GST invoice
A tax invoice issued under India's Goods and Services Tax, carrying the seller's GSTIN, the tax rate and the tax amount shown separately. A business buyer needs one to claim input credit.
A receipt and a tax invoice are not the same document. A receipt records that money was paid; a GST invoice makes a tax claim, which is why it must carry a GSTIN and a gapless invoice number series.
Online courses sold to buyers in India are generally taxable supplies, and a seller registered for GST is expected to issue proper invoices. A seller not registered should not be issuing documents that look like tax invoices.
For example
A course listed at ₹10,000 plus 18% GST bills ₹11,800: the invoice shows ₹10,000, ₹1,800 of tax, the academy's GSTIN and the HSN/SAC code, separately. A company buying training for staff reclaims that ₹1,800 as input credit — so for a business buyer, a proper invoice makes the course 18% cheaper than one without.
On Prolaud
An academy that enters its GSTIN issues GST tax invoices with a gapless number series per financial year; without one, the same purchase produces a plain receipt that does not claim to be a tax document.
Related terms
- Payment gateway — The service that collects a payment from a buyer and settles it to a business's bank account, handling cards, wallets and local bank methods — Stripe, Razorpay, PayPal and PayU are examples.
- Zero commission — A pricing model where the platform charges a flat subscription and takes no percentage of sales. The payment processor's own fee still applies, because that is charged by the processor, not the platform.