6 min read
GST invoices
The GST invoices app turns your orders into GST-ready documents: tax invoices, credit notes, packing slips, order confirmations, receipt vouchers and refund vouchers, numbered in your own series and saved as PDFs.
What this is for
- A proper tax invoice for every order, with your GSTIN, the buyer’s state, HSN codes and the CGST/SGST or IGST split, without typing anything.
- A credit note when you refund a shopper, linked to the original invoice.
- Invoices with the buyer’s GSTIN for B2B orders, so your business customers can claim input tax credit.
- Exporting a GSTR-1 file for your CA at the end of the month.
How it works
Orders enter an invoice queue at the moment you choose (when paid, or when shipped). A queued document is In queue and has no number yet. When you issue it, it takes the next number in your series and its PDF is made. Refunds produce a credit note against the invoice (or a refund voucher, if the goods hadn’t been invoiced yet).
Pre-orders are special: taking a deposit before the goods exist is an advance under GST, so a paid pre-order gets a receipt voucher first, and its tax invoice when it ships.
Set it up step by step
Install the app
Go to Apps, find GST invoices under Built-in apps, and select Install. It now appears under Apps in the sidebar with four pages: Queue, Invoices, Returns and Settings.
Business details
Open Settings → Business details and enter your Legal name (exactly as on your GST
registration), GSTIN (for example 27AAPFU0939F1ZV, checked as you type), State,
Logo, Signature and Signatory name. These print as the supplier on every document,
as CGST rule 46 requires. Legal name, GSTIN and address can also be edited in
Settings → GST & invoices → Tax rules; both screens change the same details.
Until your GSTIN is filled in, the Queue page shows “Finish setting up GST invoices” with a Go to settings button. Nothing is issued without it.
Numbering series
Under Numbering series, set a Prefix (use {FY} to put the financial year in, e.g.
INV/{FY}/ gives INV/26-27/0042), the number of Digits, and what the series is Used
for: Domestic, Export or B2B (buyer GSTIN). Add series for credit notes and vouchers.
Set HSN digits (4, 6 or 8) and a Default HSN for products that don’t have one. The
domestic tax invoice series (its prefix, next number and whether it starts again every April)
is also on Settings → GST & invoices → Invoice numbers.
Template and style
Choose Classic, Minimal or GST compact. The preview updates as you type.
Screenshot: GST invoice template previewPlaceholder, not a real screenshot yetApps → GST invoices → Settings → Template and style with the Classic template selected and the live preview showing a tax invoice for ₹2,499 with HSN 6109 and CGST 6% + SGST 6% lines.Queue and delivery
Pick Queue orders: When payment is received, When the order ships or Only when I add them. Turn on Issue queued invoices straight away if you don’t want to review each one.
Add HSN codes and GST rates to products
On each product’s Shipping card, fill HS (harmonised system) code (your HSN, e.g. 6109
for cotton T-shirts) and GST rate (%). Leave the rate blank to use the store rate from
Settings → GST & invoices → Tax rules.
Day to day
- Queue (“Invoice queue”) lists documents In queue. Select Review and issue, then Issue N invoices. Use Add orders to queue older orders by hand.
- Invoices lists everything Issued or Cancelled, with the PDF for each.
- On an order’s page, the GST documents card shows that order’s documents, with Add to invoice queue, Issue credit note and the Buyer GSTIN for B2B orders.
- Returns has Export GSTR-1 for the month, then Mark filed and Close period once your CA has filed it.
Once issued, an invoice keeps its number forever. To correct one, issue a credit note and a fresh invoice, never edit the old number. That’s what GST law expects, and what your CA will look for.
How the tax split works
Prices in your store include GST. On each order the tax is split out of the price using the product’s GST rate (%). “Your state” is the state of the GST number the order is billed from: the GST number of the warehouse it ships from (see Locations), else your default one.
| Shopper ships to | Tax on the invoice | Example: ₹1,180 at 18% |
|---|---|---|
| The same state as the warehouse’s GST number | CGST + SGST, half each | ₹1,000 + CGST ₹90 + SGST ₹90 |
| Another state | IGST | ₹1,000 + IGST ₹180 |
More than one GST number
If you have a GST number in more than one state (GST numbers), each one is its own GST taxpayer, so:
- Invoices come from the order’s GST number. The supplier on the invoice is that GST number, with the address saved for it. Credit notes always come from the GST number of the invoice they correct.
- Each GST number counts on its own. Haryana’s first invoice and Karnataka’s first invoice
can both be
INV/26-27/0001; that is allowed, because numbers only have to be unique per GST number. To tell them apart at a glance, put{GST}in the prefix:{GST}/{FY}/printsHR/26-27/0001andKA/26-27/0001(or the invoice prefix you saved for that GST number).{GST}counts as 5 characters toward the 16-character limit. - An order sent from two warehouses gets two invoices. When part of an order ships from your Haryana warehouse and part from Karnataka, each part (parcel) is a separate sale by that GST number. The queue shows one invoice per parcel, each with only that parcel’s items and its share of shipping and discount; together they add up to what the customer paid. A warehouse on the composition scheme prints a bill of supply instead, with no GST.
- A refund on such an order gets a credit note from each GST number it touches. Money back for a returned item is credited by the GST number that sent that item. Any other refund (a goodwill amount, shipping) is shared between the invoices by their value. No credit note ever credits more than its invoice. A courier collecting a return brings it back to the warehouse it left from.
- Each GST number files its own GSTR-1. A GST number picker sits at the top of Queue, Invoices and Returns. On Returns, pick the GST number, then Export GSTR-1, Mark filed or Close period for that one only.
With one GST number nothing changes: there is no picker and your numbers carry on as before. The whole picture, from checkout to credit notes, is in Several warehouses and GST.
Common problems and fixes
| Problem | Why it happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing is being queued | Queue orders is Only when I add them, or the app isn’t set up. | Check Queue and delivery and Business details. |
| A queued invoice won’t issue | A required detail (like GSTIN) is missing. | The queue shows the reason; fix it in Settings and issue again. |
| Wrong HSN on an invoice | The product has no HS code, so Default HSN was used. | Add the HS code on the product; for the issued invoice, credit note and re-issue. |
| IGST where you expected CGST/SGST | The order was billed from a GST number in another state (see Billed from on the order). | Check which GST number the warehouse bills under on Settings → Locations & warehouses. |
| Two invoices with the same number | They come from two different GST numbers, which is allowed. | Add {GST} to the prefix so each GST number’s invoices look different. |
FAQ
Do I need this app if I'm not GST registered?
No. If you’re under the GST threshold, leave GSTIN blank in Settings → GST & invoices and you can skip this app. You can still print packing slips from each order.
Does cancelling an order create a credit note?
Only a refund does. If you cancel an invoiced order and refund the shopper, the refund issues the credit note (or a refund voucher, if only a pre-order advance was paid).
Can shoppers download their invoice?
Yes. Once issued, a link to the invoice appears on the shopper’s order page and in their order emails.
What about exports without IGST?
Under Exports, choose Letter of Undertaking, without IGST and enter your LUT reference number, or Payment of IGST, refund claimed later.