Templates

Free GST Invoice Templates for Freelancers in India 2026

June 2026 · 5 min read

Every freelancer in India who earns above ₹20 lakhs per year needs to issue a GST-compliant invoice. If you’re looking for free GST invoice templates, this page covers what your template must include, common template formats, and the fastest way to generate one online.

What a GST invoice template must include

Under Rule 46 of the CGST Rules, every GST invoice for services must contain these fields:

Section	Required fields
Your details	Business name, address, GSTIN
Invoice info	Invoice number (sequential), invoice date
Client details	Name, address, GSTIN (if registered)
Supply details	Place of supply (state)
Line items	Description, SAC code, quantity, rate, taxable value
Tax amounts	CGST rate + amount, SGST rate + amount (or IGST)
Totals	Subtotal, total GST, grand total
Payment info	Bank details or UPI ID
Signature	Your name or digital signature

Types of GST invoice templates for freelancers

Project-based invoice

For fixed-price projects — one line item with the total project value. Most common for design, development, and writing projects.

Website redesign — ₹50,000 + 18% GST = ₹59,000

Hourly/retainer invoice

For time-based billing — multiple line items or a single retainer with hours noted in the description.

40 hours @ ₹2,500/hr = ₹1,00,000 + 18% GST

Milestone invoice

For long projects split into phases — each invoice covers a completed milestone.

Milestone 2: Backend API development — ₹75,000 + GST

Multi-service invoice

For agencies or freelancers offering multiple services in one bill — separate line items for each.

Design (₹30,000) + Copywriting (₹15,000) = ₹45,000 + GST

Why most Excel/Word templates fail

Free GST invoice templates in Word or Excel have critical problems:

Manual GST calculation: You have to enter the CGST and SGST amounts yourself — one wrong formula and you’re non-compliant
No invoice numbering: Templates don’t track your last invoice number — you must manually ensure sequential numbering
Wrong CGST/IGST split: Templates don’t know your client’s state — you have to remember to use IGST for inter-state clients
No UPI payment link: You have to add your UPI ID separately and the client still has to type it manually
Hard to share: PDF export from Word/Excel often has formatting issues and large file sizes

SAC codes to add to your template

Your template must include the correct SAC (Service Accounting Code) for your service type. Here are the most common ones:

Freelance service	SAC code
Software / web development	998314
UI/UX / graphic design	998392
Content writing / copywriting	998391
SEO / digital marketing	998361
Business consulting / strategy	998311
Photography / video editing	998382
Online training / coaching	999293
Data analysis / processing	998313

Generate a GST invoice online — faster than any template

Instead of filling a template manually, QuikBil generates a GST-compliant invoice in 60 seconds. Enter your client details and service, select the GST rate, and download a pixel-perfect PDF — with the correct CGST/SGST or IGST split calculated automatically.

Your first 5 invoices are completely free. No credit card, no account setup — just sign in with Google and start invoicing.

What QuikBil includes that templates don’t

Automatic CGST + SGST vs IGST split based on your client’s state
Sequential invoice numbering with no gaps
UPI payment link pre-filled with exact invoice amount
WhatsApp share button to send the PDF in one tap
PDF optimised for mobile (under 500KB)
All 5 mandatory GST fields pre-validated before PDF generation

Skip the template. Create your invoice now — free.

Correct, compliant, shareable in 60 seconds. Free for first 5 invoices.

Create invoice free