Free Debit Note Generator
Create a GST debit note online when an invoice was undercharged, against the original invoice. No sign-up needed to start.
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What is a debit note under GST?
A debit note is what a seller issues when an invoice charged too little. Under Section 34(3) of the CGST Act, if the taxable value or tax on an invoice turns out to be less than what was payable, the supplier must issue a debit note to the buyer for the difference.
Typical cases are a price revised upward after invoicing, more quantity supplied than was billed, or GST charged at a lower rate than applies. Under GST, a debit note also includes a supplementary invoice. You declare it in the return for the month you issue it (Section 34(4)), and unlike a credit note, there's no deadline for issuing one.
Your buyer can claim input tax credit on it until 30 November following the end of the financial year in which the debit note is issued, or until they file that year's annual return, if earlier (Section 16(4)). Since 2021, the debit note's own date decides the year, not the original invoice's (CBIC Circular 160/16/2021-GST).
Buyers sometimes send a seller a 'debit note' when they return goods. That's a commercial document, not a debit note under Section 34: in GST, the seller answers a return with a credit note.
Debit note format: what it must show (Section 34 and Rule 53)
Rule 53(1A) of the CGST Rules sets one list of particulars for debit and credit notes. On a debit note, that means:
- Your name, address and GSTIN.
- The nature of the document: mark it clearly as a debit note.
- A serial number of up to 16 characters (letters, numbers, - and /), consecutive and unique for the financial year.
- The date of issue.
- The buyer's name, address and GSTIN or UIN, if registered.
- For an unregistered buyer: their name and address, the delivery address, and the state's name and code.
- The serial number and date of the original tax invoice (or bill of supply).
- The taxable value, the GST rate and the amount of tax debited to the buyer.
- The signature or digital signature of the supplier or an authorised representative.
Source: Section 34(3) and 34(4), CGST Act, 2017; Rule 53(1A), CGST Rules, 2017.
How to create a debit note with this generator
Add both parties
Type your business and the buyer's name, address and GSTIN, as they appear on the original invoice.
Enter the original invoice
Type the number and date of the invoice you're adding to.
Pick the reason
Choose the reason, such as correction in invoice, or pick Others and say what happened, for example a price revision.
Add only the difference
Add a line for each increase, with its HSN/SAC code, quantity, unit, rate and GST rate. For a price rise, enter just the extra amount per unit, not the full new price.
Match the tax type
Use the same CGST + SGST or IGST as the original invoice; with both GSTINs typed in, the editor sets it. It then totals the extra GST for you.
Download it
Pick a template and colour, press Download and sign up free. In your account every note belongs to an invoice, so you'll pick that invoice (or add it first) before you save and download the PDF.
Debit note vs credit note
Seen from the seller's side, they're opposites: a debit note adds to an invoice, a credit note takes away from it.
| Debit note | Credit note | |
|---|---|---|
| Direction | Debit note: Adds value or tax to an invoice. | Credit note: Takes value or tax off an invoice. |
| Must you issue it? | Debit note: Yes: Section 34(3) says the supplier 'shall' issue one when an invoice falls short. | Credit note: No: Section 34(1) says the supplier 'may' issue one. |
| Common causes | Debit note: A price increase, extra quantity, tax undercharged. | Credit note: Goods returned, excess charged, a deficient supply. |
| Your GST | Debit note: Goes up in the month you issue it. | Credit note: Goes down, once the conditions in Section 34(2) are met. |
| Buyer's input tax credit | Debit note: Goes up, if claimed within the Section 16(4) time limit. | Credit note: Goes down; a registered buyer must reverse it. |
| Deadline to issue | Debit note: None. | Credit note: Declare it by 30 November after the year of the sale, or the annual return date if earlier. |
Frequently asked questions
Debit note kya hota hai?
Debit note seller ka document hai jo pehle ke invoice ki value ya GST badhata hai, jaise rate badhne par ya kam tax lagne par. GST mein ise supplementary invoice bhi maana jata hai.
Debit note kab issue karte hain?
Jab invoice mein value ya tax kam lag gaya ho: rate badh gaya, quantity zyada gayi, ya GST kam rate par laga. Section 34(3) ke hisaab se tab supplier ko debit note dena hi padta hai.
Who issues a debit note under GST?
The supplier, to the buyer. A buyer's own 'debit note' for returned goods is a commercial document; under GST, the supplier answers a return with a credit note.
Is there a time limit for issuing a debit note?
No. Section 34 sets a deadline only for credit notes. Declare the debit note in the return for the month in which you issue it.
Till when can the buyer claim input tax credit on a debit note?
Until 30 November following the end of the financial year in which the debit note was issued, or the date they file that year's annual return, whichever is earlier (Section 16(4) of the CGST Act).
Is a debit note the same as a supplementary invoice?
Under GST, yes. The Explanation to Section 34 says a debit note includes a supplementary invoice.
Does a debit note need the original invoice number?
Yes. Rule 53(1A) requires the serial number and date of the corresponding tax invoice or bill of supply.
Do debit notes need e-invoicing?
If you e-invoice (turnover above ₹5 crore in any year since 2017-18), yes: a debit note to a registered buyer needs an IRN, and at ₹10 crore or more it must be reported within 30 days of its date. This editor doesn't generate an IRN.
More free formats
Guides to GST invoicing, quotations, challans and more: read the CredHill blog.
Last reviewed .