Invoice vs Receipt: The Difference and Why It Matters in QuickBooks
They look alike in a photo. They are not the same document.
Invoice
Someone wants money. There is usually a due date. You have not necessarily paid. In QuickBooks this is a Bill — it sits in accounts payable until you pay it.
Receipt
You already paid. The till, the card slip, the paid-in-full email. In QuickBooks this is an Expense (or a bill that is already paid). There is nothing left to owe.
Why it matters
If you book unpaid invoices as expenses, your costs look finished and your payables are empty — until the supplier calls. If you book paid receipts as open bills, you will try to pay them twice.
We classify the document before anyone publishes. You still glance at it. The original file stays attached so the accountant can see what you saw.
QuickBooks is a pipe. The classification has to be right before anything is copied out.