Specific GST Invoice Regulations for Various Businesses

An invoice serves as a document issued by a supplier to a recipient for goods or services rendered. While Goods and Services Tax (GST) laws generally outline strict requirements for invoice appearance and issuance timelines, certain special circumstances permit deviations from the standard format. These exceptions offer flexibility in how suppliers must issue invoices.

Input Service Distributor (ISD)

Invoices or ISD credit notes require specific details that deviate from typical GST Invoices. These documents must include:

• The Input Service Distributor's name, address, and GST Registration Number (GSTIN).
• A unique, consecutively numbered serial number for the invoice or credit note, valid for each financial year. This number can comprise letters, numbers, hyphens, or dashes, or a combination thereof.
• The date of issuance.
• The name, address, and GSTIN of the entity eligible for the credit.
• The total credit amount being distributed.
• Authentication via a physical or digital signature from the input service provider or their authorized agent.

Exceptions to these rules apply when the ISD is a:

• Banking Company
• Financial Institution
• Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC)

For these exceptions, any document containing the aforementioned information can serve as a tax invoice, and it does not need to be serially numbered.

If a registered person shares the same Permanent Account Number (PAN) and State code with the ISD, they may issue an invoice, credit note, or debit note to transfer common input service credit to the Input Service Distributor. Such a document should specify:

• Name, Address, and GSTIN.
• A unique, consecutive serial number, up to sixteen characters, for the financial year, incorporating alphabets, numerals, or special characters.
• The date of issue.
• The GSTIN of the common service supplier.
• The original invoice number for which credit transfer is requested.
• The Input Service Distributor's name, address, and GST Identification Number.
• The taxable value, applicable rate, and the exact credit amount to be transferred.
• A physical or digital signature from the registered person or their authorized representative.

Insurance, Banking, and Financial Institutions

Suppliers operating as an insurer, banking company, financial institution, or Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) are permitted to issue a consolidated tax invoice. Alternatively, they can provide any other document, regardless of its title, to cover all supplies made within a month. This consolidated document or alternative must be issued at the month's end. It needs to include all mandatory details required for a standard tax invoice, excluding optional information such as a serial number and the recipient's address. These invoices can be delivered either electronically or in physical form.

Goods Transport Agency (GTA)

When a Goods Transport Agency (GTA) offers road transportation services, the GTA (as the supplier) is required to issue a tax invoice or an equivalent document. This invoice, regardless of its specific title, must include the following particulars:

• The total gross weight of the consignment.
• The names of both the sender and the receiver of the goods.
• The registration number of the vehicle used for transporting the goods.
• A detailed description of the goods being transported.
• Information about the origin and destination of the shipment.
• The GSTIN of the party responsible for tax payment, whether it is the consignor, consignee, or the goods transport agency itself.
• All other standard fields typically found in an invoice format.

Passenger Transportation Services

Providers of passenger transportation services must issue a tax invoice, which can take the form of a ticket or any similar document. This document should include:

Optional Information:

• A serial number.
• The address of the service recipient.

Mandatory Information:

• All other details typically mandated for a standard tax invoice.

E-commerce Operators and OIDAR Service Suppliers

When an e-commerce operator or a provider of Online Information and Database Access or Retrieval (OIDAR) services issues a tax invoice to an unregistered buyer, the invoice must include:

• The recipient's name and address.
• The PIN code.
• The name of the state.

This specified address will be considered the official address of record for the recipient.

This regulation applies universally, irrespective of the transaction's value. It is important to remember that these invoices must also incorporate all other information mandatorily required for a standard tax invoice.