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These three words get used interchangeably in everyday conversation, but they mean specific, different things in business — and sending the wrong one confuses clients and can cause real accounting problems.
Quote: before the work, an offer
A quote (or estimate) is what you send before work begins. It says: "here's what I propose to do, and here's roughly what it will cost." A quote is not a request for payment — it's a proposal the client can accept, reject, or negotiate. Nothing has been delivered yet, so nothing is owed yet.
Use a quote when a client asks "how much would this cost?" before committing to anything.
Invoice: after the work, a request for payment
An invoice is what you send after goods or services have been delivered (or partway through a longer project, at agreed milestones). It's a formal request for payment: here's what was provided, here's what's owed, here's when it's due. Unlike a quote, an invoice creates an obligation — it's the document that shows up in both your books and the client's as a payable/receivable.
Use an invoice once work is done (or a milestone is reached) and you're ready to be paid.
Receipt: after payment, proof it happened
A receipt is what you issue after payment has been received. It's not a request for anything — it's confirmation that a specific amount was paid, on a specific date, for a specific thing. Receipts matter for the client's own bookkeeping and expense records, and for your own record of what's actually been collected versus what's still outstanding.
Use a receipt once money has actually changed hands.
Putting them in order
For a typical paid engagement, the sequence is:
- Quote — "this is what it will cost" (before work)
- Invoice — "this is what you owe" (after work, before payment)
- Receipt — "this is what you paid" (after payment)
Smaller, immediate transactions often skip the quote and invoice entirely and go straight to a receipt — think of a retail sale or a walk-in service. Larger or ongoing engagements typically use all three. Either way, matching the right document to the right moment keeps your paperwork — and your client's — accurate.
Our free document generators cover all three, along with related documents like credit notes and purchase orders.