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GST Credit Note Format and Free Generator

Create a credit note for a return or an invoice adjustment. Enter the original invoice details, check the amounts and download a PDF. You can also download a blank Excel or PDF format. No signup.

Blank credit note templates

Blank templates with the fields below, to fill in yourself: an editable Excel sheet (no formulas — you enter the amounts) and a printable PDF. Created on your device; no signup, email or upload.

How to fill in a credit note

  1. Find the original invoice. Use its taxable unit rate after any discount — not today’s price and not a new discount.
  2. Copy the tax regime and component rates exactly as they were charged on the original (CGST + SGST, CGST + UTGST, or IGST).
  3. Check earlier credit notes against the same invoice so the total credited never exceeds what was originally charged.
  4. Review the preview line by line, including every tax component and the total, before preparing your document.

Credit note not printed: complete the form, use supported text and wait for local fonts. Return to the page for affected fields.

Fill in a credit note

Your entries stay only in this browser tab. Nothing is saved, uploaded or sent. Refreshing or closing the tab clears them. The completed PDF is created on your device, and printing uses your browser's print dialog.

For domestic supplies in INR by a GST-registered supplier. Cess and special cases are not supported — get separate advice for those.

Supplier

Format check only — not verified with the GST portal.

Recipient
Credit note

Up to 16 letters, numbers, hyphens or slashes. Keeping numbers unique is your responsibility.

Original invoices
R1
Lines credited

Use the taxable unit rate from the original invoice, after its discount, and copy the original tax rates. No new discount is applied here. A 0% rate you enter is not proof that the supply is exempt.

Line 1

Taxable credit: Rs —

Make sure the quantities and amounts you credit do not exceed what is still eligible on the original invoice after earlier credit notes. This form cannot see your original invoices or earlier notes and cannot check eligibility or completeness.

Signatory

A typed name is not a digital signature or a certification.

Preview — not issued

Incomplete — 18 items to fix.

Printing is unavailable until local fonts finish loading.

The completed PDF and print become available once every required field is filled in correctly. Blank formats are available above.

The preview is wider than your screen — scroll sideways inside the frame to see the whole document.

Preview — not issued

CREDIT NOTE

Supplier

—

—

State code: —

GSTIN: —

Credit note

Number: —

Date: —

Reason: —

Recipient

—

—

Status: Not chosen

Original invoices

R1: — dated —

SrRefDescriptionHSN/SACQtyRateTaxableRegimeTaxTotal
1R1— ————
Taxable credit
Rs 0.00
CGST
Rs 0.00
SGST
Rs 0.00
UTGST
Rs 0.00
IGST
Rs 0.00
Total credit
Rs 0.00

Authorised signatory: —

A typed name is not a digital signature or a certification.

Caution: Check the original invoice, earlier credits and tax treatment before using this document. This tool does not verify eligibility, report to the GST portal or determine whether you can reduce GST liability. Ask your tax professional about your situation.

What this guide covers

This guide is about GST credit notes issued in Indian rupees by a GST-registered supplier for domestic supplies. A credit note reduces the value or tax shown on a tax invoice you issued earlier — for example, when goods are returned or the price charged was too high. It does not cover debit notes, cess, exports or other special cases.

Original invoice, reason and line references

A credit note must point back to the tax invoice or invoices it adjusts, by serial number and date. One credit note can refer to more than one invoice. It also helps to state the reason and which invoice lines are affected, so the recipient and your tax professional can match the credit to the original sale and see any earlier credits against the same invoice.

Example: a partial return

This example is fictional. The 18% rate is used only for illustration and is not a rate recommendation. The original invoice was for 10 units at a taxable value of Rs 1,000 each after discount, with CGST 9% and SGST 9%. The customer returns 2 units.

Units returned2 of 10
Taxable value credited2 × Rs 1,000 = Rs 2,000
CGST credited (9%)Rs 180
SGST credited (9%)Rs 180
Total creditRs 2,360

The credit uses the taxable value and tax rates of the original invoice, not today’s price.

Fields checklist (CGST Rule 53(1A))

Rule 53(1A) lists the particulars a credit note should contain. These are different from the rules for a revised invoice in Rule 53(1).

  • Name, address and GSTIN of the supplier.
  • Nature of the document (for example, "Credit Note").
  • A consecutive serial number, unique for the financial year, and the date of issue.
  • Name, address and GSTIN or UIN of the recipient, if registered; for an unregistered recipient, name, address and the address of delivery with state name and state code.
  • Serial number(s) and date(s) of the corresponding tax invoice(s).
  • Value of taxable supply, rate of tax and amount of tax credited to the recipient.
  • Signature or digital signature of the supplier or an authorised representative.

Useful extras (not prescribed particulars)

  • The reason for the credit note (for example, goods returned or rate corrected).
  • Line references to the original invoice items, with quantities returned.
  • Earlier credit notes already issued against the same invoice.
  • Place of supply, carried over from the original invoice.

Having every field does not by itself make a credit note compliant. Sources: CGST Rule 53 and CGST Act section 34 (official pages may lag recent amendments).

Commercial adjustments are not automatically GST credits

Not every return, discount or settlement reduces GST. A purely commercial or financial adjustment between the parties may not change the tax on the original invoice. Whether it does depends on the facts and the current rules, so check with your tax professional before treating it as a GST credit note.

What preparing a credit note does not do

Writing up a credit note document does not file a GST return, report anything to the GST portal, generate an IRN, QR code or e-way bill, update your ledgers or stock, or decide your tax liability. Where statutory reporting or an IRN is required, a document you prepared yourself is not a replacement for it.

Frequently asked questions

Is it free, and do I need to sign up?

It is free. The guide, the form, the completed PDF, printing and the blank templates all work without an account, email or sign-in.

What happens to what I type in the form?

It stays in this browser tab only. It is not saved on your device, uploaded or sent anywhere, and it is not added to any InvoBill account. The completed PDF is created on your device. Refreshing or closing the tab clears your entries.

Can one credit note refer to more than one invoice?

Yes. Add each original invoice with its number and date, then choose on every line which invoice it belongs to.

How do I credit a partial return?

Enter only the quantity returned, at the taxable unit rate after discount shown on the original invoice, and copy the original tax rates. Check that earlier credit notes have not already used up that quantity or value.

What can I download or print?

Four things: a completed PDF of your filled-in credit note, a print of it through your browser, and a blank Excel or blank PDF format to fill in yourself. The completed PDF and print become available once every required field is filled in correctly.

Does this tool report the credit note to the GST portal?

No. It only prepares a document. It does not file a return, report to the GST portal, generate an IRN, QR code or e-way bill, or change any records. A typed signatory name is not a digital signature.

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