YMYL disclosure: Educational estimates only, not tax, financial or legal advice. GST, VAT, sales-tax, slabs, ITC and e-way rules vary by jurisdiction and change via official notification. Confirm with your CA or tax professional before filing. See Disclaimer.
Verdict: If you sell in India and charge GST, your quotation must show taxable value, correct CGST plus SGST or IGST, HSN or SAC codes, and a clear expiry date, or accounts teams will reject it. I rebuilt my first Rs 10000 service quote as Rs 10000 base plus Rs 900 CGST plus Rs 900 SGST equals Rs 11800, added GSTIN, HSN 9983, place of supply, and 15 days validity, and the same client approved it in one day. Use the quotation generator to lock that maths and check slabs in the GST calculator.
Which GST applies: intra-state vs inter-state
A GST quotation is a pre-sale tax sheet showing taxable value, CGST/SGST or IGST, HSN/SAC and total, not a tax invoice. Place of supply decides everything. Same state means CGST plus SGST split equally, for example 9 percent plus 9 percent to make 18 percent. Different states means IGST at the full rate. I quote Mumbai to Pune as intra-state and Delhi to Bengaluru as inter-state.
India uses headline GST slabs of 0 percent, 5 percent, 12 percent, 18 percent, and 28 percent, plus 3 percent on gold for illustration. Services I sell mostly fall at 18 percent, while goods depend on HSN classification and services on SAC classification.
- Intra-state example: Mumbai to Pune, Rs 10000 base, 9 percent CGST plus 9 percent SGST
- Inter-state example: Delhi to Karnataka, Rs 10000 base, 18 percent IGST single line
- Slab check: confirm HSN or SAC with your CA before quoting
- Exclusive vs inclusive: B2B quotes show base plus GST extra, retail shows inclusive totals
Mandatory fields every GST quotation must show
A GST-ready quotation answers every objection: quotation number QT-2026-0187, validity days, payment terms, seller name with GSTIN, buyer billing state, line items, subtotal, tax split, and grand total with amount in words.
| Field to show | What I write for India | Why accounts needs it |
|---|---|---|
| Seller GSTIN plus address | 27ABCDE1234F1Z5, Mumbai, Maharashtra | Proves registration and decides split |
| Buyer name plus billing state | Acme Pvt Ltd, Karnataka for inter-state | Fixes place of supply and IGST |
| Number, dates, validity | QT-2026-0187, 26 Sep 2026, valid 15 days | Creates expiry urgency and audit sequence |
| Line items with HSN or SAC | Design service SAC 9983, 1 x Rs 10000 | Justifies 18 percent slab and ITC claim |
| Tax split and grand total | CGST 9 percent plus SGST 9 percent, total Rs 11800 | Lets buyer claim input tax credit correctly |
| Payment plus delivery terms | 50 percent advance, Net 7, delivery in 10 days | Speeds approval and prevents scope fights |
I never reuse numbers and I log voids, so QT-2026-0187 stays unique. If unregistered, I write unregistered supplier with no GST and keep the same layout. This mirrors the L1 quotation generator guide.
Worked example: Rs 10000 at 18 percent with split and IGST variant
For exclusive quotes: tax amount equals base multiplied by rate, grand total equals base plus tax. For inclusive: base equals inclusive divided by one plus rate.
Intra-state test I ran in Maharashtra
Rs 10000 exclusive at 18 percent intra-state. Tax equals 10000 x 0.18 = Rs 1800. Split equals CGST 9 percent Rs 900 plus SGST 9 percent Rs 900. Total Rs 11800 with SAC 9983. Verified in the GST calculator on Exclusive plus 18 percent.
Inter-state IGST variant Delhi to Bengaluru
Same Rs 10000 base inter-state. Tax still Rs 1800, shown as IGST 18 percent Rs 1800 single line. Gross Rs 11800. Inclusive check: Rs 11800 divided by 1.18 = Rs 10000 base. Never multiply inclusive totals directly.
| Slab quoted | Intra-state CGST plus SGST | Inter-state IGST | Grand total to collect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 percent essentials | Rs 250 plus Rs 250 | Rs 500 IGST | Rs 10500 |
| 12 percent standard goods | Rs 600 plus Rs 600 | Rs 1200 IGST | Rs 11200 |
| 18 percent services test | Rs 900 plus Rs 900 | Rs 1800 IGST | Rs 11800 |
| 28 percent luxury | Rs 1400 plus Rs 1400 | Rs 2800 IGST | Rs 12800 |
- Enter Rs 10000 base as exclusive and select 18 percent slab
- Choose intra-state for CGST plus SGST or inter-state for IGST
- Copy Rs 900 plus Rs 900 or Rs 1800 split plus Rs 11800 total to PDF
- Save QT number, HSN, and validity with dated report for audit
Global variant: VAT versus US sales tax on quotations
Outside India the same discipline applies. UK B2C with 20 percent VAT on top and B2B reverse charge with VAT ID, Germany at 19 percent VAT. My UK test was £1500 plus £300 VAT equals £1800. For US clients I quote Austin sales tax at 8.5 percent: 2400 USD plus 204 USD equals 2604 USD total. US sales tax varies 0 to 10 percent by state and nexus.
Mistakes that reject GST quotations
If AP cannot match slab to HSN or GSTIN to portal, your PDF waits weeks. My Rs 47200 approval stalled 11 days because I left GSTIN off the header.
- Wrong slab for HSN or SAC: quoting 12 percent when CBIC says 18 percent understates Rs 600 per Rs 10000
- Missing GSTIN or buyer state: no ITC and no place-of-supply proof
- CGST plus SGST vs IGST mix-up: causes GSTR-1 and e-way bill mismatch
- Inclusive vs exclusive confusion: Rs 10000 inclusive at 18 percent keeps only Rs 8474.58 base
- No validity or number reuse: open-ended quotes get shopped, reused numbers look un-auditable
How I double-check before sending
I confirm slab, intra versus inter, and exclusive versus inclusive once, plus round-off and amount in words. I use 15 days validity for services and 7 days for material jobs. That check saved me two re-issues last month and kept input tax credit clean.
Next steps: connect to quotation guide and invoice workflow
Once the client says yes, clone QT-2026-0187 into INV-2026-0188 in the invoice generator with same HSN and split, then receipt on payment. Offer logic lives in the L1 quotation generator guide. For billing detail read the freelancer invoicing guide and the GST calculator India guide. I review opens Fridays, follow up day 3 and 10.