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IOU cards printable: eight small promises on one page
These printable IOU cards turn “I’ll do it for you” into a card with a name, a promise and a day it is due. Each card says “A small promise” and has four lines to fill in by hand: From, To, I owe you, By.
- Cards
- 8 per page, each 3.375 × 2.125 in at 100%
- Paper
- US Letter and A4, portrait, one page
- Versions
- Blank, filled-in example, fillable PDF
In short
Write one promise per card with a real day on the By line; when it is kept, the person who got the card dates the back. The cards are for favors between people who share a home, not for lending money.
Printable IOU cards in three versions
Blank for writing by hand, an example with made-up promises, and a fillable PDF for typing. This free printable IOU template needs no email or account.
What is on each card, and what it is not
From and To name both people. I owe you has two lines: room for “one kitchen reset”, not for a list. By is the line that gets the promise kept: a card with a day on it gets used or rescheduled.
Cambridge defines an IOU as “a written promise to pay back a debt”. If you came for a free IOU template to record a loan, this sheet is not that document.
| These cards | An IOU for money |
|---|---|
| A favor or an evening you give | A sum someone borrowed |
| Closed when the other person says it is done | Closed when the money is repaid |
What to write on a blank IOU template
A promise without a day tends to stay in a drawer, as a gift blog admits:
“…most boyfriend coupons ideas and cutesy IOUs die a slow death in a forgotten drawer.”Love & Lavender · love coupon ideas
- One promise per card. “Breakfast in bed” can be kept on Sunday; “help more around the house” cannot.
- An end you can both see. “A plant-care round” is done at a moment you can point to.
- A real day on the By line. Tonight, Friday, a date. “Someday” is the drawer.
- A funny IOU template still needs a real promise. Put the joke in the wording: “One quiet hour, no questions asked”.
Write by hand. When someone asked r/Marriage for printable coupons, one reply was blunt:
“Agree to the hand writing. Printing and tossing really does not mean much, does it?”r/Marriage · “Marriage coupon book”
How to close a promise without a reminder
- The person holding the card shows it when they want it: “Kitchen reset tonight, please.”
- The giver keeps the promise; the person holding the card writes the date on the back and keeps it. That is the sign it counts as done.
- If the By day passes, write a new day together instead of reminding.
Write cards for each other, so the stack goes both ways.
How to print and cut the cards
- US Letter in the United States and Canada, A4 elsewhere; portrait, 100%, one-sided.
- Print one test sheet first.
- Cut along the guides, one card at a time, from the PDF rather than a screenshot, so all eight come out the same size.
Questions about IOU cards
Is this a free I owe you template for lending money?
No. The cards record favors between people who know each other, not loans, and this page gives no legal or financial advice.
Can I make an IOU book for my boyfriend or girlfriend?
Yes. Staple the cut cards at one short edge, and ask your partner to write a few back so the book goes both ways.
Does it work as a birthday IOU template?
Yes. No occasion is printed on the cards, so write the birthday promise on the I owe you line and tuck the card into a birthday card.
Are these IOU cards printable on regular paper?
Yes. Plain Letter or A4 paper works; card stock makes them sturdier. Print at 100% so each card comes out 3.375 × 2.125 in.
Can I type on the cards?
Yes. The fillable PDF has fields for From, To, two lines of I owe you, and By. Save your copy, reopen it, then print.
Other free printable sheets
Save the IOU cards to Pinterest
Pin the sheet now, and the next time you promise to do something for someone, there is a card with a By line waiting for it.
The same promise in Alpacto
In the Alpacto app a card becomes a task: what you promised, by when, and what counts as done. You mark it done, the other person confirms, and nobody has to ask twice.