Anatomy of a receipt: every field explained

A receipt records a single transaction. From top to bottom it typically shows the merchant and location, a date and time, transaction identifiers (receipt, order and authorization numbers), the line items and their subtotal, discounts and tax, any tip or fees, the grand total, and how it was paid — with only the last four digits of any card. This dictionary defines each field, with the rule behind it cited where one exists — the substantiation requirements in Publication 463: Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses (opens in a new tab), the card-truncation rule in 15 U.S.C. § 1681c(g) (opens in a new tab), and the EMV chip fields defined by EMVCo (opens in a new tab).

Transaction identifiers

Receipt number
A unique number the point-of-sale system assigns to this receipt. It lets the merchant look up the exact transaction later and is what you quote when requesting a copy or making a return. The IRS treats receipts as the supporting documents behind a business's gross receipts, which is why Publication 583: Starting a Business and Keeping Records (opens in a new tab) tells businesses to keep them.
Transaction ID
A unique identifier the payment system assigns to the whole transaction, often longer than the receipt number. It ties the sale to the processor's records and is used to trace or dispute a charge.
Order number
An identifier for the order itself, common in restaurants, online and pickup. It can differ from the receipt or transaction number and is used to match the order to what was prepared or shipped.
Authorization code(auth code / approval code)
A short code (often 6 digits) the card issuer returns to approve a card payment. It confirms the issuer authorized the charge — it is not the transaction ID — and is quoted when investigating a disputed card payment.
Reference number (RRN)
The Retrieval Reference Number the acquiring bank assigns to a card transaction. It uniquely identifies the payment within the banking network and is used to retrieve or reconcile it.
Batch number
Identifies the group ('batch') of card transactions a terminal settles together, usually at end of day. It helps the merchant and processor reconcile a day's card sales.
Terminal ID (TID)
A number identifying the specific card terminal or register that processed the payment, telling the processor which device took the transaction.
Cashier / server ID
Identifies the employee who rang up the sale. It supports accountability, tip attribution and shift reconciliation, and is usually a number or a first name.
Register / lane number
Identifies the checkout station where the sale happened. Combined with the date and time it helps locate a transaction in the store's records.
Invoice number
A sequential number identifying an invoice that a receipt may reference once it is paid, linking the payment to the bill that was issued.

Date & time

Date & time
When the transaction took place. It is central to warranties, return windows, expense reports and reconciling a receipt against a bank statement.
Time zone
The time zone the timestamp is in. It matters when reconciling online or card transactions recorded in a different zone than the store.

Items, tax & totals

Line item
A single product or service on the receipt, typically showing description, quantity and unit price. The line items are what the subtotal is built from.
SKU / item number
A Stock Keeping Unit — the merchant's internal code for a specific product. It identifies exactly which item was sold, for returns, inventory and reordering.
Subtotal
The sum of all line items before tax, tip or fees, after any item-level discounts. It is the base amount that tax is usually calculated on.
Discount / coupon
An amount subtracted from the price, per item or from the subtotal. It should be clearly labeled and reduces the amount that tax is applied to.
Sales tax & tax rate
Government tax added to taxable items, shown as a rate (%) and a calculated amount. Tax is applied to the taxable subtotal after discounts; some items may be tax-exempt. Outside the US the equivalent field is VAT or GST: Council Directive 2006/112/EC, Article 226 — details required on an invoice (opens in a new tab) sets out the tax particulars an EU invoice has to carry, including the rate applied and the supplier's VAT number.
Tip / gratuity
An optional amount added for service, common in restaurants and personal services. It is added after tax and is not itself taxed. A tip belongs to the employee who received it and is reported as tip income under Publication 531: Reporting Tip Income (opens in a new tab).
Service charge
A mandatory fee the business adds (e.g. large-party or delivery), distinct from a voluntary tip. Unlike a tip it may be taxable and is set by the business, not the customer. The distinction is not cosmetic: in Revenue Ruling 2012-18 (opens in a new tab) the IRS held that an automatic gratuity is a service charge rather than a tip, which changes how it is taxed and paid out.
Total / grand total
The final amount due: taxable subtotal + tax + tip and any fees. It is what the customer actually pays.
Amount tendered
The amount the customer handed over, relevant for cash payments. If it exceeds the total, the difference is returned as change.
Change due
For cash payments, the amount returned to the customer: amount tendered minus the total.

Payment & card fields

Payment method
How the purchase was paid — cash, credit, debit, gift card, mobile wallet, or a split of several. A split payment lists each method and its amount, and they must sum to the total.
Card type
The card network or type used (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover; credit or debit). It appears on card payments alongside the masked number.
Card last four / masked number
Only the last four digits of the card are printed; the rest are masked (e.g. ************1234). A compliant receipt never shows the full card number, expiry date or security code. This is a legal requirement in the US, not a convention — 15 U.S.C. § 1681c(g) — Truncation of credit card and debit card numbers (opens in a new tab) bars an electronically printed receipt from showing more than the last five digits of the card number, or the expiry date at all.
Entry method
How the card was read — chip (EMV), contactless tap, magnetic-stripe swipe, or manually keyed. It affects fraud protection and liability for the transaction.
AID (Application Identifier)
An EMV chip field identifying the card application the terminal used (e.g. a Visa or Mastercard debit or credit app). It appears on chip-card receipts and confirms which app processed the payment. AID is defined in the chip-card specifications published by EMVCo (EMV Integrated Circuit Card Specifications for Payment Systems (Book 3) (opens in a new tab)).
TVR (Terminal Verification Results)
An EMV code (10 hex characters) recording the checks the terminal ran during a chip transaction. It is diagnostic data used mainly for dispute and fraud analysis. The bit-by-bit meaning of each TVR position is specified in EMV Integrated Circuit Card Specifications for Payment Systems (Book 3) (opens in a new tab).
TSI (Transaction Status Information)
An EMV field summarizing which functions were performed in a chip transaction, such as cardholder verification. Like the TVR, it is technical data for reconciliation and disputes.
Cardholder verification (CVM)
How the cardholder was verified — PIN, signature, or none (common for small contactless taps). It shows the method used to authorize the card payment.

Sources & references

Definitions above are ours; where a field is governed by a published rule we link the issuing authority rather than paraphrasing it.

  1. Publication 463: Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses (opens in a new tab)

    Internal Revenue Service · US

    What a receipt must show to substantiate a business expense: amount, date, place and the nature of the expense.

  2. Publication 583: Starting a Business and Keeping Records (opens in a new tab)

    Internal Revenue Service · US

    Which sales and purchase records a business is expected to keep, and that receipts are supporting documents for gross receipts.

  3. Publication 531: Reporting Tip Income (opens in a new tab)

    Internal Revenue Service · US

    How tips are treated and reported, as distinct from employer-set service charges.

  4. Revenue Ruling 2012-18 (opens in a new tab)

    Internal Revenue Service · US

    An automatic gratuity added by the restaurant is a service charge, not a tip — the distinction shown on large-party checks.

  5. 15 U.S.C. § 1681c(g) — Truncation of credit card and debit card numbers (opens in a new tab)

    U.S. Code (Cornell Legal Information Institute) · US

    The FACTA truncation rule: an electronically printed receipt may show no more than the last 5 digits of the card number, and must not show the expiration date.

  6. Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (opens in a new tab)

    PCI Security Standards Council

    Masking of the primary account number (PAN) when displayed, which is why receipts print only the last four digits.

  7. EMV Integrated Circuit Card Specifications for Payment Systems (Book 3) (opens in a new tab)

    EMVCo

    The chip-transaction data elements printed on card receipts — Application Identifier (AID), Terminal Verification Results (TVR) and Transaction Status Information (TSI).

  8. Council Directive 2006/112/EC, Article 226 — details required on an invoice (opens in a new tab)

    EUR-Lex, Publications Office of the European Union · EU

    The particulars an EU VAT invoice must carry, including the VAT identification number and the rate applied.

  9. VAT guide (VAT Notice 700) (opens in a new tab)

    HM Revenue & Customs · UK

    What a UK VAT invoice must contain, and when a simplified (less-detailed) VAT invoice is allowed.

Sources last checked August 19, 2026. We re-verify every link monthly and update the dates above. Citing these rules is not legal or tax advice — see our editorial policy.

Put these fields to use