How to Check a GST Number on a Bill Before You Pay

When a bill in Kota shows CGST and SGST lines, you are paying tax that the seller is supposed to pass on to the government. Most sellers do. But a mistyped, cancelled or borrowed GST number on a bill can mean you are paying tax that never reaches the government, or that a business you buy from for work cannot give you valid input credit. This guide explains how to check a GST number on a bill in under a minute, and what the result tells you.

Why it is worth checking

• Larger purchases: furniture, appliances, building materials, jewellery. The tax amount is significant.
• Business purchases: if you are registered under GST and claim input tax credit, your supplier’s GSTIN must be valid and active. Our small business guide covers registration basics.
• Unexpected tax lines: if a small stall or a service provider adds GST, check that they are actually registered.
• Disputes: a correct bill with a valid GSTIN makes any later complaint much stronger.

How a GSTIN is built

A GST Identification Number (GSTIN) has 15 characters:

Characters	Meaning
1-2	State code. 08 is Rajasthan.
3-12	The business’s PAN (5 letters, 4 digits, 1 letter)
13	Entity number for registrations under the same PAN in the same state
14	A letter, by default “Z”
15	Check character

So a Kota business will normally have a GSTIN beginning 08, followed by its PAN. A number with fewer or more than 15 characters, or with a PAN section that does not follow the letter-digit pattern, is wrong.

How to check a GST number on the GST portal

1. Open the official GST portal (gst.gov.in).
2. Go to Search Taxpayer, then Search by GSTIN/UIN. You do not need to log in.
3. Enter the 15-character GSTIN from the bill and the captcha.
4. Read the result:
   • Legal name and trade name: should match the shop or business on the bill.
   • Status: should be Active. “Cancelled” or “Suspended” means it should not be used for new tax invoices.
   • Taxpayer type: Regular or Composition.
   • Principal place of business: should broadly match the address.

Composition dealers: no GST on the bill

Smaller businesses can opt for the composition scheme, which lets them pay tax at a fixed rate on turnover with simpler compliance. In return:

• They cannot collect GST from customers.
• They issue a bill of supply, not a tax invoice, and must state on it that they are a composition taxable person not eligible to collect tax on supplies.
• They are expected to display that they are a composition taxable person at their place of business.

If the portal shows a seller is a composition taxpayer but their bill adds CGST and SGST, the tax lines should not be there. Ask for a corrected bill.

What a proper tax invoice shows

A GST tax invoice from a regular registered seller generally includes:

• Seller’s name, address and GSTIN
• Invoice number and date
• Your name and address (and your GSTIN, if you are registered and asked for it)
• Description of goods or services, quantity, and HSN or SAC code where required
• Taxable value, tax rate and tax amount, split into CGST and SGST for sales within Rajasthan or IGST for sales from another state
• Total amount

Keep the original, and photograph it if it is printed on thermal paper, which fades.

GST and MRP: a common confusion

On packaged goods, the MRP already includes all taxes. A seller cannot add GST on top of the MRP of a packaged product. If a bill shows the MRP plus a separate GST line that takes the total above the printed MRP, you are being overcharged. Restaurants, services and unpackaged goods work differently: tax is usually shown separately on the bill, at the rate that applies.

Online purchases and GST

Online marketplaces show the seller’s details on the order page, and the invoice you download normally carries the seller’s GSTIN. The same Search Taxpayer check works for these. For business purchases, ask for your own GSTIN to be printed on the invoice at the time of ordering; adding it later is often not possible.

What to do if the number does not check out

1. Ask politely for a correction. Many errors are typos.
2. If the GSTIN is invalid or cancelled, ask the seller to issue a bill without tax lines or to explain the number. Do not pay tax to someone who cannot collect it.
3. For business purchases, do not claim credit on an invalid invoice; ask your accountant.
4. Keep the original bill as evidence.
5. Report suspected tax evasion to the GST authorities through the official channels listed on the GST portal and CBIC websites. For overcharging or other consumer issues, use the National Consumer Helpline; our MRP overcharging guide explains why tax is already included in MRP on packaged goods.

Other numbers worth checking on a bill

The GSTIN is not the only number on a bill that you can verify:

• Food bills from sweet shops, restaurants and caterers should show the business’s FSSAI licence or registration number. Our guide on how to check an FSSAI licence number shows how to look it up on FoSCoS.
• Medicine bills should show the batch number and expiry date of each item. Our guide on how to check if a medicine is genuine explains why that matters.
• Jewellery bills should show the HUID of each hallmarked piece, as our gold hallmark guide explains.

Bills protect buyers

Whatever the tax position, ask for a bill. It is your proof of what you bought, what you were told, and when. Our smart shopping guide and no exchange no refund guide show how a clear bill settles most disputes before they start, and our warranty vs guarantee guide explains why it matters for repairs too.