GST Invoice Format: Mandatory Fields Under Rule 46 Explained
Every field a valid GST tax invoice must carry under Rule 46, with a sample layout, serial number rules, time limits, copies, and when e-invoicing applies.
Expert guides, product updates, and industry trends from HelloBooks — the AI bookkeeping software for small and midsize businesses, ecommerce sellers, startups, and accounting firms. Articles cover automated transaction categorization, bank reconciliation, invoicing, expense management, GST and US sales tax compliance, financial reporting, and migrating from QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks, or Tally.
New posts are published weekly. Topics are written by chartered accountants, bookkeepers, and the HelloBooks product team — grounded in real client data from over 11,000 US banks via Plaid, the guided QuickBooks USA migration (a one-time company-file import that completes in a single pass), and the HelloBooks mobile, web, and desktop apps. While the article list loads, you can browse popular topics below.
Technology
How AI is reshaping bookkeeping — automated categorization, document extraction, and what changing tax technology means for small business.
Accounting
Double-entry fundamentals, P&L vs balance sheet, cash vs accrual, depreciation, and the day-to-day mechanics of keeping books that reconcile.
Automation
Bank feeds, rules, recurring invoices and reconciliation workflows — the parts of the month-end close that no longer need a human.
Bookkeeping
Practical guides for bookkeepers and owners: vendor records, bills and approvals, expense capture, and audit-ready record keeping.
Finance
Cash flow, working capital, receivables and payables — reading the numbers a small business actually runs on.
GST compliance
GSTR filings, input tax credit, e-invoicing and e-way bills for Indian businesses, written against the current rules.
HelloBooks publishes practical articles for business owners and the accountants who serve them. Each post is written to be immediately useful: when to use cash vs accrual accounting, how to reconcile bank statements in one click, how AI categorization compares to manual data entry, what changes when you switch from QuickBooks to HelloBooks, and how to file GST, sales tax, VAT, and 1099 forms straight from your books.
Articles also cover industry-specific accounting — for retail, manufacturing, construction, restaurants, healthcare, SaaS, ecommerce / Amazon sellers, non-profits, professional services, and accounting firms managing multiple clients. Every post is tagged by category, sub-category, and geography (India, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Singapore, and UAE) so you can filter to exactly what applies to your business.
Expert guides, product updates, and industry trends.
Every field a valid GST tax invoice must carry under Rule 46, with a sample layout, serial number rules, time limits, copies, and when e-invoicing applies.
Claim GST input tax credit the right way: the Section 16 conditions, GSTR-2B and IMS, blocked credits, the 180-day rule, time limits and reversals.
How the QRMP scheme works in FY 2026-27: who qualifies, IFF for B2B invoices, PMT-06 monthly payments, quarterly GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B due dates, and common traps.
GST for coaching centres and tutors: 18% on coaching, the ₹20 lakh threshold, study material bundles, online students in other states, free GSTR-1/3B filing.
GST for chemists and medical stores: 5% and nil rates on medicines after GST 2.0, MRP-inclusive billing, expired stock ITC reversal, and free GSTR-1/3B filing.
GST for small manufacturers and MSMEs: ITC on capital goods, inverted duty, job work and ITC-04, e-way bills, and how free GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B filing fits.
GST for agencies and service firms: GST on advances, pure agent reimbursements, place of supply, reverse charge on legal fees, and free GSTR-1 and 3B filing.
GST for traders and wholesalers: ₹40 lakh threshold, HSN digits, ITC set-off, the 180-day rule, discounts, e-way bills, and filing GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B for free.
GST for restaurants and cafes: 5% without ITC, the 18% hotel exception, Swiggy and Zomato under Section 9(5), composition, and free GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B filing.