GST invoice checklist for India

Separate required particulars from software validation

Rule 46 sets invoice particulars subject to Rule 54 and its own provisos. The left column summarises selected requirements; the right describes this tool, not a legal interpretation of your transaction. Check the full rule, amendments and relevant notifications for exceptions.

CBIC’s place-of-supply circular specifically addresses omitted State/place-of-supply details on inter-State invoices. It does not let a calculator decide the place of supply from an address. Resolve that decision before choosing a state in the form.

Reproduce the fictional INR 2,360 invoice

Use the manual-entry JSON reference and compare with the checked example PDF. The page does not import JSON. Names, addresses, GSTIN and transaction are fictional; the code and 18% rate demonstrate arithmetic, not classification or tax advice. Do not submit this sample to a tax portal or issue it to a customer.

1. Open GST Invoice Generator. Set Invoice number to INV-EXAMPLE-001 and Invoice date to 2026-09-07.
2. For the supplier, enter Example Studio and 10 Example Lane, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560001. Select Karnataka, enable GST-registered supplier and enter the synthetic format-only value 29AAAAA0000A1Z5.
3. For the customer, enter Example Client and 20 Sample Road, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560002. Select Karnataka, leave customer registration off, and also choose Karnataka for Place of supply.
4. Use one line: Example consultation, HSN/SAC 998399, quantity 2, unit NOS, rate 1000, discount 0 and GST rate 18.
5. Turn rounding and reverse charge off. Leave logo and signature images empty. Enter Synthetic example only - not a real transaction. in Notes, then select Create GST invoice PDF.
6. Open the downloaded PDF and compare the parties, number, date, one item line, tax labels and final amount—not just the preview total.

For these inputs, 2 × INR 1,000 = INR 2,000 before tax. The configured intra-state calculation splits the illustrative INR 360 tax into INR 180 CGST and INR 180 SGST. INR 2,000 + INR 180 + INR 180 = INR 2,360. A different number indicates an input or setting difference to investigate, not a reason to alter the real transaction.

The stored example was checked on 7 September 2026 in Chromium 151.0.7922.34 and Firefox 153.0 on Linux. Both runs reopened a one-page portrait A4 download and checked the example amounts and extracted text bounds. They also checked that an incomplete form had no result and editing the note invalidated the old download. These tests did not verify registration, tax treatment, payment, legal compliance or acceptance by another system.

Check the actual document before sharing it

• Compare supplier and customer details with the underlying records. The GSTIN check recognises a pattern and matching state prefix; it does not query the GST portal, validate the checksum or prove that a registration is active.
• Recalculate a line. The tool applies the percentage discount before the selected tax rate, rounds calculated amounts to paise, and optionally rounds only the final total to the nearest rupee.
• Review every page. Item descriptions have up to four wrapped lines and other fields also have space limits. An ellipsis means content may be missing; retain full specifications and use another workflow if essential particulars do not fit.
• Check the amount in words against the figures. Confirm that the right document version was downloaded after your final changes.
• Keep your own invoice record and source transaction. Save profile stores supplier fields locally, not the complete invoice, customer, item list or image attachments.

When this simplified tool is not enough

The generator supports up to 30 item lines, INR amounts, Indian state selections and English-compatible PDF text. It has no dedicated export/SEZ workflow, cess calculation, UIN recipient field, return filing or official registration lookup. An optional image is not certificate-backed signing. Do not squeeze an unsupported transaction into the form by substituting an incorrect state, identifier or label.

A generated PDF is not the same as registration through an Invoice Registration Portal. GSTN’s e-invoice FAQ 67 describes the IRP issuing the IRN and signed QR information from submitted invoice details. This tool does not perform that step. Whether it applies to you requires a separate current-rules check; this page does not offer a turnover shortcut or certify an exemption.

Why did the tax disappear?

Switching supplier registration off makes the calculator apply no GST and use an INVOICE heading instead of TAX INVOICE. That describes software behaviour, not a determination of how your business should invoice. Check the actual registration status rather than toggling it to get a preferred total.

Why did reverse charge leave the total unchanged?

The switch prints Yes or No in the document but does not change the tax arithmetic. If your transaction needs different payable treatment, stop and use a workflow that supports the reviewed treatment. The visible label alone is not validation.

Does a successful export mean I can issue it?

No. Local validation means the entered data passed this tool’s checks and its PDF could be generated and reopened. It is not a tax-professional review. Resolve unsupported fields and transaction-specific questions with a qualified adviser before relying on the document.

Source trail and update scope

The source review date is 7 September 2026. Rule 46 supports the field checklist; the 2019 CBIC circular supports the focused place-of-supply reminder; GSTN FAQ 67 explains the IRP process. The links below serve different purposes and are not a statement that every older FAQ on those sites describes today’s filing thresholds or deadlines.

Tool-specific statements were checked against the current form, gst-invoice-calculations.ts, gst-invoice-pdf.ts and the linked synthetic example. The software does not automatically update its rules when a government notification changes. Report a concrete mismatch with a primary source through Contact.