What a payment voucher is
A payment voucher (PV) is an internal record that a payment was authorised and made. It shows who was paid, how much, for what, how it was paid and who approved it, and the payee signs to confirm they received the money. Organisations that answer to donors, boards, members or auditors (NGOs, churches, schools, cooperatives, small companies) use vouchers for every payment out.
What to include
- A voucher number (PV-0001…) and the date.
- The payee’s name, phone and an ID or account number if you need it.
- Each line being paid, with an account or budget code where your chart of accounts uses them.
- The total, and the amount in words.
- The payment method (cash, cheque, bank transfer, mobile money) and the cheque or transaction number.
- The project or grant the payment is charged to, if relevant.
- Supporting documents: invoice numbers, delivery notes, quotations.
- Signatures: prepared by, checked by (optional), approved by and received by the payee.
Separation of duties
The point of the signatures is that no single person can both approve and make a payment. The person who prepares the voucher should not approve it, and the payee’s signature proves the money reached them. SmallKits lays the four signature blocks out in a row, with your saved signature in “Prepared by” if you choose.
Amount in words
Writing the amount in words makes figures harder to alter, and many auditors expect it. SmallKits writes it automatically in the document language, with the currency’s name, using lakh and crore for Indian rupees.
Copies and paper
Print an Original and a Duplicate in one PDF, or two vouchers to a page to save paper. Cheque numbers keep their leading zeros because they are stored as text.
Payment voucher, receipt or petty cash voucher?
A voucher is kept by the organisation paying out. A receipt is given by the person receiving money. For many small cash payments from a float, use the petty cash voucher, which fits four to a page.
A worked example
A community water project pays a transporter to move two water tanks to a village and three casual workers to install them. The project accountant prepares PV-0012 for the transporter: “Transport of water tanks to site”, account code 5110, paid by M-Pesa with the transaction code. The supporting documents line lists the transporter’s invoice and the delivery note. The accountant signs “Prepared by”, the project manager signs “Approved by”, and the transporter signs “Received by”. The voucher, invoice and delivery note are filed together for the donor’s audit.
Voucher checklist
- Payee name exactly as on their ID or invoice.
- A clear description of what the payment is for.
- The account or budget code, and the project or grant.
- The method and reference: cheque number, bank or mobile money transaction code.
- Supporting documents attached and listed.
- All signatures complete before or at the time of payment.
Keeping vouchers in order
Number vouchers in sequence (the next number fills in automatically) and file them in that order with their supporting documents. At the end of each month, list the vouchers in your cash book or accounting software and check the total against your bank and mobile money statements. Gaps in the sequence or missing signatures are the first things an auditor looks for.
Voucher terms explained
- PV
- Payment voucher.
- Payee
- The person or business being paid.
- Account or budget code
- The line in your accounts or budget the payment is charged to.
- Supporting documents
- The invoices, receipts or quotations that justify the payment.
Who uses payment vouchers
NGOs and community projects accountable to donors; churches and mosques paying for services and allowances; schools paying suppliers and casual staff; cooperatives and savings groups; and small companies that want a clear approval trail for every payment. Anyone who must show an auditor that each payment was approved by the right person will find vouchers save time at year end.
Related free tools
- Free petty cash voucher generator: for small cash payments, four to a page.
- Free expense claim form: for staff claiming back what they spent.
- Free receipt generator: for money coming in.
One more tip
Prepare the voucher before the money leaves, not afterwards. Getting the approval signature first is what makes a voucher a control rather than just a record, and it is what auditors and donors want to see.
Updated 2026-10-29