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Freedom251 › Blog › CGST

How to Handle IGST, CGST and SGST on Sales Across State Borders

By Freedom251 Team · · 10 min read

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Use IGST when the supplier’s location and the legal place of supply are in different States, different Union territories, or a State and a Union territory. Use CGST with SGST (or UTGST) when both are in the same State or Union territory, unless a statutory exception changes the result.

Do not decide from the customer’s billing address or from the fact that goods crossed a border. First determine the place of supply under the rule for the particular goods or service, then compare it with the supplier’s GST registration location. Only after that should you select the tax rate, prepare the invoice and report the transaction in GSTR-1.

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The decision in one workflow

  1. Identify the supplier location. Use the State or Union territory of the GST registration making the supply.
  2. Determine the legal place of supply. Apply the goods or services rule that fits the transaction. Special provisions can apply to installation, assembly, transport, immovable property, events, supplies without movement and goods supplied on board a conveyance.
  3. Compare the two locations. Different States or qualifying territories normally mean an inter-State supply. The same State or Union territory normally means an intra-State supply.
  4. Apply the correct tax. Levy IGST for an inter-State supply. Levy CGST plus the applicable SGST, or CGST plus UTGST, for an intra-State supply, subject to statutory exceptions.
  5. Find the current rate. Check the goods’ HSN classification or the service’s classification and the current rate notification. The words used in an invoice description do not establish a rate.
  6. Issue a compliant invoice. Show the taxable value, rate, tax amount and, for an inter-State supply, the place-of-supply State name.
  7. Report the transaction. In GSTR-1, select the recipient’s place-of-supply State and follow the return-period rules applicable to the filing period.

This sequence prevents the most common error: choosing CGST and SGST simply because the buyer has a local billing address, or choosing IGST merely because a truck travelled through another State.

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What “place of supply” means

Place of supply is the statutory location assigned to a transaction for GST purposes. It is not always the customer’s billing address, the seller’s warehouse, the place where an invoice was issued or the place where payment was received. The applicable rule depends on what was supplied and how it was supplied.

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Goods delivered after movement

For ordinary goods that move to the customer, the place of supply generally follows the destination where movement ends for delivery. A seller in Maharashtra shipping goods to a registered buyer in Karnataka therefore normally has Karnataka as the place of supply. Because the supplier location and place of supply are different States, the normal levy is IGST.

Goods supplied without movement

Goods can be supplied without a movement from the supplier to the recipient. In that situation, use the specific statutory rule rather than assuming that the supplier’s premises or the buyer’s billing address is the place of supply.

Installation or assembly

When goods are installed or assembled at a site, the installation or assembly rule can assign the place of supply to that site. A machine invoiced by a Maharashtra supplier but assembled at a customer’s facility in another State must therefore be analysed under the installation provision before deciding between IGST and the intra-State levy.

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Goods supplied during transport or on board a conveyance

Transport-related supplies and goods supplied on board a ship, aircraft, train or other conveyance have their own place-of-supply provisions. Do not apply the ordinary “where movement ends” approach automatically to these transactions.

Services to registered recipients

For services supplied to a registered recipient, the default place of supply is generally the recipient’s location. That default is displaced for specified services, so check the rule for the actual service before invoicing.

Services connected with performance, property or events

Services tied to where they are performed, to immovable property, or to an event can use a place linked to that physical activity or property. For example, a service performed at an event or connected with immovable property may have a place of supply in the State where the event or property is located, even when the customer’s accounts department is elsewhere.

IGST versus CGST and SGST/UTGST

Classification Location comparison Normal levy What must be established
Inter-State supply Supplier location and place of supply are in different States, different Union territories, or one is a State and the other a Union territory IGST The legal place-of-supply rule and the supplier’s registration location
Intra-State supply in a State Supplier location and place of supply are in the same State CGST plus that State’s SGST That no statutory exception makes the supply inter-State
Intra-Union-territory supply Supplier location and place of supply are in the same Union territory CGST plus UTGST The applicable Union-territory treatment and any exception

The tax components are not selected by splitting a tax amount informally. Determine the notified rate for the classification, then apply the legally prescribed IGST or CGST-and-State/UT component structure to the taxable value.

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How to classify a sale before invoicing

Step 1: Confirm the registration making the supply

Record the GSTIN and State or Union territory shown for the supplier on the invoice. A business operating warehouses in several States must analyse a transaction from the registration that is actually making the supply, not from its head office by habit.

Step 2: Describe what is being supplied

Separate goods from services and identify any feature that triggers a special rule: installation, assembly, transport, an event, immovable property, supply without movement or a conveyance sale. Preserve the contract, purchase order and delivery or performance details that support the classification.

Step 3: Apply the place-of-supply provision

Write down the resulting State or Union territory. If more than one element is involved, such as equipment supplied with installation, analyse the statutory treatment of the complete arrangement rather than selecting a place from the invoice header.

Step 4: Compare locations

Different locations normally produce an inter-State supply and IGST. Matching locations normally produce an intra-State supply and CGST with SGST or UTGST. Check for an applicable statutory exception before finalising the tax code.

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Step 5: Verify classification and rate

Use the correct HSN for goods or service classification for services, then consult the current notification and exemption conditions. A product name, customer industry or old rate table is not a substitute for the current classification.

Step 6: Calculate the tax

Calculate the selected tax on the taxable value after applying the valuation rules relevant to the transaction. For an inter-State supply, the result is an IGST amount. For an intra-State supply, calculate the CGST and SGST or UTGST components shown by the applicable notification.

Step 7: Keep the evidence

Retain the order, delivery address, transport document, installation report, event or property details and recipient GSTIN used to reach the place-of-supply conclusion. These records make later invoice correction and return reconciliation possible.

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What an inter-State GST invoice should contain

Invoice rules require the core identity and tax information for every taxable supply. For an inter-State supply, the place of supply must be shown together with the State name. Rule 46(n) is specifically addressed in CBIC Circular 90/09/2019-GST, which explains the requirement for place-of-supply and State details in inter-State trade or commerce.

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  • Supplier’s legal name, address and GSTIN.
  • A unique, consecutive invoice serial number and invoice date.
  • Recipient’s name, address and GSTIN where the recipient is registered; use the applicable details for an unregistered recipient.
  • Description of the goods or services.
  • HSN for goods or the applicable service classification.
  • Quantity and unit details for goods where relevant.
  • Taxable value and any discount or adjustment reflected in that value.
  • Applicable tax rate and tax amount.
  • For an inter-State supply, the place-of-supply State name.
  • The total invoice value and any other particulars required by the invoice rules for the transaction.

Practical invoice review

  1. Check that the supplier State on the invoice matches the GSTIN used in the accounting system.
  2. Compare the place-of-supply State with the delivery, performance, installation, property or event evidence.
  3. Confirm that the tax column says IGST for an inter-State supply, or CGST and SGST/UTGST for an intra-State supply.
  4. Verify the HSN or service code and current notification rate before posting the invoice.
  5. Ensure the inter-State invoice displays the place-of-supply State in a readable field, not only in an internal note.

Choosing the rate without guessing

There is no single GST percentage for all sales across State borders. The rate depends on the HSN or service classification, exemption status and the current rate notification. The same broad commercial category can contain entries with different rates or conditions.

Before issuing the invoice, confirm:

  • The precise goods HSN or service classification.
  • Whether the supply is taxable, exempt, nil-rated or subject to a special condition.
  • Whether a notification changes the rate for the recipient type, use, packaging or other stated condition.
  • Whether the rate is current for the invoice date and return period.

Do not replace a missing classification with a familiar rate. If the classification is uncertain, resolve it before choosing between the IGST and CGST/SGST tax codes; the location decision and the rate decision are separate tests.

Reporting the sale in GSTR-1

The GST portal’s GSTR-1 instructions require the filer to select the recipient’s place-of-supply State for inter-State outward supplies. The return entry should therefore agree with the place-of-supply State recorded on the invoice, not merely with the recipient’s registered office or the State from which goods were dispatched.

Return-period workflow

  1. Collect the invoices issued in the filing period and identify whether each recipient is registered or unregistered.
  2. For every inter-State invoice, map the legal place-of-supply State and the IGST taxable value and tax amount.
  3. Enter the document in the appropriate GSTR-1 category for the recipient and transaction type shown by the current portal.
  4. Select the recipient place-of-supply State exactly as it appears on the invoice.
  5. Reconcile invoice number, date, taxable value, rate, tax amount and State before submitting the return.
  6. Use the portal instructions for the return period rather than relying on an old spreadsheet or screen layout.

The portal notes that B2C-large reporting thresholds changed for return periods from August 2024 onward. Because the threshold and table treatment depend on the period being filed, check the current GSTR-1 guidance when deciding whether an unregistered inter-State sale belongs in the B2C-large section or another B2C category.

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Worked examples

Maharashtra seller, Karnataka delivery

A Maharashtra GST registration sells ordinary goods to a registered buyer in Karnataka and ships them there. The ordinary goods rule places the supply where movement ends for delivery: Karnataka. The supplier and place-of-supply States differ, so the invoice normally charges IGST and shows Karnataka as the place of supply.

Both supplier and place of supply in Maharashtra

A Maharashtra registration makes a supply whose legal place of supply is Maharashtra. The normal treatment is CGST plus Maharashtra SGST, provided no statutory exception applies.

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Event service performed in another State

A customer may send its billing details from one State while the service is performed at an event in another. If the event rule assigns the place of supply to the event location, compare that State with the supplier registration. The billing address alone cannot decide the levy.

Installation at the customer’s site

A supplier dispatches equipment from one State and installs it at a site in another. Because installation or assembly has a special place-of-supply rule, determine the installation site under that rule before selecting IGST or CGST with SGST/UTGST.

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Goods supplied on a conveyance

Goods sold on board a train, aircraft or vessel are not automatically governed by the ordinary delivery destination rule. Apply the specific conveyance provision and document the facts used to identify the place of supply.

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Common mistakes and how to correct them

Using the billing address as the place of supply

Why it fails: The statutory rule may point to a delivery destination, performance location, property, event or another prescribed State.

Correction: Re-run the place-of-supply analysis from the transaction facts and amend the invoice and return data if the original State was wrong.

Charging CGST and SGST because the seller and buyer share a State

Why it fails: The buyer’s address does not establish the legal place of supply for every goods or service transaction.

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Correction: Check whether movement, installation, an event, property or another special rule assigns the place of supply elsewhere.

Charging IGST whenever goods cross a border

Why it fails: Physical movement is only one fact. Supplies without movement and special categories follow different provisions.

Correction: Identify the applicable goods rule first, then compare the resulting place with the supplier registration.

Reusing an old rate table

Why it fails: Rates and conditions depend on classification and current notifications.

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Correction: Revalidate HSN or service classification and the notification effective on the invoice date.

Leaving the State name off an inter-State invoice

Why it fails: The invoice rules require place of supply with the State name for inter-State trade or commerce.

Correction: Add a dedicated place-of-supply field and check that it agrees with the GSTR-1 entry.

Reporting a different State in GSTR-1

Why it fails: The portal instructions use the recipient’s place-of-supply State for inter-State outward supplies.

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Correction: Reconcile the invoice, accounting entry and return using one documented place-of-supply decision.

A control checklist for finance and billing teams

  • Is the supplying GST registration identified correctly?
  • Is the transaction classified as goods or services?
  • Have movement, installation, transport, immovable property, event or conveyance facts been checked?
  • Is the legal place-of-supply State written in the working papers?
  • Does the place-of-supply State differ from the supplier State?
  • Has an exception to the normal inter-State or intra-State result been considered?
  • Are HSN or service classification, exemption status and current rate verified?
  • Does the invoice show taxable value, rate, tax amount and required identity details?
  • Does every inter-State invoice show place of supply and the State name?
  • Does the GSTR-1 entry use the same place-of-supply State and the correct return-period category?

Why GST follows the destination

GST is designed as a destination-based tax. In its FAQ, CBIC illustrates the principle this way: “For example, if a car is manufactured in Chennai but is purchased eventually by a consumer in Mumbai, SGST (or the State component in IGST) would accrue to Maharashtra and not to Tamil Nadu.” The manufacturing location therefore does not by itself determine which State receives the State component; the statutory place of supply does.

Final decision rule

For every cross-border sale, document the supplier registration, apply the exact place-of-supply rule, compare the two locations, verify the current classification rate, and carry the same State and tax treatment through the invoice and GSTR-1. That audit trail is more reliable than deciding from a shipping label, a billing address or a remembered percentage.

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