Get paid like a business, not like a favour.

Why most invoice templates get the tax wrong

Search for any generic invoice generator and it will ask for a GST rate and split it into CGST and SGST without asking a single question about who the client actually is. That's wrong more often than it's right. Under Indian GST law, the split follows the place of supply — the state where the client is registered — not the state you happen to be sitting in when you raise the bill. If your state and the brand's state are the same, you charge CGST 9% + SGST 9%. If they're different, which is the normal case for most creators working with brands headquartered in Mumbai, Bengaluru or Delhi while sitting somewhere else, you charge a single IGST 18% instead. Charging CGST+SGST to an out-of-state client — or the reverse — is the single most common error on a real creator invoice, and it's the kind of thing an accounts team bounces back weeks after you were expecting payment. This invoice generator with GST and TDS asks for both states up front and picks the correct split automatically, and if either party's GSTIN doesn't match its declared state, it says so before you send anything.

TDS: why the number that lands in your account is smaller than the invoice total

The invoice total isn't what arrives in your bank account, and that catches a lot of creators off guard the first time it happens. Brands are required to deduct TDS (tax deducted at source) before paying you, deposit it against your PAN, and hand you a Form 16A at year-end that you claim back at tax filing time — it isn't a fee, it's tax you've already paid in advance. The mistake to avoid here runs the other way from the GST one: TDS is calculated on the taxable value of the invoice, not the GST-inclusive total. GST is a tax you collect on the brand's behalf and pass through to the government; deducting TDS on top of it would tax the same rupee twice. This freelancer invoice generator for India computes TDS on the taxable value only, shows the deduction as its own line, and prints the expected transfer amount so the figure that actually lands isn't a shock.

Which TDS section applies — 194J or 194C

Most brand-creator deals — a sponsored post, a reel, a video review — count as professional or technical services, which falls under section 194J at 10%. That's the default this tool starts with, and it's usually correct for what an influencer invoice template needs to cover. A smaller share of work is structured as a pure contract for a defined output rather than a service performed personally, which falls under section 194C instead — 1% for individuals, 2% for others. Which one actually applies depends on how the brand's purchase order is worded and how their finance team classifies the payment, not on what feels right; if their paperwork names a section that doesn't match what you expected, that's worth asking about before you invoice, not after.

Amount in words, and why a brand's accounts team actually cares

Every field on an Indian invoice that a company's finance team checks by hand — GSTIN, PAN, taxable value, tax split — has room for a typo, and the field designed specifically to catch a typo in the total is the amount in words. It isn't decorative. A mismatch between the numeral and the words is a standard reason an accounts-payable team rejects an invoice outright and asks for a corrected one, which is exactly the delay nobody wants while they're waiting to get paid. This tool spells out the rounded invoice total using proper Indian numbering — lakh and crore, not the million/billion grouping most spreadsheet software defaults to — so the words always match the number above them.

What to do when a brand doesn't pay

Most late payments aren't a brand refusing to pay — they're an invoice that got buried in someone's inbox. A short, professional nudge fixes most of them, but the right tone at week one isn't the right tone at week six, and writing a firmer message while you're annoyed rarely reads as professional on the other end. This tool keeps three versions ready — gentle, firm, final — pre-filled with your actual invoice number, amount and due date, so following up doesn't mean starting from a blank message every time. Save the invoice to the ledger below and it tracks what's outstanding and how many days overdue it is, so you know which ones need the firmer version before you even open them.

What this tool is not

This is a document generator, not a chartered accountant. The GST rate, the TDS section and the SAC code shown are the common defaults for advertising and professional services, not a determination of your specific tax position — confirm your registration status, the correct SAC code and which TDS section applies with a CA before you rely on any of it for filing. It's also worth saying plainly: this tool does not generate an e-invoice or an IRN (invoice reference number). E-invoicing under GST is mandatory only for GST-registered businesses above a turnover threshold set by the government, one that has been lowered over time — most individual creators are well under it, but if you're a registered business approaching that threshold, check the current limit and talk to a CA rather than assume a downloaded PDF is compliant on its own.

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