Contractor Invoice Template India

How to write a contractor invoice

• Quote the client's purchase order or contract number; many companies will not pay an invoice without it.
• Attach or reference the approved timesheet for the period you are billing.
• List expenses on their own lines and keep the receipts.
• Check whether your client must withhold tax from your payments in your country.

Not sure what to charge? Work out your minimum rate with the freelance rate calculator, and agree the price first with the quote generator.

What an invoice must include in India

• Supplier's name, address and GSTIN
• Consecutive serial number of up to 16 characters, unique for the financial year (letters, numbers, hyphen or slash)
• Date of issue
• Recipient's name, address and GSTIN or UIN if registered
• For an unregistered recipient with a taxable value of ₹50,000 or more: name and address, delivery address, and state name and code (below ₹50,000, only if the recipient asks)
• HSN code for goods or SAC for services (number of digits depends on turnover)
• Description of goods or services
• Quantity and unit for goods
• Total value of supply
• Taxable value after any discount or abatement
• Rate and amount of tax split into CGST, SGST/UTGST, IGST and cess
• Place of supply with state name for inter-state supplies
• Delivery address if different from the place of supply
• Whether tax is payable on reverse charge
• Signature or digital signature of the supplier or authorised representative (not needed on an electronic invoice)
• QR code with the Invoice Reference Number (IRN) where e-invoicing applies to the supplier

Invoice rules in India at a glance

Tax

GST, standard rate 18%. See all rates and the GST calculator

Tax number

GSTIN

Title

Tax invoice (registered suppliers of taxable supplies). Composition taxpayers and suppliers of exempt goods or services issue a 'Bill of supply' instead.

Not registered for tax

A person who is not registered under GST cannot collect GST or issue a tax invoice. Registered composition taxpayers must not charge GST to customers and issue a bill of supply.

Small invoices

Section 31(3)(b) of the CGST Act lets a registered person skip a tax invoice where the supply is below ₹200, subject to conditions, and issue a consolidated tax invoice at the end of the day for unregistered buyers who do not ask for one.

Payment terms

15 days from acceptance or deemed acceptance if no written agreement; agreed terms cannot exceed 45 days (MSE suppliers only).

Late payment

MSMED Act 2006, sections 15 and 16: where the supplier is a micro or small enterprise registered on Udyam (manufacturing or services), the buyer must pay by the agreed date, which cannot exceed 45 days from acceptance, or within 15 days if no date was agreed. If late, the buyer owes compound interest with monthly rests at three times the bank rate notified by the RBI, overriding any contract term. Outside MSMED, interest is contractual.

Keep records

72 months (6 years) from the due date of the annual return for the year, longer if an appeal or investigation is pending.

Contractor Invoice Template India: frequently asked questions

Sources

1. CBIC: Rule 46, CGST Rules 2017 (Tax invoice)
2. CGST Act section 31 (text)
3. CGST Act section 36 (text)
4. MSMED Act 2006 section 15
5. MSMED Act 2006 section 16
6. Taxmann: Liability of buyer under section 15 of MSMED Act (appointed day, Udyam)
7. RBI press release, Monetary Policy Statement 7 October 2026