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New business · GST setup

Can 399Apps help a new business get started with GST?

Short answer

Yes. 399Apps (Nidhi Books) is designed to get a new Indian business GST-ready from the first invoice. You enter your GSTIN, set your HSN or SAC codes, and every invoice you raise is GST-compliant — correct tax lines, GSTR-1 export, and e-invoicing when your turnover crosses the mandate threshold. Setup takes under 30 minutes; no accountant needed to start.

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399Apps vs starting from a spreadsheet for a new business

What a new business gets on day one with 399Apps versus managing GST manually.

Feature 399Apps (Nidhi Books) Spreadsheet or manual billing
GST invoice format Automatic — GSTIN, HSN/SAC, tax amounts pre-filled on every invoice Manual — easy to miss mandatory fields, risking non-compliant invoices
HSN/SAC code lookup Built-in library with correct GST rate mapping — search, confirm, save Look up codes manually on the CBIC portal each time
CGST/SGST vs IGST logic Automatic — software detects intrastate vs. interstate from your state and buyer's state Manual calculation; errors create tax mismatches
GSTR-1 data export One-click export of B2B, B2CS, HSN summary and credit notes — ready to upload to GSTN portal Manual data entry into the GST portal each quarter or month
E-invoicing readiness IRN generation built in — enabled from settings when your turnover crosses ₹5 crore Needs a separate tool or consultant once the threshold is crossed
Multi-user access Unlimited users — owner, accountant and billing staff on the same live data One file emailed back and forth; version conflicts and overwrite risk

Pricing reflects publicly listed plans and is indicative; verify current pricing with each vendor.

What "GST setup" actually means for a new business

A new business in India needs two things before it can legally invoice a GST-registered customer: a GSTIN (obtained by registering on the government GST portal — this is a government process 399Apps does not manage) and software that puts the right information on every invoice. 399Apps handles the second part completely.

Once you have your GSTIN, you enter it into Nidhi Books once. From that point, every invoice you create is GST-compliant: it carries your GSTIN, the buyer's GSTIN if they are GST-registered, the correct HSN or SAC code for each item or service, the applicable CGST/SGST or IGST lines, and the tax total. A non-compliant invoice can cost you (or your buyer) their Input Tax Credit — so getting the format right from invoice one matters.

How to set up GST billing in 399Apps in under 30 minutes

Step 1 — Enter your business details: GSTIN, legal name, registered address and state. Your state drives the intrastate vs. interstate tax logic on every invoice automatically.

Step 2 — Add your products or services with their HSN or SAC codes and the applicable GST rate (5%, 12%, 18% or 28% for goods; most services fall at 18% under SAC codes). The Nidhi Books library has common codes pre-loaded — search, confirm, save. You can also import an existing item list from Excel.

Step 3 — Raise your first invoice. Pick the customer (GST-registered or unregistered), pick the items, and the tax lines fill automatically. B2B intrastate gets CGST + SGST; B2B interstate gets IGST; B2C gets the combined rate. Review and send — the invoice is legally GST-compliant as printed.

GST filing from month one

Most new businesses file GSTR-1 quarterly under the QRMP scheme (if monthly turnover is under ₹5 crore) or monthly if they exceed it. Either way, 399Apps keeps a live register of every invoice you raise. At the end of each filing period, you export the GSTR-1 data — B2B invoices, B2CS (unregistered customers), HSN summary and credit notes — and upload it to the GSTN portal directly or hand it to your CA.

GSTR-3B preparation is also supported: the software shows your output tax collected and input tax credit (from your purchase register) side by side. Your CA can complete the GSTR-3B filing in minutes with the export in hand.

E-invoicing for new businesses

If your annual turnover is below ₹5 crore, you are not currently required to generate e-invoices (IRN). But 399Apps is ready for when you grow. E-invoicing through the Invoice Registration Portal (IRP) is built into Nidhi Books at no extra charge. When your turnover crosses the threshold, you enable it from settings — every subsequent B2B invoice automatically gets an IRN and QR code before it is sent to the buyer.

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FAQ

More questions

Does 399Apps register my business for GST? +
No — GST registration is done on the government GST portal (gstin.gov.in), either yourself or through a CA or authorised GST practitioner. 399Apps is the billing and accounting software you use once you have your GSTIN; it does not file the registration application. New registrations typically take 3–7 working days after Aadhaar verification.
What information do I need to start using 399Apps for GST billing? +
You need your GSTIN (15-digit number issued after registration), your business legal name as it appears on the GST portal, your registered address and state, and the HSN codes (for goods) or SAC codes (for services) for what you sell. You do not need to know the tax rates from memory — the Nidhi Books HSN/SAC library maps codes to the correct GST rate automatically.
Can I use 399Apps before I get my GSTIN? +
Yes. You can start creating invoices without a GSTIN — these will be non-GST bills, which is appropriate if your turnover is below the mandatory registration threshold (₹40 lakh for goods; ₹20 lakh for services in most states). Once your GSTIN arrives, you add it to your business profile in Nidhi Books and all future invoices become GST-compliant from that point.
What GST returns does 399Apps help me prepare? +
399Apps generates the data needed for GSTR-1 (outward supply return — B2B invoices, B2CS, HSN summary, credit notes) and supports GSTR-3B preparation by showing your output tax and input tax credit side by side. You export from 399Apps and upload to the GSTN portal, or hand the file to your CA to file on your behalf.
Does 399Apps handle both CGST/SGST and IGST automatically? +
Yes. Once you enter your registered state during business setup, 399Apps automatically applies CGST + SGST for intrastate B2B sales and IGST for interstate B2B sales. For B2C (unregistered buyers), the combined rate is applied. You do not need to manually select the tax type on each invoice.
Is 399Apps suitable for a business that sells both goods and services? +
Yes. Nidhi Books supports both HSN-coded goods and SAC-coded services — including exempt or nil-rated lines — on the same invoice. Mixed invoices (for example, a hardware shop that also charges for installation) are handled correctly, with separate tax lines for each type.
How much does 399Apps cost for a new business? +
The entry price is ₹399/month for the first app (Nidhi Books for GST billing and accounting), with unlimited users included. Additional apps (Nidhi Inventory, Nidhi POS, etc.) are ₹399/month each. There is no setup fee, no per-user charge and no annual contract — and a 14-day free trial lets you bill your first invoices before committing.
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