How to Generate 80G Tax Exemption Receipts for Your Temple (Step-by-Step)
When a devotee donates to your temple, they often ask: "Can I get an 80G receipt?" If your mandal cannot answer yes with confidence, you risk losing both the donation and the donor's trust.
What is an 80G receipt and why does your temple need it?
An 80G receipt lets donors claim a tax deduction under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act. Without a valid receipt from your institution, they cannot claim this deduction — and the Income Tax department will reject their return.
Many temples lose regular donors because they cannot issue proper receipts. Devotees who donate each year — especially those in business or salaried jobs — depend on 80G receipts at year-end. Handwritten slips, missing PAN numbers, or skipped receipt numbers push donors elsewhere. Proper receipts are both a legal duty and a service to your devotees.
Who can issue 80G receipts?
Only institutions registered under Section 80G with the Income Tax department can issue valid receipts. To check your status:
- Review your registration certificate for the 80G number and validity period
- Ask your Chartered Accountant (CA) — they will have a copy
- Confirm on the Income Tax portal if your CA has access
If your temple is not yet registered, apply using Form 10A on the Income Tax portal. Approval usually takes one to three months. Once granted, you can issue receipts for the current financial year from the approval date forward.
If you are unsure about registration, do not issue 80G receipts until your CA confirms. An invalid receipt causes more harm than no receipt at all.
14 mandatory fields on a valid 80G receipt
Missing even one field can invalidate a receipt during audit:
- Full name and address of your temple or trust — as registered with the IT department
- PAN of the institution
- 80G registration number — e.g. CIT(E)/80G/2023/00142
- Validity period of the 80G registration
- Donor's full name — as on their PAN card
- Donor's complete address — including pin code
- Donor's PAN — mandatory for cash donations above ₹2,000
- Amount in figures — e.g. ₹25,000
- Amount in words — e.g. Twenty Five Thousand Rupees Only
- Date of donation
- Mode of payment — cash, cheque, UPI, NEFT, or RTGS
- Cheque number or transaction reference — for non-cash payments
- Sequential receipt number — no gaps or duplicates
- Purpose — general corpus or specific fund (annadan, building, etc.)
Step-by-step: generating an 80G receipt manually
Step 1: Collect donor details at the time of donation
Ask for name, address, PAN, and payment mode when the money is received. For UPI, note the transaction reference immediately.
Step 2: Record in your register with a sequential number
Assign the next receipt number in your donation register before writing the receipt. Log donor name, amount, date, and payment mode first — this prevents skipped numbers.
Step 3: Fill in all 14 fields on the receipt
Work through the list above. Skipping PAN or the 80G registration number makes the receipt useless for the donor.
Step 4: Sign, stamp and hand to the donor — keep a copy
The authorised signatory signs and stamps the receipt. Give the original to the donor and file a duplicate in your register.
The problem with manual receipts
Manual receipt books are slow — five to ten minutes per receipt on busy festival days. Volunteers rush and skip fields.
They are error-prone — wrong PAN, wrong amount in words, or an expired 80G number printed on every slip. Mistakes surface only when a donor's CA rejects the receipt or your auditor asks questions.
There is no backup — if the register is lost or damaged during a committee change, months of records may vanish. No WhatsApp delivery, no searchable history, no way to reprint a lost receipt.
A receipt with missing fields — even one — can be rejected by the Income Tax department. The donor loses their deduction and your temple faces questions during audit.
How Sanstha ERP generates 80G receipts automatically
Enter the donor's name and amount — Sanstha ERP fills all 14 mandatory fields using your registered institution details, including your 80G number and validity period.
Receipt numbers are assigned automatically and sequentially. Every receipt is saved in a searchable register that cannot be lost.
Download a PDF or send on WhatsApp in seconds — even after a late-night aarti. See receipt management on Sanstha ERP.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Missing donor PAN — mandatory for cash donations above ₹2,000
- Skipped or duplicate receipt numbers — auditors flag gaps immediately
- Expired 80G registration — check validity every year
- Wrong trust name or PAN — must match IT registration exactly
- No register entry — issuing without logging is a compliance failure
Conclusion
80G receipts are not optional — they are a legal requirement and a donor service. Whether you write them by hand or use software, ensure every field is correct and every receipt is numbered in order.
Sanstha ERP generates fully compliant 80G receipts automatically. Start free →