Hello, in this post we will see about
E-invoicing under GST
Latest Update
In a recent interview with PTI, Finance Secretary Mr.Ajay Bhushan Pandey said that e-invoice would be mandatory from April 1st, 2021 for all the B2B transactions by businesses with a turnover of over Rs. 5 crores.
We will cover the following topics:
- E-invoicing under GST
- Benefits of E-invoicing under GST
- Mandatory fields in the e-invoice
- Points to keep in mind
E-invoicing under GST
GSTN electronically validates each invoice for further use on a common GST portal. Invoice Registration Portal (IRP) issues a unique IRN number for each invoice and validates the invoice.
E-invoicing is mandatory for all registered persons with an aggregate turnover above 100 Cr in an FY as per the 35th GST Council meeting.
This is a seamless updation of invoice information from IRP to both the GST portal and e-way bill portal consecutively. Thus eliminating the process of manual data entry during GST return filing as well as e-way bill generation.
E-invoicing under GST is mandatory from April 2020.
Benefits of E-invoicing under GST
- Elimination of the fake invoices and its generation.
- Substantial reduction in ITC verification issues.
- One time reporting on B2B invoice data reduces multiple formats reports (for GST ANX-1 and for the e-way bill).
- By uploading the E-invoice data, it will help you generate part A of the e-way bill.
- Real-time tracking of invoices prepared by the supplier.
- Assist in the automatic preparation of GST Returns (ANX 1 and ANX 2).
- E-invoicing system will auto-match input credit liability with output tax.
- It saves time, human errors for data entry, and also avoids major reconciliation issues.
Mandatory fields in the e-invoice
The e-invoice format is modeled on the existing GST invoicing rules. It should contain elements of the invoicing system and policies of each industry /sector.
It has mandatory information and optional information for business purposes. Many fields are optional so that the users can only fill up relevant fields. Certain fields under the e-way bill format is also incorporated into this e-invoice.
Mandatory fields under e-invoicing are:
| SL NO. | MANDATORY FIELD | SAMPLE | REMARKS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Invoice Reference
Number (IRN) |
(Max length:64) a5c12dca80e7433217…. .ba4013750f2046f229 |
Unique reference number of the invoice. The supplier can not enter it. The IRP will only generate IRN and respond to the registration with the IRN. Invoice is only valid once it has the IRN. |
| 2 | Code for Supply type | (Max length:10)B2B/B2C/SEZWP/
SEZWOP/EXPWP/EXPWOP/DEXP |
A code to identify the supply type. |
| 3 | Code for the Document type | Invoice / Credit Note / Debit Note | Type of the document can be used as Invoice, Credit or Debit note. |
| 4 | Document number | (Max length:16)a/1/2019 | It will be as per invoice number rule mentioned in CGST/SGST/UTGST Rules. |
| 5 | Document Date | (DD/MM/YYYY) | The issue date of the e-invoice. |
| 6 | Supplier Information | Legal Name, GSTIN, address, Place/City/Town, State, PIN Code | Information about the supplier. |
| 7 | Buyer Information | Legal Name, GSTIN, address, Place/City/Town, State, PIN Code | Information about the buyer. |
| 8 | Invoice Item Details | Serial Number, Service, HSN code, Item Rate per unit quantity, Gross amount, Net amount, GST Rate, Item total amount | Provides information about the goods and services invoiced. |
| 9 | Total Amount in INR | Decimal (13,2) 745249678.5 |
The total amount of the invoice should be rounded off to two decimals including GST. |
| 10 | GST | (Max length:10) | Only for the GST supplies. |
| 11 | E-way Bill Details | Transporter, Mode of transportation, Distance of transportation. | These details to be provided. |
| 12 | Shipping to | Legal Name, Address, Place, PIN code, State Code | Of the entity to which the supplies are shipped to. |
| 13 | Dispatch From Details | Name, Address, Place, PIN code, State Code | Of the entity from which goods are dispatched. |
| 14 | The total taxable value of the invoice | Decimal (13,2)
768439.35 |
The sum of the taxable amounts of all the items in the document. |
| 15 | Batch number/ name | (Max length: 20) 673927 | Batch number details may be relevant for a certain set of manufacturers. |
Points to keep in mind
- Signature on e-invoice: After IRP validate the e-invoice, it will digitally sign the document. Therefore, no need for anyone to sign e-invoice again.
- Company Logo on e-invoice: Logo is neither a part of the JSON file nor it is sent to IRP. But the company can enter a LOGO to the billing/accounting software and print it on an invoice.
- Printing of QR Code on the invoice: The seller will get QR code when he uploads and registers the invoice into the Invoice Registration system. The seller can also print the same on the Invoice. B2C Invoice with QR Code is mandatory for a registered person, whose aggregate turnover in an FY is above 500 crores.
- Validity of invoice without Invoice Reference Number (IRN): E-invoice will be valid only if it has IRN.
- Printing of e-invoice: Both the seller and the buyer can print the invoice using the QR code and signed e-invoice returned by IRP.
- Cancellation of e-invoice: To cancel the invoice, report it to IRP within 24 hrs. But after 24 hrs you can cancel it on GST portal before filing your returns. Remember, you can only fully cancel an e-Invoice and cannot do partial cancellation.
- To amend e-invoice: You can amend the e-invoice only on the GST portal as per the GST law.
- E invoices for Exports: The buyer’s system can read the e-invoice with ease because its base schema is identical to the common standard.
- E-invoice schema for RCM: The e-invoicing system also contains the reverse charge mechanism reporting.
You can also see how this works in Saral
With that, we have come to an end of this post. Share your queries in our comment section below.