GST billing for tailors and boutiques: a plain guide
When a tailoring business needs GST, what a proper GST bill shows, how CGST and SGST split, and how to make the bill without a separate billing app.
VirtueTailor4 min read
The short answer
A tailoring business must register for GST once its yearly turnover crosses the services threshold — ₹20 lakh in most states, ₹10 lakh in special category states — or earlier if it chooses to. A GST bill shows your GSTIN, a serial number, the date, the customer, each line with its taxable value, and the tax split into CGST and SGST for a sale within your state. Confirm the rate for your kind of work with your CA.
Bills written by hand, tax worked out on a calculator
A handwritten bill book, a separate billing app, and the tax figured out at the counter. At the end of the quarter, nothing matches what the accountant needs.
GST bills made from the order itself
- GST invoices with CGST and SGST
- Numbers in sequence, never typed by hand
- The bill shares on WhatsApp
- Payments and balance on the same bill
- A plain bill, no GST, if you are not registered
- Excel export for your accountant
Does a tailor need GST registration?
GST registration becomes compulsory when a business's total yearly turnover from services goes above the threshold — ₹20 lakh for most states and ₹10 lakh for special category states. Below that, registration is optional. Some shops register anyway because corporate and uniform customers ask for a GST invoice. A shop that is not registered gives a plain bill with no GST and no GSTIN on it.
What must a GST bill show?
- Your business name, address and GSTIN
- A unique invoice number, in sequence for the financial year
- The date of the invoice
- The customer's name (and GSTIN, for a business customer)
- Each line: what was done, its HSN or SAC code, and its taxable value
- The GST rate and the tax amount on each line
- The total, and the place of supply
CGST and SGST: why the tax is split in two
For a sale inside your own state, GST is charged as two equal halves — Central GST and State GST. If the rate on a line is 5%, the bill shows 2.5% CGST and 2.5% SGST. A sale to a customer in another state uses IGST instead, at the full rate. Most stitching shops sell within their state, so most of their bills show CGST and SGST.
Making the bill from the order
The order already knows the customer, the garments and the price of each — stitching, maggam work, lining, hooks. Making the bill should be one step from there, not typing it all again into another app. The advance already paid shows on the bill, and so does the balance.
Set up your GST details once
GSTIN, business name and address, and the rates you charge.
Make the bill from the order
Lines, taxable value, CGST and SGST are filled in from what was booked.
Share it on WhatsApp
The customer gets a proper bill on her phone; you never reprint a lost one.
Export for your accountant
Export the period's reports to Excel and hand them over for the return.
Common mistakes
- Skipping invoice numbers, or restarting them mid-year.
- Adding GST on top of a price the customer was quoted as all-inclusive.
- Giving a discount at the counter and not putting it on the bill.
- Keeping bills in one app and payments in another, so they never reconcile.
For the cash side of the same problem, see advance and balance tracking.
Questions
What is the GST registration limit for a tailoring shop?
For businesses supplying services, registration is compulsory above ₹20 lakh yearly turnover in most states and ₹10 lakh in special category states. Check with a CA for your case.
Why does a GST bill show CGST and SGST?
For a sale within your own state, GST is split equally into Central GST and State GST. A sale to another state uses IGST at the full rate instead.
Can tailoring software make GST invoices?
Yes. VirtueTailor makes GST invoices with CGST and SGST from the order, shows the advance and balance, and shares the bill on WhatsApp.
Try it in your own shop
Free to start. Our team will help you bring your customers and measurements in.