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Free, no sign-upReviewed September 2026

Free GST Credit Note Generator

A credit note reverses all or part of an invoice you have already issued: the goods came back, the value was overstated, the tax was charged at too high a rate, or a discount was agreed. This generator produces one linked to the original invoice, with the reason on the face of it and the tax credited rate by rate.

Two things make a credit note work. It has to reference the invoice it relates to, so both sides can match it, and it has to be declared in a return within the time limit the law allows, because a credit note declared late does not reduce your output tax liability even though you have given the customer the credit.

Everything runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Use the same rates and descriptions as the original invoice so the two documents reconcile line by line.

Credit Note Generator

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  • Rule 53(1A)(g) requires the number and date of the tax invoice this credit note relates to.
  • A credit note reduces your output tax only if it is declared in a return by 30 November following the end of the financial year of the original supply, or the annual return, whichever is earlier.
  • Since 1 October 2025 the proviso to section 34(2) allows your output tax to come down only where a registered recipient has reversed the input tax credit attributable to this note.

From

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Credit Note

Credit note numberCN-001
Credit note date—

Credit to

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Place of supply—
Supply typeInter-state
ReasonTaxable value charged is more than the actual value
#DescriptionHSN/SACQtyRateTaxableTax %Amount
1—(Nos)—1₹0.00₹0.0018%₹0.00

Tax summary

RateTaxableIGST
18%₹0.00₹0.00
Taxable value₹0.00
IGST₹0.00
Total₹0.00

Rupees Zero Only

For —

Authorised signatory

Nothing you type leaves your browser. Use your browser's print dialog and choose "Save as PDF" to download the credit note.

How to use it

  1. 1

    Reference the original invoice

    The invoice number and date this credit note relates to. Without it the note cannot be matched to the supply it reverses.

  2. 2

    State the reason

    Goods returned, value overstated, tax overcharged, deficient supply or a post-supply discount. The reason belongs on the document, not just in your records.

  3. 3

    Enter what is being credited

    Only the part being reversed. For a partial return, enter the returned quantity at the original rate rather than the whole invoice.

  4. 4

    Check the tax credited

    The rate-wise summary should mirror the original invoice. If the original was IGST, the credit note must be IGST too, so check the place of supply matches.

  5. 5

    Print, save and then declare it

    Save as PDF for the customer, and make sure the credit note is declared in your return within the time limit, or the liability does not come down.

Frequently asked questions

When the taxable value or the tax charged on an invoice was more than what was actually payable, when goods are returned by the recipient, when the goods or services are found deficient, or where a discount was agreed at or before the time of supply. A credit note is for reducing what was charged, not for cancelling a transaction that never happened.
Section 34(2) requires the credit note to be declared in a return by 30 November following the end of the financial year in which the supply was made, or the date of filing the annual return for that year, whichever is earlier. You can always give a customer a commercial credit after that, but the GST on it stays with you, so raise and declare credit notes promptly rather than saving them for the year end.
One issued without GST, purely to adjust the commercial value between the two parties, typically for a post-supply discount that does not meet the section 15(3)(b) conditions. It reduces what the customer owes you but not your output tax, and Circular 251/08/2025-GST confirms the recipient does not reverse input tax credit against it, because the original transaction value has not changed. Set the GST rate to zero to produce one here.
Yes, and since 1 October 2025 it is a condition rather than an expectation. The proviso to section 34(2) allows your output tax to come down only where a registered recipient has reversed the input tax credit attributable to the note, or, for anyone else, where the incidence of tax was not passed on. In practice this runs through the Invoice Management System on the portal, so tell your customer when you issue one: a credit note they leave unactioned keeps the liability with you.
A credit note reduces what was charged, a debit note increases it. If you undercharged, whether on value or on rate, you issue a debit note or a supplementary invoice for the shortfall rather than reissuing the original invoice. The two move in opposite directions and are reported separately.
Only before it has gone anywhere. Once an invoice has been issued to the customer and reported in a return, the way to undo it is a credit note, not deletion, because the original is already in the trail on both sides. Cancelling quietly leaves your customer holding a document you no longer recognise.
Yes, and the same head. A credit note against an IGST invoice carries IGST; one against a CGST and SGST invoice splits the same way. If the reason for the note is that the rate itself was wrong, the credit note reverses at the rate originally charged and the correct rate is charged afresh.

Sources

What this page says about the law comes from the following. The generator is a working aid, not professional advice: confirm anything material with your Chartered Accountant before you rely on it.

Keep the ledger, not just the sheet

Aalekh maintains your invoice series across a team, tracks what has been paid, and carries the same invoices through to your GST returns and the GSTR-2B reconciliation.

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