GST billing software for restaurants
The 5% slab, the split, the sequential numbering, the GSTR-1, handled in the background while you run service.
CountStand applies the correct restaurant GST slab (5% without ITC for standalone restaurants; 18% for specified-premises hotels), splits CGST/SGST in integer paise, numbers invoices sequentially, and exports GSTR-1 in one click at month-end. E-invoice-ready fields and FSSAI expiry reminders are built in. From ₹999/mo per outlet.
Last reviewed 2026-07-23
The compliance engine, part by part
Right slab, automatically
Standalone restaurant? 5% without ITC. Specified premises? 18% with ITC. Configured once, applied on every bill, printed as separate CGST/SGST lines.
Integer-paise money
Tax computed in paise as integers, the engineering decision that means your GSTR-1 total and your printed bills never disagree by a rupee.
Sequential invoice discipline
Consecutive numbering across sessions and outages (offline bills keep the sequence). The thing manual bill books always break.
GSTR-1 in one click
Every invoice files itself into the month. Export the GSTR-1-ready file and send it to your CA, five minutes, not a weekend.
E-invoice-ready
IRN-ready field structure for when your turnover crosses the e-invoicing threshold, you flip a switch, not re-platform.
Beyond GST
FSSAI licence expiry reminders and DPDP-aligned encrypted guest data, the compliance calendar a busy owner never has to keep in their head.
Is GST on restaurant food 5% or 18%?
For nearly all standalone restaurants, dine-in, takeaway, delivery, the rate is 5% without input tax credit, split as 2.5% CGST + 2.5% SGST on intra-state sales. The 18% rate (with ITC) applies to restaurants inside "specified premises": hotels where any room exceeded ₹7,500/night in the previous financial year. Alcohol is outside GST entirely and carries state VAT, which is why bar bills show two tax regimes.
Orders placed through Zomato or Swiggy still carry 5%, but since January 2022 the aggregator collects and remits that GST, one more reconciliation your system should be doing for you, not you for it.
What goes wrong with GST in most restaurants?
These are process failures, not knowledge failures, which is why the fix is software that makes the wrong thing impossible, and why compliance content on this site is reviewed with a CA and dated (see the GST guide below).
- Broken invoice sequences from manual bill books or POS outages, the #1 GSTR-1 reconciliation failure.
- Rounding drift when software computes tax in floating point, bills and returns disagree by a rupee here, a rupee there, and your CA charges by the hour to find them.
- The 5%/18% mix-up in hotel restaurants, or ITC claimed on the 5% slab (not allowed), expensive to unwind after a notice.
- Aggregator orders double-counted because the operator now remits the GST, your books must net those out correctly.
Asked by owners like you
Which GST billing software is best for restaurants?
One that applies the right slab automatically, keeps sequential numbering through outages, computes the split without rounding drift, and exports GSTR-1 directly. CountStand does all four, from ₹999/mo per outlet, 30-day free trial.
Can restaurants claim input tax credit under GST?
Not on the concessional 5% slab, ITC is specifically excluded. Restaurants billing 18% (specified-premises hotels) can claim ITC. Confirm your category with your CA; this is general information, not tax advice.
Do I need e-invoicing for my restaurant?
E-invoicing applies above the notified aggregate-turnover threshold (it has stepped down over the years, check the current limit with your CA). CountStand keeps IRN-ready fields on every invoice so enabling it is a switch, not a migration.
Does CountStand file GSTR-1 for me?
It produces the complete, reconciled GSTR-1-ready export in one click, your CA (or you) uploads it. What it removes is the month-end spreadsheet surgery and the missing-invoice hunt.
5% vs 18%, composition, e-invoicing: CA-reviewed, dated, plain-English.
The exact split on any bill amount, free.
A compliant GST bill format, printable now.
3-second thermal bills with UPI QR, offline-first.
See it run your restaurant
Full product, your menu, 30 days free. Set up on WhatsApp in about five minutes.
30-day free trial · No card · From ₹999/mo per outlet