A voucher is a document used to support the payment of a liability to a supplier. It is created by a companys accounts payable department and contains all the supporting documents needed to approve the payment of a liability. A voucher is essentially the backup documents for accounts payable, which are bills owed by companies to vendors and suppliers. The documents in a voucher can include the supplier's invoice, amount owed, due date, general ledger accounts, and any applicable early payment discount terms. A voucher is created following the receipt of an invoice from a supplier and is stamped "paid" when a check or electronic payment is made to a supplier and is then archived, along with any supporting documents.
In addition to its use in accounting, the term voucher can also refer to a bond of the redeemable transaction type which is worth a certain monetary value and which may be spent only for specific reasons or on specific goods, such as housing, travel, and food vouchers. The term voucher is also a synonym for receipt and is often used to refer to receipts used as evidence of, for example, the declaration that a service has been performed or that an expenditure has been made. Vouchers can also be used in the hospitality industry, where airlines, hotels, and restaurants may issue vouchers that can be exchanged for rooms, flights, or fares.
