Hotel receipt template: what a valid hotel receipt must show

In brief, a valid hotel receipt must show who issued it, where, the dates of the stay and the amount charged, with room and extras listed separately. That is the short answer, and it is what tax authorities look for when a guest claims the stay as a business expense. This guide gives a hotel receipt template you can copy, a filled-in example and the rules behind each field.

What is a hotel receipt?

A hotel receipt is a document a hotel or bed and breakfast gives a guest as proof that a stay was paid for. It lists the property, the guest, the dates and the charges. A receipt confirms payment. A hotel invoice asks for payment. The post What is the difference between an invoice and a receipt? explains that split.

Guests need the receipt to be itemized. A single "total paid" line is hard to defend when an accountant or tax officer asks what the money covered.

What a hotel receipt must show

What does a tax officer actually check? The IRS says a hotel receipt supports a business travel deduction when it shows the name and location of the hotel, the dates of the stay, and separate amounts for lodging, meals and telephone calls. The agency sets this out in IRS Publication 463. The same publication says lodging always needs a receipt, even though other expenses under $75 do not.

Use this field list for every hotel or B&B receipt:

Hotel receipt template

Copy this layout and replace the sample values.

The example shows three separate categories, lodging, meals and parking, with tax apart. Rates and local taxes vary by city, so replace the example amount with the tax your property actually charges.

Hotel receipt vs hotel invoice vs folio

A hotel receipt, a hotel invoice and a folio are three views of the same stay, and each answers a different question. A folio is the running statement of a guest's charges during the stay, from the room rate to the minibar. A hotel invoice asks for payment, so it matters when the guest has not paid yet, for example on a company account. A hotel receipt confirms that payment was made.

A guest claiming VAT needs an invoice in the company's name, not a receipt in the traveller's name. GOV.UK says an invoice must show the customer's name and address, a description of what is charged, the supply date and the amounts, in its list of required invoice details. Ask for the company name and address to be printed before checkout, because corrections afterwards take longer.

Hotel receipt requirements by country

Hotel receipt requirements depend on where the stay is booked and where the guest claims it. The United States focuses on proof of the expense. The UK and Germany add VAT rules.

In Germany, section 33 of the UStDV says a small-amount invoice (Kleinbetragsrechnung) must show the supplier's full name and address, the date of issue, the quantity and type of the supply, and the total including tax with the tax rate. Above €250 a full invoice is needed. A three-night stay will usually pass that limit, so a German hotel should issue a full invoice with the guest's company details.

In the UK, HMRC's rules on simplified VAT invoices allow a simplified VAT invoice for supplies of £250 or less. A business guest who wants to reclaim VAT on a longer stay should ask for a full VAT invoice instead.

A second example: a one-night stay under €250 in Germany

A short stay can use the German small-amount invoice, which needs fewer fields than a full invoice. Section 33 of the UStDV allows it when the total does not exceed €250. The example below shows the four items the rule requires.

The rule asks for the supplier's full name and address, the date of issue, the quantity and type of the supply, and the total with the tax rate. It does not ask for the guest's name, which is why a small-amount invoice is fast to issue. A guest who wants to deduct input VAT for a business should still request an invoice with company details if the stay may pass €250 once extras are added.

What to keep for business travel

Keep the hotel receipt with a note of why you travelled. The IRS says in Publication 463 on travel records that you must keep records of all your expenses on a business trip, and that a log, diary, notebook or other written record can do the job. The receipt then backs up the entry.

A simple routine works well:

1. Photograph the receipt before you leave the front desk.
2. Write the business purpose and client name on the receipt or in your expense app.
3. File it with the trip's flights and meals.
4. Store it for the period your tax authority requires.

If a receipt is lost, contact the hotel promptly. Most properties can reissue a folio for a stay that is still in their system, and a reissued copy should carry the same stay dates and amounts.

B&B and guesthouse receipts

A B&B receipt is a receipt from a bed and breakfast or guesthouse, and it carries the same fields as a hotel receipt. The difference is usually the breakfast line, which a B&B includes in the nightly rate. For example, show breakfast as part of the room price, or as its own line if the guest paid separately.

Small properties often skip the tax line. If you charge local lodging tax, VAT or a tourist levy, list it apart so the guest can see what it is. If you do not charge it, leave the line off rather than showing zero.

Common mistakes on a hotel receipt

1. Writing only "accommodation" with no dates.
2. Leaving out the property address.
3. Merging meals and room into one total.
4. Issuing a receipt with no number.
5. Handing over a card slip that shows the amount but no itemization.

Fix any of these by reissuing a corrected receipt, not by writing on the original.

Make a hotel receipt online

A hotel receipt generator is an online form that fills this layout for you. You can build this template by hand in a spreadsheet. If you would rather fill in a form and download a PDF, Invoqk's receipt generator makes an itemized receipt with a receipt number, tax lines and your logo.

Spotted a rule that has changed? Corrections are welcome through the Invoqk contact page, and every figure above is checked against the cited authority.