How to Send Receipts Automatically in GoCardless
To send GoCardless receipts automatically: (1) connect your GoCardless account, (2) design a branded PDF receipt, (3) connect your email for delivery, then (4) enable Auto Mode on Pro so each confirmed Direct Debit payment generates and emails a receipt — usually within minutes.
Official GoCardless partner
Receipt Maker is listed in the GoCardless Accounting & Invoicing partner directory. View partner listing →
What you'll set up
🎯 Complete Automation Setup
- • Secure connection to your GoCardless account
- • Branded receipt template with logo, address and VAT
- • Automatic email delivery on each successful payment
- • Numbered PDF receipts stored for your records
Ways to send GoCardless receipts
There is more than one way to get receipts to customers after a Direct Debit payment. Here is a fair comparison so you can choose what fits your business.
Manual sending
Email or upload a receipt yourself after each payment. Free of tooling cost, but easy to miss payments and hard to scale.
Zapier / generic automation
Wire GoCardless events to email or docs via a general automation tool. Flexible, but you still design templates, handle PDF generation, and maintain the zap.
Full accounting software
Tools like Xero or QuickBooks can invoice and receipt as part of a wider books setup. Powerful if you already run your accounts there; heavier if you only need customer PDFs after GoCardless payments.
Dedicated receipt tool (e.g. Receipt Maker)
Built specifically for GoCardless PDF + email receipts, including Pro Auto Mode on confirmed payments. Official GoCardless partner. Best fit when you want receipts without adopting a full accounting suite. See also PDF receipts, email receipts and automatic receipts.
Prerequisites
✅ What you need before starting
- • Active GoCardless account with live payments or sandbox payments
- • Business assets: Logo (PNG/SVG), legal address and VAT/tax number if applicable
- • Email access: Sending email address (we recommend using your domain for DKIM/SPF)
Step 1 — Connect GoCardless
1 Authorize GoCardless Access
Connect your GoCardless account to enable automatic receipt generation:
- 1. Sign up or log in, then go to Settings → GoCardless
- 2. Click "Connect GoCardless" and approve access
- 3. Choose the organisation and bank account if prompted
- 4. Verify the connection is successful
🔒 Security: We request only the minimum scopes needed to read payment events. Your data is encrypted and stored securely.
Step 2 — Design Your Receipt Template
2 Create Professional Receipt Design
Build a branded receipt that represents your business:
- 1. Open the Receipt Designer
- 2. Upload your logo and enter business details (address, phone, website, VAT number)
- 3. Pick a layout (Minimal, Classic, or Modern) and accent colour
- 4. Preview with sample data to see how it looks
- 5. Save - your template becomes the default for automatic receipts
Step 3 — Email and Auto Mode
3 Configure email, then enable Auto Receipts
Choose your sending method in Settings, then turn on full automation from the dashboard (Pro):
- 1. In Settings → Email, choose Microsoft OAuth or SMTP.
- 2. For Microsoft mailboxes (Outlook/Office365), click Connect with Microsoft and complete OAuth.
- 3. For Google/Google Workspace and other providers, use SMTP with your outgoing host/port/username and a password or App Password (Google typically requires an App Password).
- 4. Add your "From name" and "From" address, then write a default subject/message using the variables below.
- 5. Recommended: Verify your domain (SPF/DKIM) for better deliverability.
- 6. On the Dashboard, use Turn on Auto Receipts (Pro) after the short wizard—receipts then send automatically when GoCardless marks each payment confirmed, not on a daily or monthly calendar.
Method guide: Microsoft account? Use OAuth. Google account? Use SMTP + App Password. Any other mailbox provider? Use SMTP with your provider's outgoing settings.
📧 Email Variables Available:
{customer_name}
{amount}
{payment_date}
{receipt_number}
How it works after setup
🔄 Automated Workflow
Once setup is complete and Auto Mode is on (Pro), the system runs automatically:
- 1. Payment confirmed: GoCardless marks the Direct Debit as confirmed (we ignore earlier lifecycle stages that can still fail)
- 2. Data fetched: We retrieve payment metadata and customer details
- 3. PDF generated: Your template is merged with payment data
- 4. Email sent: Branded receipt is delivered to customer
- 5. Stored: Receipt saved for your records and dashboard access
What's included on each receipt
📄 Receipt Contents
- • Customer details: Name, email and optional company/address
- • Payment info: Receipt number, payment date and method
- • Line items: Quantities, tax/VAT, subtotal and totals
- • Business identity: Logo, address, website, contact and VAT number
Exporting your records
🗂 Download a receipt archive
When you need a complete set of records for bookkeeping, VAT returns, or year-end accounts, use Receipt Archive in Settings → Receipt Management.
- • Choose a date range: last month, last 3 months, last 12 months, or a custom range
- • Click Download ZIP Archive to get every receipt PDF you have sent for that period
- • Each ZIP also includes a CSV summary, so it is easy to hand to your accountant
Large archives are prepared in the background and may take a few minutes — keep the tab open until the download starts.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
📧 No emails going out
Solution: Confirm Auto Mode is on (Dashboard → Auto Receipts, Pro), email is connected in Settings, and the payment status in GoCardless is confirmed. Verify your domain (SPF/DKIM) for better deliverability.
🪟 Microsoft mailbox authentication errors
Solution: Use Connect with Microsoft OAuth in Settings instead of manual SMTP credentials for Microsoft-hosted mailboxes. If you are using Google, switch to SMTP with an App Password.
❌ No receipt created
Solution: Only successful payments trigger receipts; pending or failed payments do not generate receipts.
🎨 Branding missing
Solution: Re-save your template in the Designer to set it as the default for automatic receipts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does GoCardless send receipts by itself? +
GoCardless sends Direct Debit notifications (collection timing), not branded, line-item receipts. This guide shows how to add automatic branded receipts alongside their notifications.
Can I resend a receipt? +
Yes. Go to your dashboard, open the receipt and click "Resend". You can also download or regenerate receipts at any time. For bulk export, use Settings → Receipt Archive to download all your receipts as a ZIP (PDFs plus a CSV summary) for any date range.
Is VAT supported? +
Yes. Add your VAT number in the Designer and include line items with VAT rates; totals are automatically calculated on the PDF. If a specific customer should not have VAT on receipts, enable VAT Exempt for that customer in the Customers page.
When should I use VAT Exempt vs Snooze? +
Use VAT Exempt when receipts should still be sent but without VAT lines (for example non-UK VAT treatment). Use Snooze only when you want to pause sending receipts to that customer entirely.
How quickly are receipts sent? +
With Auto Mode enabled (Pro), receipts are sent shortly after GoCardless marks the payment confirmed. We listen for that event in real time and also run a periodic safety check so occasional missed webhooks still get picked up.
Which email connection method should I use? +
Use Microsoft OAuth for Outlook/Office365 mailboxes. Use SMTP for Google/Google Workspace (typically with an App Password) and for other providers such as iCloud, Yahoo, and custom domain mailboxes.
Your payments are already automated. Your receipts should be too.
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