Wisconsin rent receipt rule: a written receipt for cash, none required for checks
Wisconsin's rule is in an administrative code, ATCP 134.03(2), not in the landlord-tenant statute. When a tenant pays rent in cash, the landlord must give a written receipt on receiving it, stating the nature and amount of the payment. A landlord is not required to give a receipt for rent paid by check.
What does ATCP 134.03(2) say?
If a tenant pays rent in cash, the landlord must give the tenant a written receipt upon receiving the cash payment. The receipt must state the nature and the amount of the payment. In practice, that means saying that the payment is rent (rather than a deposit or a fee) and how much it was.
The same paragraph says a landlord is not required to provide a receipt for rent payments made by check.
Why is this in an administrative code?
ATCP 134 is the set of rules on residential rental practices written by Wisconsin's Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. It is the place to look for Wisconsin's rules on rental agreements, deposits and receipts, which is why searching the landlord-tenant statutes alone can leave a landlord thinking that Wisconsin has no receipt rule.
Section 134.03 deals with rental agreement copies in subsection (1) and with receipts for deposits and cash rent in subsection (2).
What should a Wisconsin cash receipt include?
The rule asks for the nature and amount. A receipt that protects you in a dispute adds the date, the unit, the rent period and your signature. Keep a copy.
- The date you received the cash.
- The amount, in numbers and in words if you like.
- That the payment is rent, and for which month.
- The unit address and the tenant's name.
- Your signature and printed name.
Example a made-up tenant pays $1,100 in cash on the 3rd. The receipt reads: received $1,100 in cash on the 3rd, as rent for the month, for the tenant's unit, signed and printed. The tenant keeps the original and you keep a copy.
Do other payment types need a receipt?
The provision names cash, and it excludes checks. It does not address bank transfers or card payments, so for those the rule requires nothing, although a payment confirmation is easy to send. See do landlords have to give rent receipts for the general picture.
What does the paragraph not say?
As read on the state's code site, it sets no retention period for your copies. A sensible habit is in our guide on how long to keep rental records. Also check whether a city has its own rule.
A simple receipt routine for Wisconsin landlords
The Wisconsin rule is short, so the habit is short too. Treat cash as the one case that needs a written receipt every time, and write it before the tenant leaves. For checks, the code does not require a receipt, but a deposited check still shows in your bank record, so make sure your records show which month each check paid. If a tenant switches from cash to a check or transfer, tell them in writing so there is no confusion about what they will receive. Keep copies of every receipt with the lease. Because ATCP 134 is a rule and not a statute, confirm the current version of the section before you update a lease or house rules.
How DoorKeeping fits in Wisconsin
With rent paid by bank transfer or Zelle, you avoid the cash rule entirely, and DoorKeeping matches each deposit to the tenant with its date and amount. If a tenant does pay you in cash, write the receipt then and keep a copy. This is general information, not legal advice. Check the current text of the law and your lease before you act.
Sources
Questions
- Does a Wisconsin landlord have to give a receipt for cash rent?
- Yes. On receiving cash rent, the landlord must give a written receipt stating the nature and amount of the payment.
- Does a Wisconsin landlord have to give a receipt for a check?
- No. The rule says a landlord is not required to provide a receipt for rent paid by check.
- Where is Wisconsin's rent receipt rule?
- In Wisconsin Administrative Code ATCP 134.03(2), the state's rules on residential rental practices.