Free GST invoice format

What a GST tax invoice must show

Rule 46 of the CGST Rules lists what goes on a tax invoice. This format has a place for each one.

• Your name, address, and GSTIN
• An invoice number of up to 16 characters, used once in the financial year
• The invoice date
• Your customer’s name and address, and their GSTIN if they are registered
• The HSN code for goods, or the SAC for services
• A description, quantity, and unit for each item
• The taxable value, after any discount
• The rate and amount of each tax: CGST and SGST, or IGST
• The place of supply, for a sale to another State
• The delivery address, if it is different
• Whether tax is payable on reverse charge
• A signature

CGST and SGST, or IGST

For a sale within your own State, GST is split into two equal halves: central tax (CGST) and State tax (SGST). An 18% item shows CGST 9% and SGST 9%. For a sale to another State, the whole rate is charged as integrated tax, such as IGST 18%.

Choose which one under the tax buttons on each invoice, and set your usual choice in Settings. Each half is worked out and rounded on its own, so the printed figures always add up to the total. In a Union territory, rename SGST to UTGST in the Design tab.

HSN and SAC codes

Since April 2021, a business with turnover up to ₹5 crore must give a 4-digit HSN code on invoices to registered buyers, and a larger business must give 6 digits on every invoice. Type the code in the HSN/SAC column. Slipbook does not check codes or rates, so confirm yours with your tax adviser.

Copies for goods and for services

Rule 48 of the CGST Rules asks for an invoice for goods in three copies, marked ORIGINAL FOR RECIPIENT, DUPLICATE FOR TRANSPORTER, and TRIPLICATE FOR SUPPLIER, and for services in two, marked ORIGINAL FOR RECIPIENT and DUPLICATE FOR SUPPLIER. This format prints all three in one PDF, each with its mark at the top. For services, choose two copies in the Design tab.

Numbering for the financial year

An invoice number must not repeat within a financial year. In Settings, start the number with the year, such as 2026-27/0001, and Slipbook fills in the next number for you each time.

What Slipbook does not do

Slipbook does not connect to the GST portal or file returns. Businesses above the e-invoicing turnover limit must issue e-invoices with an Invoice Reference Number (IRN) through the government’s system, so make those on the portal.

Sources

• CBIC: Rule 46, tax invoice (CGST Rules, 2017)

Sources looked up on 10 November 2026. Slipbook does not give tax advice, so confirm with your tax adviser.