Invoices & Receipts - Document Every Charge

RecSystems documents money that actually moved. When a customer pays a deposit, a balance, or an on-site charge, they get a receipt. There is no separate invoice-builder sitting beside the booking — the cart is the record, and the receipt is the paper trail.

Receipts, not a second product

Operators sometimes ask for "invoices" because that is the word QuickBooks and marina software use. In RecSystems:

• The cart holds the rental, add-ons, taxes, deposits, and remaining balance
• A receipt is emailed when a payment succeeds
• Stripe also hosts a cardholder receipt for card charges
• Unpaid remaining balance stays on the cart until you collect it — it is not a PDF invoice sitting in a queue

If you need the customer to pay what they still owe, collect it on the cart. Do not invent a second document outside the booking.

When receipts go out

Receipts send when:

• Checkout payment succeeds (deposit or full amount)
• Staff take an additional payment on the booking
• Final charges collect at check-in or return

Imported historical bookings do not email customers. That is intentional so a migration does not spam last summer's guests.

What the customer sees

A RecSystems receipt includes:

• Your business name, logo, and contact from Account Info
• Confirmation number
• Unit, dates, times, and pickup location
• Itemized charges, taxes, and fees
• Amount paid and remaining balance if any
• Payment method brand and last4 (never the full card number)

Send or resend

1. Open the booking in the dashboard
2. Confirm the customer email is current
3. Click Send Receipt or Resend Receipt
4. The email goes to the address on the booking

To send a copy to your bookkeeper, add their address under Account → Account Info → Receipt Emails (comma-separated). Those addresses get copies of receipts without changing the customer email.

Stripe hosted receipts

Every Stripe card charge can include a Stripe receipt URL. Customers can open that link from the confirmation email. It is Stripe's record, branded with your connected account. RecSystems still sends the booking receipt so the rental details sit next to the payment.

Refunds and corrected receipts

Refunds are a different action. Issue the refund from the booking, then the customer gets the refund confirmation. Do not "edit" an old receipt to change history. If you charged the wrong amount, refund and collect the correct charge so both receipts stay honest.

See Collecting Payment and Processing Refunds.

For accountants

• Receipts are the customer-facing document
• Payouts to your bank are a separate timeline — see Understanding Payouts
• Card numbers never appear in full. Last4 and brand are the identifiers you can share
• Export reports from the dashboard when you need a date range, not a one-off PDF invoice

Saturday test

If a renter at the dock asks for "an invoice," open the booking and resend the receipt. If they still owe a balance, take payment on the cart, then send the new receipt. That is the whole loop.