Does Shopify generate GST invoices?
No. Shopify works out tax at checkout, but its help centre answers the question directly: "No. Shopify doesn't create a GST-compliant bill." It points sellers to a third-party GST invoicing service or an app from the Shopify App Store.
The gap is in what a tax invoice must carry under Rule 46 of the CGST Rules: your GSTIN, a serial number unique for the financial year, the HSN code of each item, the taxable value after discount, CGST and SGST or IGST shown separately, the place of supply, and the buyer's GSTIN when the buyer is registered. Shopify's order confirmation and packing slip are not built for that.
How do I set up Shopify for GST invoices?
- Turn on GST in Shopify. In your Shopify admin, open Settings, then Taxes and duties, choose India and turn on GST collection with your GSTIN (your 15-character GST number). Decide whether your prices include tax; most Indian stores show prices with GST included, so the price a customer sees is the price they pay.
- Give every product its rate. Shopify starts India on default rates that suit few catalogues. Clothing and footwear, for example, are taxed at 5% up to ₹2,500 a piece and 18% above it, since 22 Sept 2025. Set the rates your products actually carry, or let your invoice app apply them by HSN code.
- Add HSN codes. Each product has an "HS tariff code" field in its shipping section; Shopify asks for at least 6 digits. HSN (Harmonised System of Nomenclature) codes classify goods, and GSTR-1 needs them for every line.
- Collect GSTINs from business buyers. Shopify's checkout has no GSTIN field. A field on the cart page lets a business buyer enter theirs, so its invoice is a B2B invoice and the buyer can claim the tax back as input tax credit.
- Install a GST invoice app. It should issue the invoice when the order comes in, with a gap-free number in your own format, the right tax split for the delivery state, and the HSN summary for your return.
- Send it, and keep it. Email the PDF to the customer from your own domain. GST records must be kept for 72 months after the due date of that year's annual return (section 36 of the CGST Act), which is more than seven years after the sale.
CGST and SGST, or IGST?
It depends on where the order is delivered, not where it is billed. Delivery inside your own state: CGST and SGST, half the rate each. Delivery to another state: IGST at the full rate. For a consumer, the place of supply is the address recorded on the invoice, and where billing and delivery addresses differ, the delivery address counts (section 10(1)(ca) of the IGST Act, explained in Circular 209/3/2024-GST).
| Order | Rate | Invoice shows |
|---|---|---|
| ₹1,050 kurta delivered in your state, price including 5% GST | 5% | Taxable ₹1,000, CGST 2.5% ₹25, SGST 2.5% ₹25 |
| Same kurta delivered to another state | 5% | Taxable ₹1,000, IGST 5% ₹50 |
When should the invoice be issued?
For goods, the law says on or before removal or delivery (section 31 of the CGST Act). Issuing the invoice when the order is placed meets that, and is what most apps do. Prepaid money for goods is not taxed as an advance (Notification 66/2017-Central Tax), so there is nothing to invoice earlier.
Once issued, an invoice number is never reused or deleted. If the order is cancelled or refunded, the invoice stays and a credit note reverses it, which is how the return stays right.
What can go wrong?
- A zero-rated tax override. A 0% tax line set in Shopify for a collection or region quietly removes GST from every order it touches. We have seen one store issue 170 invoices with no GST because of it.
- Numbering restarted by hand. Invoices must run in one series per financial year. A second app or a spreadsheet started alongside creates duplicates.
- Order Printer templates. They print what Shopify knows, which is not the CGST and SGST split, the place of supply or a Rule 46 serial number.
Can I make GST invoices for free?
Yes, at low volume. A free app plan, such as AppSaaz's 100 documents a month, covers a small store. Above that, compare apps on what they file, not only on what they print: the invoice is the start, and the monthly GSTR-1 built from it is where errors cost money.