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Everything an Indian invoice needs, explained field by field, with free invoice formats in Excel and Word you can download right now. Prefer not to fiddle with formulas? Fill a short form and download a finished invoice as a PDF.
Free to download, no sign-up. The Excel files calculate line totals and tax for you; the Word files are easy to edit and print. Replace the sample details with your own before use.
For GST-registered businesses. Line items with HSN/SAC, CGST, SGST and IGST columns, and totals that calculate per line.
Free downloadWord .docxThe same Rule 46 tax invoice layout as an editable Word document, for when you prefer typing over formulas.
Free downloadExcel .xlsxA plain, non-GST invoice for freelancers, small shops and service providers who are not registered under GST.
Free downloadWord .docxNon-GST invoice in Word with seller, buyer, items, total and payment details.
Free downloadExcel .xlsxA quotation-style invoice sent before the sale, with validity date, terms and an auto-calculated total.
Free downloadWord .docxProforma invoice in Word, clearly headed so it is never mistaken for a tax invoice.
Free downloadWord .docxA money or cash receipt to acknowledge a payment received against an invoice or advance.
Free downloadWord .docxReceipt for school, college, coaching or tuition fees with student details and fee heads.
Free downloadWord .docxMonthly house rent receipt with tenant, landlord, period, amount and signature space.
Free downloadAn invoice is the document a seller gives a buyer to record a sale and ask for payment. It says who sold what to whom, on which date, at what price, with how much tax, and how the buyer should pay. For the seller it is the basis of the sales register and, if registered under GST, of the GSTR-1 return. For a business buyer it is the proof needed to book the expense and, for a GST invoice, to claim input tax credit.
In India people say "bill" and "invoice" for the same thing, which is why an "invoice bill format" and a "bill invoice format" are searched as often as the plain invoice format. What really changes the layout is whether you are registered under GST, and what kind of transaction you are recording.
Whatever your business, a complete invoice format contains the fields below. GST-registered sellers must include all of them; unregistered sellers can leave out the GST-specific ones (GSTIN, HSN or SAC, tax columns and place of supply).
Business name, address, phone or email, and GSTIN if registered.
"Tax Invoice" for a GST invoice, "Bill of Supply" for exempt or composition supplies, or simply "Invoice" if you are not registered.
A unique, consecutive serial number, for example INV/2026-27/0042.
The date the invoice is issued, and a due date if you offer credit.
Customer name and billing address, plus GSTIN for a registered business buyer. Add a separate shipping address if goods go elsewhere (the "bill to, ship to" layout).
Description of each item or service, HSN or SAC code (for GST invoices), quantity, unit and rate.
Quantity multiplied by rate, less any discount, for each line.
GST rate and the CGST plus SGST amounts for an intra-state sale, or IGST for an inter-state sale.
Subtotal, total tax, round-off and the grand total in figures and in words.
Bank account and IFSC, UPI ID, accepted payment modes and payment terms.
State name and code on GST invoices; it decides whether CGST plus SGST or IGST applies.
Signature of the proprietor or authorised signatory, or a digital signature on electronic invoices.
Before you pick an invoice format, work out which of these three documents you are supposed to issue. Using the wrong one is the most common invoicing mistake small businesses make.
Issued by a GST-registered supplier for a taxable sale. Shows GSTIN, HSN or SAC codes and GST separately, follows Rule 46, and is headed "Tax Invoice". Needed by the buyer for input tax credit.
Issued by a registered supplier for exempt goods or services, or by a composition taxpayer, who cannot collect GST. It shows no tax. A composition taxpayer must state that they are not eligible to collect tax.
Used by sellers who are not registered under GST, such as small traders, tutors and freelancers below the threshold. It must not show a GSTIN or charge GST. Our simple bill generator uses this layout.
Here is a sample GST invoice format for an intra-state sale, with the fields in the order most Indian businesses use. The business names and numbers are placeholders.
For an inter-state sale, replace the CGST and SGST columns with a single IGST column at the full rate. For an unregistered seller, remove the GSTIN, HSN and tax columns and change the heading to "Invoice".
Excel is the most popular way to keep an invoice format, because it does the arithmetic. Our free Excel invoice formats are set up so you only type quantities and rates; the taxable value, tax and totals calculate themselves. To use one well:
Common pitfalls: formulas that break when you add a row, rounding differences between line tax and total tax, and the amount in words left unchanged from the last invoice. If your business uses Tally or another accounting package, its built-in invoice format is usually better than a spreadsheet, because it also posts the entry to your books.
A Word invoice format suits businesses with a few invoices a month and simple pricing, such as consultants billing a monthly retainer. It is easy to brand and edit, but Word does not calculate, so every figure must be checked by hand. Our Word templates use tables that keep their alignment when you add rows.
Whichever file you start from, send the final invoice as a PDF. A PDF looks the same on every phone and computer, cannot be changed by accident, and is what accounts teams expect. If you would rather skip templates altogether, the online generators on this site build the invoice from a form and give you a print-ready PDF, with the arithmetic and layout handled for you.
The fields above are the base. Each type of invoice adds a few of its own. Pick the one that matches your transaction.
Issued by a GST-registered supplier for a taxable sale. It must carry every field in Rule 46 of the CGST Rules, show GST separately and be headed "Tax Invoice". The buyer needs it to claim input tax credit.
Create a GST invoice →A preliminary invoice sent before the sale to confirm price, quantity and terms. It is a commercial document, not a demand for payment under GST, and no tax liability arises from it. Once the goods or services are supplied, a proper tax invoice replaces it.
Create a proforma invoice →For sellers not registered under GST, such as small shops, tutors and freelancers below the registration threshold. It lists the items and total without any GST columns. A retail invoice format for walk-in customers usually also shows the payment mode.
Create a simple bill →The everyday name for the invoice a business raises when it sells goods. For a registered seller the sales invoice is a tax invoice; for an unregistered seller it is a simple invoice. Sales invoices also feed your sales register and, for registered businesses, GSTR-1.
Create a sales invoice →Used by consultants, agencies, professionals and freelancers. Instead of quantity and unit it usually lists the service, period or milestone, SAC code and fee. If you are GST registered it is a tax invoice with the service's SAC code; if not, a simple invoice works.
Create a service invoice →Raised by transporters and goods transport agencies. Alongside the standard fields it records the consignment note number, vehicle number, origin and destination, and freight charges. Whether GST is paid by the transporter or by the recipient under reverse charge depends on how the transporter has opted to pay tax, so check this with your accountant.
For goods leaving India. Besides the usual fields it shows the buyer's name and address abroad, the delivery address, the country of destination, and an endorsement stating whether the export is made on payment of IGST or under a bond or Letter of Undertaking (LUT) without payment of IGST. Exporters also prepare a commercial invoice for customs, which is often in a foreign currency and lists packing and shipping details.
Not an invoice at all, but often confused with one. An invoice asks for payment; a payment receipt confirms that money was received. Issue one when a customer pays in cash, pays an advance, or asks for proof of payment against an invoice.
Create a payment receipt →If you are registered under GST, a few rules apply to every invoice format you use:
Templates are great if you invoice often from the same computer. If you need a correct invoice or receipt quickly, use one of our generators: fill the form, check the live preview and download a PDF. Your first bill is free, and each bill after that uses 10 credits.
A standard invoice in India shows the seller's name, address and GSTIN (if registered), a unique invoice number and date, the buyer's name and address, a description of each item with quantity and rate, the taxable value, GST charged (CGST and SGST, or IGST), the total in figures and words, payment details and a signature. GST-registered sellers must follow Rule 46 of the CGST Rules, which also requires HSN or SAC codes and the place of supply.
Yes. GST law does not require any particular software, so an Excel invoice is valid as long as it contains every mandatory field and the figures are correct. Our free Excel invoice formats calculate tax per line item. The main risks with spreadsheets are copied invoice numbers, broken formulas and charging CGST plus SGST on an inter-state sale that needs IGST.
Yes. A Word invoice is acceptable if it carries all the Rule 46 fields and the arithmetic is right. Word does not calculate, so double check each line, the tax and the total in words before you send it, and keep a register of invoice numbers so none are repeated.
In everyday Indian usage the two words are used interchangeably, which is why people search for an "invoice bill format". Formally, an invoice is the document a seller issues to request payment, and "bill" is the common term for the same thing, especially in retail. Under GST the documents that matter are the tax invoice, the bill of supply, and receipt vouchers for advances.
Under Rule 46, the invoice number must be a consecutive serial number of up to 16 characters, unique for a financial year. It can contain letters, numbers, hyphens and slashes. A common pattern is a prefix, the financial year and a running number, such as INV/26-27/001, restarting from 001 every April.
A tax invoice is issued by a GST-registered supplier for a taxable supply and shows the GST charged. A bill of supply is issued for exempt supplies, or by composition taxpayers who cannot collect GST from customers, so it shows no tax. A composition taxpayer must also state on the bill that they are a composition taxable person not eligible to collect tax.
No. A proforma invoice is a quotation-style document sent before a sale. It does not create a GST liability and the buyer cannot claim input tax credit on it. Once the supply happens, the seller must issue a proper tax invoice.
No. If you are not registered under GST you must not charge GST or show a GSTIN. Use a simple invoice format that lists the items and the total without tax columns.
Yes. The Excel and Word invoice formats on this page are free to download with no sign-up. If you would rather fill a form and get a finished PDF, our online generators give your first bill free, and each bill after that uses 10 credits.
Usually, yes. A PDF keeps the layout exactly as you designed it on any device, cannot be edited by accident, and is what most clients and accounts teams expect by email. Fill the template or the online generator, check it, then save or download it as a PDF.