Write the terms you both agreed, in plain words, and keep the deposit small compared with the price.

Not sure? Tick neither box on screen and decide together, then tick the box by hand on the printed receipt.

Tips for taking a deposit

• Put the deal in writing before any money changes hands, and give the buyer a receipt at once.
• For a car, write the VIN; for an animal, a description and any microchip number; for a custom order, a short spec.
• Agree on a balance date and stick to it: the receipt says what happens if it passes.
• For cash, count it together. For a check, wait until it clears before you hand over the item.
• Hand over the item only when the balance is paid, and give a final receipt or bill of sale for the full price.

When the balance is paid, write a bill of sale for a car, boat or other item, and mention the deposit in it.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Whether a deposit can be kept depends on what you agreed and on the law where you live.