GST invoicing basics for pet businesses in India

GST can feel like a wall of acronyms when all you wanted was to wash dogs. The good news: once your invoice format is right and your rates are mapped correctly, most of the work becomes routine. This guide covers the basics. It is general information, not tax advice — rules and rates change, so always confirm the details with your Chartered Accountant (CA).

Do you need to register?

GST registration is broadly required once your aggregate annual turnover crosses a threshold. At the time of writing:

• For businesses supplying services (grooming, boarding, daycare), the threshold is generally ₹20 lakh, and ₹10 lakh in certain special-category states.
• For businesses supplying only goods (a pure pet store), the threshold in most states is ₹40 lakh, with lower limits in some states.
• If you supply both — say, a salon that also sells shampoo and food — your CA will usually treat you under the services threshold.

Some situations require registration regardless of turnover, such as certain inter-state supplies or selling through e-commerce operators. Many businesses also register voluntarily so they can claim input tax credit and look more credible to corporate clients.

What a GST invoice must show

A tax invoice should include, at minimum:

• Your business name, address and GSTIN
• A unique, consecutive invoice number (per financial year) and the invoice date
• The customer's name and address, and their GSTIN if they are registered
• HSN code for goods or SAC code for services
• Description, quantity and taxable value of each line
• The GST rate and the tax amount, split by type
• Place of supply (the state)
• Signature or digital signature of the supplier

CGST + SGST or IGST?

This depends on the place of supply:

• Intra-state (you and the place of supply are in the same state): tax is split equally into CGST and SGST. An 18% rate becomes 9% + 9%.
• Inter-state (different states): the full rate is charged as IGST.

For a walk-in salon, almost every service is intra-state. For a pet store shipping online orders across the country, IGST will show up regularly.

Common rates for pet businesses

These are rates commonly applied at the time of writing — verify each one with your CA, because classification depends on the exact product and rates are revised periodically.

• Grooming, boarding and daycare services: typically 18%.
• Pet food (HSN 2309, preparations used in animal feeding): commonly 18% for packaged dog and cat food.
• Pet shampoos (HSN 3305): 5% following recent rate revisions.
• Veterinary medicines: many fall at 5%, but classification varies by product.

Accessories such as collars, leashes, toys and beds each have their own HSN codes and rates, so map them one by one when you set up your catalogue. You can sanity-check line totals with our GST calculator.

Input tax credit (ITC)

Once registered, you can usually claim credit for GST you paid on business purchases — grooming tables, dryers, shampoo bought for use in services, rent on a commercial lease — and offset it against the GST you collect. To claim it, your supplier must have filed their returns and the invoice must carry your GSTIN. Keep every purchase invoice; your CA will reconcile them against the auto-populated statements on the GST portal each month.

Make it routine

• Set your GSTIN, state and invoice prefix once in your billing system.
• Assign an HSN or SAC code and a rate to every service and product.
• Let the software decide CGST/SGST vs IGST from the place of supply.
• Export a monthly tax summary for your CA.

In FurKisses, tax rates live in Settings → Billing → Taxes, and each product or service picks up its code automatically on every invoice. See how it fits a salon in grooming software or compare plans on our pricing page.

This article is for general information only. Tax rules, thresholds and rates change — please consult your CA before making decisions for your business.