What is a payment voucher?
A payment voucher is an official document proving you paid an amount out of cash or bank — whether to a supplier, an expense, a salary, or an advance. It's the proof that the money went out, who approved it, and the accounting entry that was posted.
Payment voucher vs. receipt voucher
The payment voucher
Money going OUT of cash/bank
- Direction
- Disbursement — money goes out
- Payee
- A supplier / employee / party receiving the money
- Reason
- Paying an invoice, an expense, a salary, an advance, an owner draw, taxes
- Journal entry
- Debit (expense/supplier/advance) — Credit (cash/bank)
The receipt voucher
Money coming IN to cash/bank
- Direction
- Receipt — money comes in
- Source
- A customer / party paying you
- Reason
- Collecting from a customer, income, an advance
- Journal entry
- Debit (cash/bank) — Credit (customer/income)
What should a payment voucher contain?
- A serial number for the voucher
- The disbursement date
- The payee's name
- The amount in figures and in words
- The description / reason for payment
- The account it's paid from (cash or bank)
- The approval / signature
Common types of disbursement
Paying a supplier — settling a purchase invoice
An operating expense — rent, electricity, maintenance
Salaries
An advance or float to an employee
An owner's withdrawal
Paying taxes
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a payment voucher and an invoice?
An invoice proves a sale or purchase happened (an obligation); a payment voucher proves the money was actually paid (a cash movement). You can have an unpaid supplier invoice — the payment voucher is issued when you pay it.
Does a payment voucher need a signature or approval?
Yes — approval protects your money; it proves who authorized the payment before it went out. That's a core part of internal cash control.
How does a payment voucher affect my accounts?
It reduces your cash or bank balance, and depending on the reason it books an expense or reduces a supplier's balance — and the entry posts automatically in a good accounting system.
Related reading
In Zemam, a payment voucher takes seconds
Record the payment, pick its reason (pay a supplier, an expense, a salary, an owner draw, taxes), and the system posts the correct entry automatically, reduces your cash balance, and lets you print the voucher — and if you want, add an approval chain that signs off before money goes out.
Read: the cheque lifecycle in Zemam — from custody to collection
Note: document and approval organization varies from one business to another — arrange your disbursement and approval flow to fit your internal controls.