“Can I raise a bill if I don’t have a GST number?” is one of the most common questions from small traders, freelancers and new businesses in India. The short answer is yes — but the kind of document you issue, and what you can put on it, depends entirely on whether you are registered under GST.
Tax invoice vs ordinary invoice
Under GST, only a registered person may issue a tax invoice and collect GST. A tax invoice carries the supplier’s GSTIN and shows the CGST/SGST or IGST charged, and it is the document a registered buyer uses to claim input tax credit (ITC).
If you are not registered, you do not issue a tax invoice. You issue an ordinary invoice (often called a bill of sale or cash memo) that shows the price of your goods or services without any GST. It is a perfectly valid commercial document — it just cannot carry tax.
When is GST registration actually required?
You only need a GSTIN once you cross the registration threshold or fall into a compulsory-registration category. The main turnover thresholds are:
| Type of business | Normal states | Special-category states |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier of goods | ₹40 lakh | ₹20 lakh |
| Supplier of services | ₹20 lakh | ₹10 lakh |
In addition, registration is compulsory regardless of turnover in certain cases — for example, inter-state supply of goods, persons liable to pay tax under reverse charge, e-commerce operators, and casual taxable persons. If none of these apply and you are below the threshold, you can legally run your business and issue bills without a GSTIN.
What an unregistered business should put on its bill
Even without a GSTIN, a clean, professional bill protects you and reassures your customer. Include:
- Your business/trade name and address
- A serial bill number and the date
- The customer’s name (and address for larger sales)
- A clear description of the goods or services
- Quantity, rate and total amount
- Your bank/UPI details for payment
You simply omit the GST fields — no GSTIN, no tax breakup, no “tax invoice” heading.
Composition dealers: the “bill of supply”
There is a middle case. A composition-scheme dealer is registered but pays tax at a flat rate and cannot collect GST from customers. Such a dealer issues a bill of supply (not a tax invoice) and must print the words “composition taxable person, not eligible to collect tax on supplies” on it. The same document is used by suppliers of wholly exempt goods or services.
Registered seller, unregistered buyer (B2C)
Don’t confuse your registration status with your customer’s. If you are registered but your customer is an ordinary consumer without a GSTIN, you still issue a normal tax invoice with your GSTIN and the GST charged — you just leave the recipient’s GSTIN blank. This is a standard B2C invoice.
Why registration can still help
Being unregistered is simpler, but it has a cost: your business buyers cannot claim ITC on your bills, and you cannot claim ITC on your own purchases. If most of your customers are GST-registered businesses, they may prefer a registered supplier. Many small businesses therefore opt for voluntary registration even below the threshold to stay competitive in B2B markets.
The bottom line
You can absolutely invoice without a GSTIN if you are not registered — as an ordinary bill, with no GST on it. The moment you register (or are required to), you switch to issuing tax invoices with your GSTIN and the correct CGST/SGST or IGST. What you must never do is sit in between: charging “GST” without a valid registration.
Whether you are registered or not, the free RaiseBill Bill Maker generates a clean, professional bill — with or without GST — in under a minute.