How to choose GST billing software: a checklist
Billing software ends up holding your invoices, stock and GST returns, so switching later is work. This checklist covers what to test before you commit, for any GST billing, invoice or inventory software, not only ours. It is written for GST-registered businesses anywhere in India.
1. GST invoices that are right without manual work
The core job. A GST tax invoice needs the fields in Rule 46 of the CGST Rules, and the tax must split into CGST + SGST for an intra-state sale or IGST for an inter-state one. Good software decides this from the customer's state, not from a box you remember to tick.
Questions to ask
- Does it pick CGST/SGST or IGST from the place of supply automatically?
- Are HSN or SAC codes and GST rates saved on each product?
- Does it check GSTINs, and handle credit notes, debit notes and bills of supply?
- Does the invoice number run in a proper series per financial year?
2. e-Invoicing and the GST portal
If your turnover is above the notified e-invoicing threshold, B2B invoices must be reported to the Invoice Registration Portal and carry an IRN and signed QR code. Even if it does not apply today, it may as you grow.
Questions to ask
- Can it generate the e-invoice JSON and get the IRN and QR, and through which GSP?
- Which plan includes e-invoicing?
- Does it also generate e-way bills, or will you do those on the e-way bill portal?
3. GST returns from the same data
Your GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B should come from the invoices you already made. Re-typing totals into a return is where most mismatches start.
Questions to ask
- Does it produce GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B in the portal's JSON format?
- Does it check for missing GSTINs, HSN codes or wrong place of supply before you file?
- Can you file yourself with your own portal login, or must you pay for a GSP?
4. Inventory, if you sell goods
Billing and stock should be one system: when you bill, stock goes down; when you buy, it goes up. Separate tools drift apart within weeks.
Questions to ask
- Does stock update from sales and purchases automatically?
- Several godowns or branches, with transfers between them?
- Batches with expiry dates, serial numbers or barcodes, if your trade needs them?
- Reorder alerts and a stock valuation report?
5. How you actually bill: counter, office or phone
A shop needs a fast POS screen with a barcode scanner and receipt printer; a distributor needs price lists and credit limits; a service business needs quotes and recurring invoices. Try the screen you will use most, on the device you will use.
Questions to ask
- Does it work on your PC, tablet and phone, or only one of them?
- Is there a POS screen with barcode scanning and thermal printing?
- Can you share invoices on WhatsApp or email with a payment link?
- How many users and branches does each plan allow?
6. Your data: moving in, and moving out
Switching is easier when the new system imports your customers, products and opening balances from Tally or Excel. Just as important is being able to take your data out at any time.
Questions to ask
- Can it import from Tally or a spreadsheet, with a preview before anything is saved?
- Can you export sales, purchases, customers and stock as CSV?
- Who can see what: user roles and an audit trail?
- Where is the data hosted, and how is it backed up?
7. Price you can predict
Compare the yearly cost for your real number of users, branches and invoices, not the cheapest headline price. Check what is limited on lower plans.
Questions to ask
- Monthly or yearly price, and is GST extra?
- Limits on invoices, users or branches per plan?
- Which plan has the features you ticked above (e-invoicing, multi-branch, API)?
- Is there a free trial, and does it need a card?
How OthTech Invoice & Inventory fits this checklist
Here is where our software stands on each point, including what it does not do.
- GST invoices
- CGST/SGST or IGST from the place of supply, HSN and rates on each product, credit and debit notes, numbered series.
- e-Invoicing
- e-invoice JSON with IRN and signed QR through your own GSP account, on the Standard plan and above. It does not generate e-way bills.
- Returns
- GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B as portal-ready JSON on every plan, with a pre-filing health check. Filing through a GSP is optional.
- Inventory
- multi-godown stock, transfers, batches with expiry, serial numbers, barcodes and reorder alerts.
- Devices
- runs in any modern browser on PC, tablet or phone and can be added to the home screen; there is no separate app-store app. POS with barcode scanner and thermal printer support.
- Data
- import from a Tally masters XML export or CSV with a preview; export sales, purchases, customers and inventory as CSV or JSON.
- Price
- plans in INR from Rs 499 a month, with a 14-day free trial of the full Basic plan and no credit card.
Details: GST invoicing, inventory, GST returns and pricing.
This checklist is general guidance, not tax or legal advice. GST rules and thresholds change by notification; confirm with your CA or the CBIC website.
Choosing GST billing software: common questions
Something not covered here? Call or WhatsApp us and you'll speak to the people who build the product.
Usually nothing: both make invoices. 'Billing software' in India often also means stock, payments and GST returns, while an 'invoice generator' may only produce the invoice PDF. Check which one you are being offered.
For a few invoices a month, it can be. Once you need stock, dues or GST returns, a generator means typing the same sale into other tools, which is where errors creep in.
Only if your aggregate turnover is above the notified threshold for e-invoicing. The threshold has been lowered over time, so confirm the current figure with your CA.
Many web-based tools run in a phone browser. Check that the screens you use daily, such as a new invoice or the POS counter, are comfortable on a small screen before you choose.
Not necessarily. Some businesses bill and manage stock in a separate tool and let their accountant keep Tally. Pick software that imports from Tally and exports clean data either way.
Written by the team at OthTech Solutions, which builds OthTech Invoice & Inventory.
Test it against the checklist
14-day free trial of the full Basic plan. No credit card needed.
- 14 days free
- Import from Tally or Excel
- Works on any PC or phone
