The Mavoin blog
GST, invoicing & running a solo business in India
Practical, no-jargon guides for freelancers and solo founders who bill India and the world. Written to be useful — not to sell you an ERP.
GST Invoice Format in India: What a Valid Tax Invoice Must Include
A field-by-field guide to a valid GST tax invoice in India: mandatory fields, CGST/SGST vs IGST, numbering rules and the mistakes that get invoices rejected.
GST Invoice Format in India: What a Valid Tax Invoice Must Include
Multi-currency
RBI's New FEMA Export Rules Started on 1 October. Here's What Changes for Freelancers.
RBI's new FEMA export rules began 1 October 2026. Freelancers now declare exports to their bank every month, and foreign clients have 9 months to pay — not 15.
Multi-currency
The EDF Is Now a Monthly Filing. Here's Your Calendar.
From 1 October 2026, freelancers and service exporters file one Export Declaration Form (EDF) a month with their bank. Due dates, what goes in it, what to ask.
Multi-currency
Your Foreign Client Has 9 Months to Pay Now. What Happens at Month 9, 12 and 21.
The RBI cut the export realisation period to 9 months from 1 Oct 2026. What happens at month 9, how GST's Rule 96A clock lines up, and the month-21 restriction.
Multi-currency
You Can Now Write Off a Small Unpaid Export Invoice on Your Own Word. GST Still Wants Its Money.
Under FEMA's 2026 rules, export invoices up to ₹10 lakh can be closed or written off on your own declaration. Why that doesn't clear the IGST you may owe.
Multi-currency
SOFTEX Is Gone. If You Send Designs or Code Abroad, You're a Software Exporter.
SOFTEX ended on 1 October 2026. Under the new FEMA rules, 'software' includes designs, drawings and video, so designers and editors file like developers.
GST
Your Client Is an SEZ Unit Down the Road. Your Invoice Is Still Inter-State.
Billing a client in an SEZ or GIFT City? It's IGST even in your own state, zero-rated under an LUT, with its own endorsement line. What freelancers get wrong.
Invoicing
Best Invoicing Software for Indian Freelancers Who Bill Foreign Clients (2026)
Seven invoicing options for Indian freelancers who bill India in ₹ and clients abroad in USD — tested on GST, LUT exports and cost. Prices verified Sep 2026.
GST
Your Client Rejected Your Invoice on the GST Portal. Here's What Actually Changes.
A rejected invoice in IMS doesn't cut your GST. A rejected credit note adds it back. What each one means for a freelancer, and the fix for both.
GST
Something Wrong With Last Year's Invoices? You Have Until 30 November. Maybe Less.
Credit notes, missed ITC and GSTR-1 fixes for FY 2025-26 all close on 30 November 2026. Quarterly filers lose the window in October. What to check now.
GST
Your GSTIN Arrived Last Week. The Invoices You Sent Before It Are Already Taxable.
GST registration backdates to the day you crossed the threshold, not the day your GSTIN arrived. The invoices in between carry GST — and one month to fix them.
Invoicing
Your Client Wants the Invoice Dated Last Month. Here's What That Does.
"Can you date it 31st July instead?" Sometimes that's fine, and sometimes it moves your tax into a month you've already filed. How to tell in about a minute.
Invoicing
Upwork Already Made an Invoice. It Isn't Yours.
The platform's statement is its record, not your invoice. Why that matters for GST, exports and your bank — and what your own document should say.
Invoicing
You Added a Late Fee to Your Invoice. It Probably Doesn't Do Anything.
A late fee in your invoice footer is mostly decoration. The free registration that gives you a real payment deadline and interest that runs on its own.
Invoicing
You Sent the Invoice With a Mistake. Here's What You Can Still Change.
Wrong amount, wrong client name, a bad GSTIN. What you can quietly fix before filing, what needs a credit note after, and the shortcut that causes trouble.
Invoicing
You Don't Have a GSTIN Yet. Here's What Goes on Your Invoice.
You can invoice clients in India without a GST number. What to put on the invoice, what to leave off, and the one line that gets freelancers in trouble.
GST
You Want to Switch Invoicing Tools in August. Only One Thing Can Actually Go Wrong.
You can change your GST invoice number series mid-year. Rule 46(b) asks only for uniqueness within the financial year. How to switch without breaking GSTR-1.
GST
Your Foreign Client Hasn't Paid in Ten Months. Two Clocks Are Running.
Exported services under LUT and the payment never came? Rule 96A gives you one year before the IGST you never charged falls due, with 18% interest.
Multi-currency
Your Invoice Says One Thing. Your Bank Told the RBI Something Else.
Your SAC code and your RBI purpose code describe the same work to two regulators. The crosswalk for freelancers, and how to check yours in five minutes.
GST
You Charged 18% GST on Commission From a Foreign Client
The Finance Act 2026 omitted Section 13(8)(b) of the IGST Act. Referral fees, affiliate and BD commission from overseas clients may now be zero-rated exports.
GST
You Pay Figma and Vercel in Dollars. GST Says You Owe 18%.
Pay for foreign software or contractors in USD? If you're GST-registered you owe IGST under reverse charge — and a self-invoice within 30 days of receipt.
Multi-currency
Your First $2,000 From a Foreign Client: Three Exchange Rates, Two Tax Systems, One Paper Trail
Why the GST rate, the bank rate and the income tax rate on one foreign invoice are three different numbers — and the paperwork you must be able to produce.
GST
You Took 50% Upfront. GST Is Due Now, Not on Delivery.
Under GST, advances for services are taxable the day you receive them, not on delivery. How to issue a receipt voucher, gross up the tax, and adjust it later.
GST
SAC Codes for Freelancers in India: Find Yours (2026)
Which SAC code goes on your GST invoice? A plain-language guide for developers, designers, and consultants — how SAC works, common codes, and mistakes.
GST
How to File an LUT for Export of Services (Form GST RFD-11)
How to file an LUT (Form GST RFD-11) for export of services on the GST portal — eligibility, the steps, the yearly renewal trap, and exporting without one.
Multi-currency
How Indian Freelancers Should Invoice Foreign Clients in USD
Billing US or EU clients in USD, EUR, or GBP while keeping your books in INR — export of services, LUT vs IGST, FX rates, FIRC, and what your CA actually needs.
GST
Do Freelancers Need GST Registration in India? A Clear Answer
Turnover thresholds, the export-of-services trap, when GST registration is mandatory vs optional, and why many Indian freelancers register voluntarily.