E-Invoicing Under GST: Part 4 - Documents to be reported under e-invoicing

E-invoicing was introduced by the Government of India starting January 1, 2020 in a phased manner, currently it is on a voluntary basis and mandatory from April 1, 2020. In a nutshell, e-invoicing does not mean generation of an invoice from a centralised government portal. It is simply the electronic authorisation or validation of an invoice with the help of an Invoice Reference Number (IRN) - this reference number will ensure deduplication of invoices and will help reduce the number of refund and claim-related issues.

Many taxpayers have raised questions asking if the e-invoice is the only document required for filing GST returns and the answer to that question is no. There are a few more documents that must be submitted while filing your GST returns - these documents will make it easier to validate your e-invoice.

Let's take a look at the other documents required to be submitted while filing GST returns.

Supplier Invoice

A supplier invoice is a bill that is issued by a vendor for goods delivered or services rendered. Supplier invoices are also referred to as vendor invoices. This invoice is generally an itemized detail of the transaction between the buyer and the seller. It specifies terms of payment, payment details, date of delivery etc.

Credit Note by Supplier

Also known as a vendor credit memo or memorandum, a credit note by a supplier is a commercial document that is sent by the supplier to the customer or buyer. It states that the customer's account has been credited with a certain amount of money - most likely because of an error in the original invoice or due to other reasons like returned or rejected goods or services, damaged goods or even excess payment on behalf of the customer. This credit note can be used by the customer in the future for making a payment.

Debit Note by Supplier

Like a credit note, a debit note is also a commercial document prepared by the supplier and sent to a customer. It informs the customer of their current debt obligations. This letter serves as a reminder that the customer is yet to make their payments/funds are due.

Apart from the above, taxpayers might be required to submit any other documents as required by law.

To summarise, taxpayers will need to report the following documents to the GST system along with their e-invoice.

• Invoice by Supplier
• Credit Note by Supplier
• Debit Note by Supplier
• Any other document as required by law to be reported by the creator of the document

To know more about our E-invoicing and GST compliance solutions, contact us here.

Follow our E-invoicing under GST Series on the links below:

1. E-Invoicing Under GST: Part 1 - What is an e-invoice?
2. E-Invoicing Under GST: Part 2 - E-invoicing and the Tax Department
3. E-Invoicing Under GST: Part 3 - Benefits of e-invoicing
4. E-Invoicing Under GST: Part 4 - Documents to be reported under e-invoicing
5. E-Invoicing Under GST: Part 5 - How does e-invoicing work?
6. E-Invoicing Under GST: Part 6 – E-Invoicing Workflow from Supplier to Invoice Registration Portal
7. E-Invoicing Under GST: Part 7 - Workflow from IRP to Buyer and GSTN or E-Way Bill System
8. E-Invoicing Under GST: Part 8 - Everything you need to know about Invoice Registration Portal
9. E-Invoicing Under GST: Part 9 – Features of e-invoice system you need to know
10. E-Invoicing Under GST: Part 10 – How to register your e-invoice
11. E-Invoicing Under GST: Part 11 - Myths around e-invoicing
12. E-Invoicing Under GST: Part 12 – Frequently asked questions on e-invoicing