Since 1 August 2023, a GST-registered business with aggregate turnover above ₹5 crore must report each invoice to a registered buyer on the Invoice Registration Portal (IRP) and print the IRN and QR code it returns. According to a GSTN advisory, larger businesses also have only 30 days to report.
Who it applies to
E-invoicing applies once your aggregate turnover is above ₹5 crore. Aggregate turnover is worked out on your PAN, across all your GST registrations in India.
These are exempt:
- SEZ units
- Insurance companies, banks, financial institutions and NBFCs
- Goods transport agencies
- Passenger transport services
- Admission to multiplex cinemas
- Government departments and local authorities
How an e-invoice works
- Prepare the invoice in your billing or accounting software as usual.
- Report its details to the IRP, directly or through your software.
- The IRP returns an IRN, a unique reference number for that invoice, and a signed QR code.
- Print the QR code on the invoice you give the buyer.
The QR code carries the GSTINs of the supplier and the buyer, the invoice number and date, its value, the number of line items, the main HSN code, and the IRN and its date.
The 30-day reporting limit
According to a GSTN advisory, from 1 April 2025 a business with annual aggregate turnover of ₹10 crore or more cannot report an invoice, credit note or debit note on the IRP once it is more than 30 days old. Reporting on the day the document is issued keeps you well inside this limit.
What happens if you skip it
An invoice that had to be reported as an e-invoice but was not is not treated as a valid tax invoice under rule 48 of the CGST Rules. That puts your buyer’s input tax credit at risk.
What to do now
- Check your aggregate turnover across all your GST registrations.
- Set up e-invoicing in your billing software, or use the IRP directly.
- Report every invoice to a registered buyer, and every credit and debit note, on the day you issue it.
- Check that the QR code prints on every copy you send.
Common questions
What is an IRN?
The Invoice Reference Number: a unique number the e-invoice system generates for each invoice reported to it.
Are banks and NBFCs covered by e-invoicing?
No. Banks, insurers, financial institutions and NBFCs are exempt, along with SEZ units, goods transport agencies, passenger transport, multiplex cinema tickets and government bodies.
Can I report an invoice that is two months old?
If your annual aggregate turnover is ₹10 crore or more, not after 30 days, according to the GSTN advisory in force from 1 April 2025.
Goods movements above ₹50,000 also need an e-way bill. We handle e-invoice set-up and reconciliation as part of GST return filing and accounting and bookkeeping.
Sources: Notification 10/2023-Central Tax; CGST Rules, rule 48; e-invoice portal FAQs and exemption manual; GSTN advisory of 5 November 2024.