No federal law requires every business to give you a receipt for every purchase. Whether you are legally entitled to one depends on how you paid, how much you spent, and the state or city where the sale happened, so the question of whether businesses are legally required to give receipts has different answers for a debit swipe, a cash sale, and a charitable donation. The clearest federal rules cover electronic fund transfers; almost everything else is left to state and local governments.
Federal Rules Cover Debit Cards and ATMs, Not Credit Cards
The Electronic Fund Transfer Act, implemented through Regulation E, requires a financial institution to make a receipt available whenever a consumer starts an electronic fund transfer at a terminal. That covers debit card purchases at retail checkout and ATM withdrawals.1eCFR. 12 CFR 1005.9 – Receipts at Electronic Terminals; Periodic Statements
Two limits matter here. The rule does not apply to credit card transactions, which fall under the Truth in Lending Act and Regulation Z. And it does not apply to any electronic transfer of $15 or less; below that amount, no receipt is required at all.1eCFR. 12 CFR 1005.9 – Receipts at Electronic Terminals; Periodic Statements Cash and check purchases sit entirely outside Regulation E, so federal law says nothing about receipts for those.
When the rule does apply, the receipt has to show the amount, date, type of transfer, the consumer’s account, any third party involved, and the terminal’s location.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1693d – Documentation of Transfers A debit receipt missing any of that is out of compliance.
Card Number Truncation Applies to Every Card Receipt
A separate federal law limits what businesses can print on a card receipt at all, even when no receipt was required in the first place. Under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, no business accepting credit or debit cards may print more than the last five digits of the card number on any electronically printed receipt, and the expiration date cannot appear at all.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681c – Requirements Relating to Information Contained in Consumer Reports The restriction applies only to electronically printed receipts; handwritten slips and physical card imprints are not covered.
State and Local Rules Fill the Gap
Outside of electronic fund transfers, receipt requirements come from state and local law, and they vary. Some jurisdictions require a receipt automatically once a sale crosses a dollar threshold, often in the $20 range. Others require a receipt only when the customer asks for one. Below the relevant floor, there may be no obligation at all.
Because the rules shift from one city to the next, the practical habit is to ask for a receipt any time you might need it for a return, a warranty claim, or an expense record. If the store refuses and you paid cash for a small purchase, you may have no federal recourse at all.
Tax Recordkeeping Is a Separate Reason to Keep Receipts
Even where no consumer protection law requires a receipt, tax law imposes its own recordkeeping obligations. Anyone liable for federal tax has to keep records sufficient to support their return.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 6001 – Notice or Regulations Requiring Records, Statements, and Special Returns Two thresholds tend to trip people up.
For business expenses like travel, meals, and supplies, the IRS generally requires a receipt or other documentary evidence for any individual expense of $75 or more. Lodging requires a receipt no matter the amount.5Internal Revenue Service. Publication 463, Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses A legible photo stored in a retrievable system works.
Charitable donations are stricter. You cannot deduct a cash or property gift of $250 or more unless you have a written acknowledgment from the recipient organization,6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 170 – Charitable, Etc., Contributions and Gifts and you need that acknowledgment in hand by the time you file.7Internal Revenue Service. Charitable Organizations Substantiation and Disclosure Requirements Without it, the IRS can disallow the whole deduction even when the gift was real.
Digital Receipts Count the Same as Paper
An emailed or texted receipt carries the same legal weight as a printed one. Under the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, a record cannot be denied legal effect solely because it exists in electronic form, so long as the consumer has agreed to receive records that way.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC Ch. 96 – Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Some states and cities have moved toward digital-first defaults, which is often why a checkout clerk asks for your email address. For returns, warranties, and tax records, either format protects you.
What to Do When a Business Refuses
Your options depend on which rule was broken.
If a bank or other financial institution fails to provide a required receipt for a debit or ATM transaction, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau can bring an enforcement action.9Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Settles with Remittance Transfer Provider for Remittance Transfer Rule Violations You can also sue on your own. The EFTA allows recovery of actual damages plus statutory damages of $100 to $1,000 per violation.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1693m – Civil Liability
If a receipt prints too many card digits or shows the expiration date, that is a Fair Credit Reporting Act violation. For willful violations, the law provides statutory damages of $100 to $1,000 per violation, plus potential punitive damages and attorney’s fees, and you do not have to prove any financial harm.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681n – Civil Liability for Willful Noncompliance Receiving the non-compliant receipt can be enough to support the claim.
For state and local rules, the usual route is a complaint to your state attorney general or a local consumer protection office. Penalties vary, but they can include fines and, in some jurisdictions, an obligation to honor a return the business would otherwise refuse. Where a store fails to post a refund policy and also refuses to give you a receipt, many jurisdictions treat that combination as grounds for a full refund within a set number of days after purchase.