Invoicing

GST, LUT and FIRC: What Actually Has to Be on an Export Invoice from India

Author:: Editorial team, serviceexportguide.com
Verified by:: Editorial team
Published: 31 October 2026
Last modified: 31 October 2026
Fees checked on: 28 October 2026
Reading time: 7 min read

Short answer

An export invoice from India carries the rule 46 particulars, including GSTIN, a serial number of up to 16 characters and the date.¹ Under a Letter of Undertaking it carries the export endorsement and the country of destination.¹ A FIRC or FIRA follows payment and is not printed on the invoice.¹ Realisation is due within nine months in 2026.²³

Applies to	Rules involved	Platforms compared	Last verified
Registered Indian suppliers invoicing clients outside India¹⁴	CGST rules 46, 47 and 89(2)(c); IGST Act section 2(6); FEMA 2026 Regulations, regulations 3 to 5¹⁴²	Skydo, Razorpay, Karbon Business: lowest published cost on a USD 5,000 receipt⁵⁶⁷	31 October 2026

People searching how to invoice international clients from India usually meet three acronyms at once: GST (Goods and Services Tax), LUT (Letter of Undertaking) and FIRC (Foreign Inward Remittance Certificate). Only the first two shape what is printed on the invoice. The FIRC, or its close relative the FIRA (Foreign Inward Remittance Advice), arrives after the client pays and proves the money came in.¹ This page lists what goes on the invoice and what follows it. Your chartered accountant can confirm details for your business.

How do Skydo, Razorpay and Karbon Business compare for getting paid on an export invoice?

Skydo, Razorpay and Karbon Business have the lowest estimated cost on published fees for a USD 5,000 receipt, and each issues its own payment record after the client pays.⁵⁶⁷ No platform appears in the page title, so the table shows these three, ordered by estimated cost on published fees, cheapest first.

Platform	Best for	Fee	FX markup	Settlement	FIRA	RBI PA-CB status	Source
Skydo	Local bank transfers from major markets¹²	USD 19 plus GST up to USD 2,000; USD 29 plus GST from USD 2,001 to USD 10,000; 0.3% plus GST above USD 10,000⁵	0% markup on the mid-market rate (product page); retail rate set by Skydo or its partner banks (terms)¹³²⁵	Within 24 hours (product page); T+1 to T+3 business days (terms)¹³²⁵	Free FIRA on every payment; Skydo says it is accepted for GST filing and by banks¹³¹⁴	PA-CB inward and outward, authorised 8 January 2026¹⁵	Skydo FAQs and product page⁵¹⁴
Razorpay	Local transfers from the US, UK and eurozone¹⁶	1% plus GST on MoneySaver bank transfers, with a flat fee on small transactions⁶	0% on MoneySaver bank transfers⁶	T+1 for bank transfers¹⁶	FIRS within 24 hours of settlement¹⁶	PA-CB inward and outward¹⁵	Razorpay docs and pricing¹⁶⁶
Karbon Business	US bank transfers and marketplace payouts¹⁷	1% transaction fee, per Karbon's PayPal comparison page⁷	0% per the freelancer page; 0.5% to 1.0% per the comparison page¹⁷⁷	24 to 48 hours¹⁷	FIRA for every transaction from a banking partner¹⁷	Not on the RBI list itself; its terms run export receipts under a partner the RBI lists as a PA-CB¹⁸¹⁵	Karbon pages and terms¹⁷¹⁸

Platforms collect against the invoice you issue; none of them changes what rule 46 requires on it.¹

What actually has to be on an export invoice from India?

An export invoice from a registered supplier must carry the rule 46 particulars, with the export endorsement and three export-specific details in place of the domestic recipient fields.¹ The table maps each field to who it matters for.

Field	Best for (who must show it)	What to write	Source
Supplier name, address and GSTIN	Every registered supplier	Your legal name, address and GST Identification Number¹	Rule 46(a)¹
Serial number	Every registered supplier	Consecutive, up to 16 characters, unique for the financial year¹	Rule 46(b)¹
Date of issue	Every registered supplier	Within 30 days of supplying the service¹	Rules 46(c) and 47¹
Recipient name and address, address of delivery, country of destination	Export invoices	These replace the State details used for unregistered domestic recipients¹	Rule 46, export proviso¹
SAC and description	Every registered supplier	Services code and a plain description of the work¹	Rule 46(g) and (h)¹
Value, tax rate and tax amount	Every registered supplier	Total and taxable value; rate and amount of tax¹	Rule 46(j) to (m)¹
Export endorsement	Exporters under an LUT	"SUPPLY MEANT FOR EXPORT/SUPPLY TO SEZ UNIT OR SEZ DEVELOPER FOR AUTHORISED OPERATIONS UNDER BOND OR LETTER OF UNDERTAKING WITHOUT PAYMENT OF INTEGRATED TAX"¹	Rule 46, export proviso¹
Signature	Paper invoices	Signature or digital signature; not needed on an electronic invoice under the IT Act, 2000¹	Rule 46(q)¹

The export invoice format guide shows a sample, and the export invoice generator fills these fields for you.

Which RBI rule governs money from a foreign client?

The Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026 (the 2026 Regulations) govern money a foreign client pays against your invoice, from 1 October 2026.²

Rule	Best for	Plain meaning	Source
Regulation 5	Every services exporter	Realise within nine months of the invoice date; twelve months if invoiced or settled in rupees²³	RBI²³
Regulations 3 and 4	Every services exporter	EDF to the AD bank within 30 days from the end of the invoice month, or for non-software services on or before the payment date²	RBI²
Regulation 6	Exporters paid less than invoiced	The AD bank can allow a reduction in export value, on declaration alone for invoices up to ₹10 lakh²	RBI²
Circular No. 84 of 2012	Every inward remittance	Each receipt is reported under a purpose code of "P" plus four digits¹⁹	RBI¹⁹

The invoice date on your document starts the nine-month clock, so date it correctly.² See export realisation period.

What does each option charge to collect an export invoice?

Each collection option prices differently: Skydo by flat band, Razorpay and Karbon by percentage, and a bank wire by the bank's published policy.⁵⁶⁷²

Option	Best for	Published charge	Source
Skydo	Local bank transfers from major markets¹²	USD 19 plus GST up to USD 2,000; USD 29 plus GST up to USD 10,000⁵	Skydo FAQ⁵
Razorpay MoneySaver	Local transfers from the US, UK and eurozone¹⁶	1% plus GST⁶	Razorpay pricing⁶
Karbon Business	US bank transfers and marketplace payouts¹⁷	1% transaction fee⁷	Karbon page⁷
SWIFT wire to your bank	Clients who pay by wire	Bank's published charges policy²	2026 Regulations²

Agree with the client who bears their own bank's charges, since a short receipt may need a reduction approval under regulation 6.²

Which option is cheapest at $500, $2,000 and $5,000?

On published fees the cheapest option depends on the invoice amount, since a flat fee weighs more on small invoices.⁵⁶ The live table uses today's rate.

Platform	Best for	INR on USD 2,000	INR on USD 5,000	INR on USD 10,000	Cost on USD 5,000
SkydoMost INRTransfer to Skydo local account details or international SWIFT account	Local bank transfers from major markets	₹1,86,373	₹4,67,991	₹9,39,206	0.68%
Karbon BusinessBank transfer to a Karbon virtual USD account	US bank transfers and marketplace payouts	₹1,86,262 to ₹1,86,601	₹4,65,655 to ₹4,66,503	₹9,31,311 to ₹9,33,007	1.00 to 1.18%
RazorpayMoneySaver Export Account: bank transfer to virtual account details (Standard plan)	Local transfers from the US, UK and eurozone	₹1,86,262 to ₹1,86,601	₹4,65,655 to ₹4,66,503	₹9,31,311 to ₹9,33,007	1.00 to 1.18%

Ranked by INR received on USD 5,000. Reference rate: European Central Bank data for 13 November 2026. Fees, conversion markup, GST on fees and FIRA charges as published by each provider, checked 28 October 2026. Ranges appear where a provider publishes a range or does not state its GST rate. Intermediary bank charges are excluded. See the methodology.

For example, at $2,000 Skydo's USD 19 fee is 0.95% before GST,⁵ against 1% plus GST on Razorpay MoneySaver.⁶ At $5,000 Skydo's USD 29 fee is 0.58% before GST.⁵

What documents and GST apply after the export invoice is paid?

After payment, the export invoice is matched to a FIRA or FIRC, an e-BRC and, from 1 October 2026, the EDF you filed.¹²⁰²

Document	Best for	Purpose	Source
FIRA or FIRC	Every exporter	Shows the foreign payment arrived; rule 89(2)(c) names these for refunds on exported services¹	CGST Rules¹
e-BRC	Exporters closing the trail	Self-generated on DGFT from the bank's IRM; cannot be generated without an IRM²⁰¹⁰	DGFT²⁰¹⁰
EDF	Every services exporter	Declaration to the AD bank under the 2026 Regulations²	RBI²
LUT	Registered exporters	Keeps the invoice free of IGST; IGST with interest falls due under rule 96A if payment is late⁸²¹	GST portal, CBIC⁸²¹

The FIRC, FIRA and e-BRC comparison explains each record, and EDF for service exporters covers the new filing.

What changes in 2026 for export invoices from India?

The main 2026 changes for export invoices come from the new RBI regulations, a GST amendment and the new income-tax law.²²²²³

EDF for all services: From 1 October 2026, every services exporter files an EDF, including non-software exporters.²
SOFTEX superseded: RBI Circular No. 20 supersedes the earlier SOFTEX circulars from 1 October 2026.²⁴
Nine-month realisation: The realisation period is nine months from the invoice date.³
Intermediary rule omitted: Section 13(8)(b) of the IGST Act was omitted from 30 March 2026.²²
Income-tax Act, 2025: From 1 April 2026, income is reported by tax year, and tax year 2026-27 runs to 31 March 2027.²³

For an invoice raised before the 2026 Regulations took effect and still unpaid, ask your AD bank which rules it applies.²

How did we verify this?

We checked this page against the sources below on 31 October 2026. Provider fees, conversion markups and RBI payment aggregator (PA-CB) status were checked on 28 October 2026. Rupee amounts use European Central Bank reference rates for 13 November 2026. Read our methodology or report an error.

Frequently asked questions

How do you invoice international clients from India step by step?+

To invoice an international client from India, confirm the five export conditions in section 2(6) of the IGST Act, file an LUT in FORM GST RFD-11 if registered, and issue a rule 46 invoice with the export endorsement within 30 days of supply.⁴⁸¹ File the EDF with your AD bank, then collect the FIRA or FIRC after payment.²

Does the FIRC number go on the export invoice?+

A FIRC number does not go on the export invoice, because the FIRC or FIRA is issued by the bank or provider only after the foreign payment arrives. Rule 89(2)(c) of the CGST Rules links each invoice to its Bank Realisation Certificate or Foreign Inward Remittance Certificate in a separate statement when you claim a refund.¹

Should an export invoice show GST at 0%?+

An export invoice under an LUT carries the rule 46 endorsement saying the supply is made under bond or Letter of Undertaking without payment of integrated tax.¹ Rule 46 also asks for the rate and amount of tax, so many exporters show IGST as nil next to that endorsement.¹ Confirm your invoice layout with a chartered accountant.

Which currency should an export invoice from India be in?+

An export invoice from India can be in the client's currency, because section 2(6) of the IGST Act accepts payment in convertible foreign exchange.⁴ The choice changes the RBI deadline: foreign currency invoices are realised within nine months of the invoice date, and invoices raised or settled in rupees get twelve months.²³

What is the SAC code on an export invoice?+

Rule 46 of the CGST Rules requires the Harmonised System of Nomenclature code for the service, which for services is the Services Accounting Code (SAC).¹ DGFT publishes a purpose code to SAC mapping, and its e-BRC FAQs say exporters must choose the SAC that corresponds to the RBI purpose code on the remittance.⁹¹⁰

Can I send an export invoice without GST registration?+

An unregistered freelancer below the ₹20 lakh threshold for inter-State taxable services can bill foreign clients without GST registration, under Notification 10/2017-Integrated Tax.¹¹ Such an invoice is not a rule 46 tax invoice, and an LUT cannot be filed, since the LUT is a registered taxpayer service on the GST portal.⁸

Does my bank need my export invoice to release a foreign payment?+

Your bank may ask for the export invoice, because the 2026 Regulations require banks to publish a policy listing the documents, timelines and charges they apply to export receipts.² The EDF you file with the bank under regulations 3 and 4 also refers to your invoices for the month.²

This page is general information for Indian service exporters, not tax or legal advice. Rules change and outcomes depend on your facts, so confirm with a chartered accountant before acting.

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