Payment voucher

What the payment voucher does

A payment voucher is the control that stops money leaving without approval. This one records the payee, amount, reason, method and reference, with lines for the person who prepared it and the person who approved it, and a register that lists every voucher with its total.

Who it is for

Small businesses, NGOs, schools and groups where more than one person handles money, and anyone who needs an audit trail from invoice to payment.

How to use the workbook

1. Fill in the voucher number, date, payee, amount and reason.
2. Attach the invoice or receipt and write its number.
3. Have it approved and signed before the payment is made.
4. Add the voucher to the Register sheet.
5. Save a copy under a new name for each month or year, so earlier records stay as they were.

What is inside

• Printable payment voucher with approval lines
• Amount in words and payment method
• Register of all vouchers
• Totals by payment method
• Space for 300 vouchers

The workbook has these sheets: Instructions, Voucher, Register, Summary. Yellow cells are for you to fill in and grey cells calculate by themselves, so leave the grey cells alone. The example rows show how it works; type over them with your own entries.

Tips for getting it right

• Never pay without a voucher and a supporting invoice.
• The person who approves should not be the person who pays.
• Keep vouchers in number order with their attachments.
• Cancel a wrong voucher with a line through it and keep it.

Why keep this record

Accounting records let you answer three questions at any time: what came in, what went out and who owes whom. Kept consistently they also make tax returns, loan applications and the sale of a business much easier, because the evidence is already organised. Entering transactions the day they happen is far cheaper than reconstructing them at year end.

Questions people ask

Do I need to know Excel formulas? No. Type into the yellow cells and the rest is worked out for you. The formulas are visible if you want to see how a figure is reached.

Can I add rows or change the layout? You can add your own columns to the right and your own notes. If you insert rows inside a table, copy the grey formula cells down so the new rows calculate too.

Will it work on my phone or in Google Sheets? Yes for viewing and typing, but dropdown lists and the charts look best in desktop Excel or LibreOffice.

Keeping it safe and up to date

Good accounting records are a legal duty as well as a management tool: keep the supporting receipts and invoices with the workbook, and keep each year's copy for at least five years. Work on a copy, never on your only file, and back it up.

Read how to keep business records for KRA for the wider picture. See more accounting templates or ask us for a custom one.

The workbook works in Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets. It is a tool to help you work out and record figures, not tax, legal or accounting advice, and it is not affiliated with the Kenya Revenue Authority. If something does not work as described, contact us and we will put it right.

Related guides, calculators and templates

• Guide: How to keep business records for KRA: what to save and for how long
• Guide: Bank reconciliation step by step: match your books to your bank
• Guide: Fixed assets and capital allowances explained for small businesses
• Another template: Balance sheet template
• Another template: Bank reconciliation statement
• Another template: Chart of accounts and general ledger

Need something different? Request a custom template, browse all guides or see every Excel template.