Invoices, receipts and the paper trail behind every sale
Your sales documents are the first thing anyone checks. Keeping them consistent is cheaper than reconstructing them later.
Every sale leaves a trail: the invoice you issue, the payment you receive, and the entry in your books. When those three agree, questions are easy to answer. When they drift apart, even a routine review turns into a week of searching.
One series, no gaps
Use a single, registered numbering series for each document type and branch, and never skip or reuse a number. A cancelled invoice should be kept and marked cancelled, not thrown away. Gaps in a series invite questions that have nothing to do with how well the business is run.
Match documents to deposits
- Record each sale on the date of the document, not the date the cash arrives.
- Tie every deposit to the invoices it pays, including partial payments.
- Keep a short list of customers with open balances and review it weekly.
Know where everything lives
Decide where paper originals are kept, where scanned copies go, and how files are named. A folder per month with a consistent naming pattern beats a perfect system nobody follows.
Good records do not prevent questions. They make the answers quick.
Rules on invoicing and record keeping change from time to time. Confirm your current requirements with your accountant before changing how you issue documents.
This article is general information for business owners, not professional tax or legal advice. Requirements change; confirm the details that apply to your business with a qualified accountant.