Proforma invoice generator for advances and export orders
This free proforma invoice generator creates the document buyers ask for before they pay: a preview of the final invoice with the goods, prices, taxes, delivery terms and your bank details, clearly marked “Not a tax invoice”. Importers use it to open a letter of credit or apply for an import licence, finance teams use it to approve an advance, and exporters use it to fix prices and shipping terms before production starts.
Switch on the export fields to print an Incoterms® 2020 rule with its named place, country of origin and destination, ports, transport, packages, net and gross weight and shipping marks, with HS codes on every line. For Indian sellers it handles GST the way a proforma should: it shows CGST + SGST or IGST that will apply, or “export under LUT” with no IGST, and prints the wording that the document is not a tax invoice.
Set an advance percentage and the advance and balance are printed under the total. Documents are saved only in this browser. This is a template, not legal, customs or tax advice — confirm export and GST requirements with your adviser or customs broker.
How to use the Proforma Invoice Generator
- Choose the currency (USD, EUR, AED, INR and more), paper size and style.
- Enter the proforma number, date and validity, then your business (with GSTIN and IEC) and the buyer; tick “Ship to a different consignee” if needed.
- For an export, tick “This is an export order” and fill in the Incoterms rule, named place, ports, weights and shipping marks.
- Add the goods or services with HS/HSN codes, quantities, units and prices.
- Pick the tax treatment: GST (place of supply decides CGST + SGST or IGST), export under LUT, VAT, another tax or none.
- Enter the advance %, payment terms and bank details (SWIFT, IFSC, AD code), then press Download PDF.
Proforma Invoice Generator features
Advance and balance lines
Type 30% and the PDF shows the advance payable and the balance below the grand total, in the invoice currency.
Incoterms® 2020 rules
All eleven rules, from EXW to DDP, with the named place printed together — for example “FOB Nhava Sheva (JNPT), India”.
Shipment block
Origin, destination, ports of loading and discharge, transport, packages, weights and shipping marks for the buyer’s bank and forwarder.
GST-aware wording
States that the proforma is not a tax invoice; with LUT exports it notes that the export invoice will carry the “without payment of integrated tax” declaration.
Multi-currency words
Totals in words use dollars and cents, euros, dirhams and fils, or rupees and paise in the lakh/crore system.
GST summary by rate
For domestic GST, a rate-wise table of taxable value, CGST, SGST or IGST and total tax.
Proforma invoice vs tax invoice under GST
Under the CGST Act, 2017, a tax invoice (section 31, with the details in Rule 46) is issued when goods are removed or services are supplied, and it is the document that records the sale and allows the buyer to claim input tax credit. A proforma invoice comes earlier: it is an offer or a request for payment, so no GST becomes payable because you issued it and the buyer cannot claim credit on it.
Advances are treated differently for goods and services. For goods, GST is not payable on advances received (Notification 66/2017-Central Tax). For services, the advance itself creates a time of supply, so issue a receipt voucher (Rule 50) and pay GST on it. Exports of goods or services can be made without paying IGST under a Letter of Undertaking (Rule 96A), or with IGST that is later refunded.
Worked example: an export proforma
The sample is a spice exporter in Maharashtra quoting a buyer in Dubai: 400 bags of turmeric at $62.50 ($25,000) and 240 bags of cumin at $96.00 ($23,040) make $48,040.00, “Forty-eight thousand forty dollars only”. The order ships FOB Nhava Sheva under LUT, so no IGST is charged. With a 30% advance, the buyer remits $14,412.00 now and $33,628.00 against documents. Convert currencies for your own records with the currency converter.
The same items sold in India at ₹48,040 with 5% GST to a buyer in Karnataka attract IGST of ₹2,402 (total ₹50,442); to a buyer in Maharashtra, CGST ₹1,201 + SGST ₹1,201. Check rates with the GST calculator.
Choosing an Incoterms rule
| Rule | Seller delivers | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| EXW | At the seller’s premises | Any mode; buyer does almost everything |
| FCA | To the buyer’s carrier at a named place | Any mode, including containers |
| FOB | On board the vessel at the port of loading | Sea and inland waterway only |
| CIF | On board, with freight and insurance paid to the destination port | Sea and inland waterway only |
| DAP | Ready for unloading at the named destination | Any mode |
| DDP | At destination, import duties paid | Any mode; seller takes the most risk |
Proforma Invoice Generator FAQ
Is a proforma invoice a tax invoice?
No. A proforma invoice is a preliminary bill or quotation. Under GST it does not record a supply, so tax is not payable because of it and the buyer cannot claim input tax credit on it. Issue a tax invoice when you supply.
Can I ask for advance payment with a proforma invoice?
Yes — that is its most common use. Set the advance % to print the amount due now and the balance. For services in India, also issue a receipt voucher when the advance arrives.
What should an export proforma invoice include?
Seller and buyer details, IEC and GSTIN, a proforma number and validity, goods with HS codes, quantities and prices in the agreed currency, the Incoterms rule and place, ports, packing, weights, shipping marks, payment terms and bank details including SWIFT.
Which Incoterms version should I use?
Incoterms® 2020 is the current edition, in force since 1 January 2020. Always write the rule together with the named place and the edition, for example “FOB Nhava Sheva, Incoterms® 2020”.
How long is a proforma invoice valid?
As long as you state. Seven to thirty days is usual; commodity prices or freight rates may need a shorter period.
Is my data uploaded?
No. The proforma invoice generator builds and saves everything in your browser only. Use Export JSON for a backup.