The difference in one line each
- A receipt says that a payment happened: who was paid, how much, when.
- An invoice records the sale itself: who sold what to whom, at which price and with which tax, under a number from the seller's sequence.
When an invoice is required
In the EU, a sale to a business needs an invoice. The VAT Directive: "Every taxable person shall ensure that, in respect of the following, an invoice is issued … (1) supplies of goods or services which he has made to another taxable person or to a non-taxable legal person" (Directive 2006/112/EC, art. 220(1), last verified 23 October 2026). What that invoice shows is on EU VAT invoice requirements.
That is why your business buyers write to you after a card payment: their accountant needs an invoice with their company name and VAT number, and a receipt usually does not carry them.
What Stripe creates, and what it emails
Stripe creates a receipt for every successful payment: "Stripe creates receipts for all successful payments and refunds, including invoice payments and recurring payments as part of a subscription" (Stripe docs, read 18 October 2026). It emails the receipt only if you turn that on: "You can automatically send customer receipts by email" (Stripe docs, read 23 October 2026). Stripe lists the details a receipt always carries, "For compliance reasons": the legal business name, a customer support address, a customer support email and a privacy policy URL. Your buyer's company and VAT number are not on that list. Invoices for one-time payments are an option, with a fee: see Stripe invoice.
Make the invoice
For a one-off sale, fill in the generator above and download the invoice. For every Stripe payment, InvoiceCow makes the invoice by itself, and your buyers add their own company details after they pay.