Freelancers and consultants
GST billing software for freelancers and consultants
Bill a design milestone to Mumbai, a training workshop to Pune and a monthly retainer to a client down the road, each with its own SAC code and the right tax, from one screen.
In short
SimpleERP is GST billing software for freelancers and consultants in India. Each invoice carries the SAC code of the work, applies IGST or CGST and SGST from the client's state, and takes any advance the client paid off the balance.
Illustration of the keyboard-first invoice editor with a focused line, live tax totals and shortcut hints.
A GST billing day at Saanvi Mehta Studio
Saanvi Mehta Studio is one designer and trainer working from a co-working space in Vijay Nagar, Indore. Her GSTIN starts with 23 for Madhya Pradesh, and almost every client she has is somewhere else: a fintech in Mumbai, a manufacturer in Pune, a hospital group across town in Indore.
The first working day of the month is billing day. The Mumbai app redesign has reached its second milestone and the client paid ₹40,000 as an advance in August. The Pune design workshop ran last week. The Indore retainer for monthly design support is due again. Three invoices, three different tax splits, and one advance that must come off the right one.
What does a milestone invoice to a Mumbai client add up to?
The Mumbai client's GSTIN starts with 27, so SimpleERP sets the place of supply to Maharashtra and charges IGST. The ₹40,000 advance already sits on the client's account, and allocating it to this invoice leaves only the balance to collect.
- The scope line names the milestone, so the client's accounts team can match it to their purchase order.
- IGST posts to its own output account, kept apart from CGST and SGST.
- HSN and SAC summary under the lines, which the client's finance team usually asks for.
| Line | SAC | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Milestone 2: high-fidelity screens and prototype | 998391 | ₹1,20,000 |
| IGST at 18% | ₹21,600 | |
| Invoice total | ₹1,41,600 | |
| Advance received in August, allocated | ₹40,000 | |
| Balance to collect | ₹1,01,600 |
Illustration of GST tax invoice INV-2026-27-0213 to Ravi Stores with CGST 9% and SGST 9%, round off, a UPI QR code and the amount in words.
Why does the Indore retainer get CGST and SGST and the Pune workshop IGST?
Tax follows the place of supply. A client in Madhya Pradesh is in the same state as the studio, so the rate splits in half between CGST and SGST; Pune is in Maharashtra, so the full rate goes on as IGST. You never pick the split by hand.
- Indore retainer of ₹35,000 under SAC 998391 carries CGST ₹3,150 and SGST ₹3,150, for ₹41,300.
- Two-day Pune workshop of ₹90,000 under SAC 999293 carries IGST ₹16,200, for ₹1,06,200.
- A client without a GSTIN takes the state from the address you enter for them.
- Place of supply can be changed on the invoice when your CA advises a different one.
How do I take an advance before the work starts?
Record the money as a payment from the client and leave it unallocated. It stays on their account, visible on their statement, until a milestone invoice uses it. GST on an advance for services can fall due when the money arrives, so ask your CA how to treat large advances in your return.
- Quotation first: the scope, the fee and the milestones, with an expiry date.
- Accepted quote to sales order, then bill the order in parts as each milestone is delivered.
- What is left to bill shows on the order, so the last milestone is never forgotten.
Can I raise the same retainer every month quickly?
Save the retainer as a service with its SAC code, rate and a standard description. Each month you pick the client and the service, type the month into the description and post. It takes under a minute, though it is still you who raises it.
- Keyboard-first editor: type part of the service name, the fee and Enter.
- A UPI QR on the print so a small client can pay the retainer from their phone.
- Sales register and SAC summary export to CSV for whoever files your GST returns.
One system
What it connects to
A freelancer's invoice posts the receivable and the output GST, the advance settles part of it, and the client's statement shows both.
Freelancers and consultants
SAC-coded GST invoices, advances and milestones, TDS deducted by clients and expenses for one-person practices.
See howAccounting for freelancers
A ledger that keeps itself from your invoices and expenses, TDS deducted by clients as a receivable, and a P&L your CA can read.
See howPayroll for small consultancies
For the freelancer who has hired one to three people: salary structures, professional tax, attendance on the phone and salaries posted to the books.
See howInventory for freelancers
Most freelancers can skip stock. For the few who sell workshop kits, printed workbooks or merchandise, a count per shelf at average cost.
See howGST billing
Tax invoices with CGST, SGST or IGST by place of supply, HSN on every line and a UPI QR on the print.
See how
Honest limits
What SimpleERP does not do yet
- E-invoice IRN and QR code, and e-way bills, are not generated through the government APIs
- Cess is not calculated; GST return filing stays with you or your accountant
- No price lists: every line is priced as you bill it
- Rupee invoices for Indian clients only: no multi-currency and no export invoice under LUT
- No receipt voucher with GST for an advance; it is recorded as a payment kept on account
Getting started
Start with GST billing
Sign up with your phone
Name, phone number and a password. No card for the seven-day trial, and email is optional.
Tell us about the business
Type your GSTIN and the state fills itself. Accounts, GST rates, units, roles and numbering are seeded for you.
Add what you sell
Add each kind of work as a service with its SAC code and rate, such as 998391 for design, 998314 for development or 999293 for a workshop. Services carry no stock.
Post your first GST invoice
Pick the customer, add lines and save. The place of supply picks CGST and SGST or IGST for you.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Should the invoice show my own name or my studio's name?
The legal name on your GST registration must be on the invoice, and a trade name can sit beside it if you registered one. Saanvi's invoices read Saanvi Mehta, trading as Saanvi Mehta Studio, with the GSTIN under it.
A client wants the project split into three invoices. Can I do that?
Yes. Turn the accepted quotation into a sales order and bill it in parts, one invoice per milestone. Each invoice has its own number and date, and the order keeps count of what is still to be billed.
Do I charge GST to an individual who books my workshop?
If you are registered, yes, at the rate for the SAC code. Add the person as a customer without a GSTIN and with their address; SimpleERP uses that state for the place of supply. Ask your CA how these sales are reported in your returns.
Do I have to issue e-invoices as a freelancer?
E-invoicing applies above a turnover limit far above what most freelancers earn, so it rarely applies; check the current limit with your CA. SimpleERP does not generate the IRN in any case.
Related
Keep reading
Freelancers and consultants
SAC-coded GST invoices, advances and milestones, TDS deducted by clients and expenses for one-person practices.
Read moreAccounting for freelancers
A ledger that keeps itself from your invoices and expenses, TDS deducted by clients as a receivable, and a P&L your CA can read.
Read morePayroll for small consultancies
For the freelancer who has hired one to three people: salary structures, professional tax, attendance on the phone and salaries posted to the books.
Read more
See how GST billing works in SimpleERP for freelancers and consultants
Seven days free. No card. Your first GST invoice in minutes.