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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Whether GST applies to a website screenshot API subscription in India depends on who supplies the service, where the supplier and customer are located, whether the Indian customer is GST-registered, and how the API is delivered. An automated URL-to-image service may qualify as an online information and database access or retrieval service (OIDAR), but the label “API” alone does not settle its tax treatment. Check the contract and invoice before assuming a rate or reverse-charge obligation.
Is a website screenshot API an OIDAR service?
It may be. Under the IGST Act, OIDAR covers services delivered through the internet or an electronic network that are essentially automated, involve minimal human intervention, and cannot be supplied without information technology. The Act’s examples include cloud services, software, and electronically supplied data. See the IGST Act.
A service that automatically accepts a URL and returns an image or PDF plausibly fits those characteristics. That is an application of the statutory test, not an official classification ruling for screenshot APIs. A material human service component could change the analysis. The substance of the service matters more than the word “API” on a pricing page.
Do I have to pay GST on a screenshot API subscription in India?
The answer depends on the provider’s location and your GST registration status. CBIC’s sectoral FAQ distinguishes imports of online software or database access by registered recipients from supplies to unregistered recipients. It also states that IT services are taxed at 18%, but that general rate statement does not by itself establish the classification or exact invoice treatment of every screenshot API plan. See CBIC’s Sectoral FAQs.
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| Provider | Customer | General GST issue to check |
|---|---|---|
| Outside India | Indian GST-registered business | If the supply meets the import-of-service conditions, the registered recipient may have to pay applicable IGST under reverse charge. |
| Outside India | Indian unregistered recipient | CBIC’s FAQ says the supply is treated as OIDAR and the overseas OIDAR supplier is liable to register and pay tax. |
| India | Indian customer | This is a domestic-supply analysis. CBIC lists 18% for IT services, but check the actual classification, place-of-supply details, and supplier invoice. |
| India | Customer outside India | It may qualify as an export of services only if all statutory export conditions are met; foreign customer status alone is insufficient. |
The table describes general rules in CBIC’s FAQ, not a tax determination for a particular provider, customer, or subscription. For an import of services, CBIC says the payment currency is immaterial to the import analysis.
When does reverse charge apply to a foreign API subscription?
For an Indian GST-registered firm buying online database access from abroad, CBIC’s FAQ says the recipient pays applicable IGST under reverse charge if the import-of-service conditions are met. Whether a particular screenshot API subscription meets those conditions depends on its facts and classification; do not infer the answer solely from a foreign billing address or the provider’s use of the term “SaaS.”
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For an unregistered Indian recipient, the FAQ instead describes the foreign supplier’s liability to register and pay tax where the service is OIDAR. This distinction makes the customer’s GST registration status important. Confirm the provider’s legal entity and invoice treatment rather than assuming every buyer handles the tax in the same way.
What if both the screenshot API provider and customer are in India?
Treat the transaction as a domestic supply and review the supplier’s GST invoice. CBIC states an 18% GST rate for IT services, but that general guidance does not establish the exact classification, place of supply, or amount due for an unnamed screenshot API subscription. The provider’s contract, invoice, and customer details are needed for a specific result.
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Can an Indian screenshot API provider treat an overseas sale as an export?
Only if every statutory condition for export of services is satisfied. CBIC’s FAQ identifies these conditions:
- The supplier is located in India.
- The recipient is located outside India.
- The place of supply is outside India.
- Payment is received in convertible foreign exchange.
- The supplier and recipient are not merely establishments of a distinct person.
Exports are zero-rated under the guidance described by CBIC. The FAQ outlines routes involving payment of IGST followed by a refund claim, or supply under a bond or letter of undertaking (LUT) with an input-tax-credit refund claim. Which route is appropriate depends on the supplier’s circumstances and current rules. A foreign customer or foreign-currency payment alone does not make a sale an export.
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Does the intermediary rule decide how screenshot APIs are taxed?
No blanket conclusion follows from the data-hosting circular. CBIC Circular 232/26/2024-GST concerns Indian data-hosting providers supplying overseas cloud-computing providers. In the fact pattern it describes, the provider supplies on its own account rather than arranging the cloud provider’s supply to end users, so it is not an intermediary for that arrangement. The circular also applies the recipient-location rule to that supply, subject to the other export conditions.
That circular can help frame the question of who supplies a service to whom, but it does not specifically classify website screenshot API subscriptions or decide a screenshot API seller’s tax status. Review the actual contractual and service relationship.
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What should you check before paying or invoicing?
- Supplier identity and location: identify the contracting legal entity, its place of establishment, and any relevant GSTIN.
- Your status and location: establish whether you are GST-registered and where the recipient is located.
- What the subscription supplies: review the contract and product description for automated software or data access and any material human-delivered component.
- Invoice treatment: check whether GST or IGST is charged, and whether the invoice identifies a reverse-charge treatment or other relevant details.
- Export conditions, if relevant: an Indian supplier serving an overseas customer should test all five conditions rather than relying on the customer’s location or payment currency alone.
For a specific tax position, have a qualified Indian GST professional review the provider’s legal entity, customer registration, contract, invoice, and actual service delivery. Tax rules and guidance can change; check the current consolidated Act, applicable rate notifications, and current CBIC material before filing or advising on a transaction.
Or skip the browser setup:
If you are choosing a screenshot API rather than assessing tax treatment, ScreenshotNeo returns a website screenshot or PDF from one GET request. It accepts cookie and consent banners before capture and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each step can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits cost nothing, and response headers identify the page verdict and billing status. It also has an MCP server for AI agents, including Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients.
Example cURL request (replace the target URL and use your API key):
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpSee the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for parameters and response details. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots. Sign up for ScreenshotNeo’s free plan.
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