Straight answers about business documents
Which tool to choose, what an invoice must contain, and how to get tender papers right, including when another tool suits you better than JenVoice.
Choosing a tool
- Best free invoice generators
The best free invoice generator depends on what you need: JenVoice for a designed invoice with tax worked out and no sign-up, Zoho Invoice or Wave if you want invoicing tied to accounts, and a Word template only for a one-off with no tax. Below, each option is compared on cost, tax, design and limits, including where JenVoice is not the right pick.
- Best GST billing software in India
For most small Indian businesses the choice is between a billing-and-stock app such as Vyapar or myBillBook, an accounting product such as TallyPrime or Zoho, and a document maker such as JenVoice. Pick by your main job: stock and a shop counter, full books, or GST invoices, quotations and tender papers that look professional.
- Best invoice apps for freelancers
If you invoice clients in more than one country and want polished invoices without a monthly bill, JenVoice is a strong fit; if you want bookkeeping and bank feeds too, FreshBooks, QuickBooks Online, Xero or Wave are better. Here is how they compare on price, tax and multi-country billing.
Getting documents right
- Proforma invoice vs tax invoice
A proforma invoice is a preliminary bill sent before a sale is final, to confirm price and terms or ask for an advance; it is not a demand for payment and you cannot claim tax credit on it. A tax invoice is the legal record of a completed sale, carries the tax, and is what the buyer uses to claim input tax credit.
- GST invoice format and required fields
Under Rule 46 of the CGST Rules, a GST tax invoice must show the supplier's name, address and GSTIN, a unique serial number of up to 16 characters, the date, the buyer's details, HSN or SAC codes, the taxable value, the tax rate and amount split into CGST and SGST or IGST, and the place of supply. The checklist below covers each field, with the common mistakes.
- How to make a delivery challan
A delivery challan is the document that goes with goods moved without a sale, such as goods sent for job work, on approval, or between your own branches. Under Rule 55 of the CGST Rules it carries a serial number, date, consignor and consignee details, HSN codes, quantities and value, and is made in three copies.
- Tender documents checklist
Most Indian government and PSU tenders ask for the same core papers: registrations, financial proof, experience proof, the EMD or a bid security declaration, signed annexures, and the technical and financial bids. Most rejections come from a missing, unsigned or wrongly formatted document rather than the price, so check the tender's own list against the one below before you submit.