Gift Receipt Template
A gift receipt proves an item was bought from you without showing what it cost. It names the item, the purchase date and the order reference, and states the return or exchange window. The recipient can bring the item back, and the price stays between you and the buyer. You can make one free below with no signup.
Everything about this document is defined by what it leaves out. Remove the price and it works. Leave a subtotal in a corner and you have handed someone the value of their present.
What goes on a gift receipt
- Store or seller name, location and phone
- Item description, and the model or SKU so staff can identify it
- Quantity
- Date of purchase, since the return window runs from it
- Order, transaction or receipt reference that ties back to the original sale
- Return and exchange terms, with the deadline written as an actual date
- What the recipient gets on return: exchange, store credit or refund to the original payment method
- Whether the item is final sale or excluded from returns
What to leave off
- Unit price, subtotal, tax and total
- Discounts or promotional codes, which imply the price
- Card digits or payment method
- The buyer name, unless they have asked for it
What it looks like without the price
Purchased 8 December. One cashmere scarf, SKU 40-2218, grey. Transaction 22-A-90417. Exchange or store credit accepted until 31 January, unworn with tags attached. No price appears anywhere on the document. The counter uses the transaction reference to look up the original amount.
Why the reference number matters
The reference is the whole mechanism. Without it your staff cannot confirm the item came from you, cannot see what was paid, and cannot process a credit at the right value. With it, the recipient never learns the price and the return still works normally. Extending the return window for gifts bought before a holiday is common practice and worth stating on the document rather than leaving to the counter to decide.
Print a gift receipt
Leave the price fields blank in the receipt generator and keep the reference number on it. That is all a gift receipt needs.
Related receipt templates
- Sales receipt template
- General receipt template
- Refund receipt template
- Itemised receipt template
- All free templates
Frequently asked questions
Does a gift receipt show the price?
No. Omitting the price is the entire purpose. The transaction reference lets the retailer look up what was paid, so the recipient can return or exchange the item without learning its value.
Can you return something with a gift receipt?
Usually, though what you get back varies. Many retailers give an exchange or store credit on a gift receipt rather than cash, because the refund would otherwise go to someone who did not pay.
How long is a gift receipt valid?
It follows the retailer return policy, and many extend the window for gifts bought in the run up to a holiday. Printing the deadline as an actual date on the receipt avoids the argument entirely.