Skip to content
NewSelf-serve sign-up and free trial, plus real costs and margins

GST and invoicing

What is GSTIN? GST number format and meaning

Definition

GSTIN: GSTIN is the 15-character Goods and Services Tax Identification Number that a GST-registered business gets for each state it is registered in.

Also called: GST number, GST identification number, GST registration number, GSTIN number

What a GSTIN is

A GSTIN, or Goods and Services Tax Identification Number, is the number a business gets when it registers for GST. Most people simply call it the GST number. It is built on the business's PAN and issued state by state, so a trader registered in both Gujarat and Maharashtra has two GSTINs, one for each state.

Your GSTIN must appear on every tax invoice, credit note and delivery challan you issue. When you sell to a registered business, its GSTIN goes on the invoice too, because that is how the buyer claims input tax credit on what it paid you.

GSTIN format: what the 15 characters mean

Every GSTIN follows the same pattern, so you can read a lot from it at a glance.

  • Characters 1 and 2: the state code, such as 24 for Gujarat, 27 for Maharashtra or 07 for Delhi.
  • Characters 3 to 12: the PAN of the business.
  • Character 13: the entity number, 1 for the first registration under that PAN in the state, then 2, 3 and so on.
  • Character 14: the letter Z by default.
  • Character 15: a check character that catches most typing mistakes.

Common GSTIN mistakes and how to check a GST number

Most GSTIN errors are typing errors: the letter O typed for the number 0, a missing character, or an old number for a registration that has since been cancelled. A wrong GSTIN on a sales invoice means your customer's input tax credit may not match, and you will be asked to correct the invoice.

Before you save a new customer or supplier, look up their GSTIN with Search Taxpayer on the GST portal. It shows the registered legal name and whether the registration is active. Also check that the state code fits the address you deliver to: a Pune customer whose GSTIN starts with 24 is registered in Gujarat, so ask which of their registrations the purchase belongs to.

Worked example

Reading a GSTIN

Take the sample GSTIN 27ABCDE1234F1Z5. 27 means Maharashtra, ABCDE1234F is the PAN, 1 means it is the first registration for that PAN in Maharashtra, Z is the default letter and 5 is the check character. If this Pune distributor buys from a supplier in Surat (state code 24) and the goods are delivered to Pune, the two states differ, so the supplier's invoice carries IGST rather than CGST and SGST.

In managemate

managemate keeps your GSTIN in Settings and each customer's or supplier's GSTIN on their record, and a saved shipping address can carry its own GSTIN. With your GSTIN set, sales print as tax invoices with your GSTIN and state in the header and the buyer's GSTIN under Billed to; without one, they print as plain invoices. The state codes decide CGST and SGST or IGST for you. Customers and suppliers can be searched by GSTIN and are matched by GSTIN when you import them from Excel. managemate reads the state code but does not check a GSTIN against the GST portal or verify its check character, so look new numbers up on the portal first.

Sources

Give your team a clearer working day

Try every feature free for 60 days with up to 5 users. A guided setup brings in your products, contacts and opening stock from Excel.

Start free trialTalk to us
  • No card needed
  • Then ₹299 per user a month
  • 7-day money-back guarantee