Cashflow OS · Guides
Plain-language guides for Indian businesses
GST returns, invoices, TallyPrime, business software, AI in accounting and running the business — written for owners and their accountants, with checklists you can use today.
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GSTGST returns, invoices, input tax credit and e-invoicing — explained for Indian businesses.60 guides →
Invoices & documentsTax invoices, quotations, proforma invoices, challans and notes: formats, rules and good practice.30 guides →
Tally how-tosGetting more out of TallyPrime: reports, bill-wise details, cost centres, multi-company and mobile access.20 guides →
Business software & ERPChoosing and running business software — ERP, billing, CRM, field sales and data safety.20 guides →
AI in accountingWhat AI can and cannot do for an Indian business's books — practical and honest.15 guides →
Running the businessCash flow, collections, credit, stock, sales teams and closing the books.55 guides →Start here
The guides most owners read first.
GST returnsWhat is GSTR-1?GSTR-1 is the return in which a registered business reports every sale it made in a month or quarter. Your buyers get their input tax credit from what4 min read
GST returnsWhat is GSTR-3B?GSTR-3B is the summary return in which you declare your total sales tax, claim your input tax credit and pay the balance in cash. It is the return tha4 min read
Input tax creditInput tax credit conditions under GSTYou can claim GST paid on purchases only when every condition in the law is met: a valid invoice, goods or services received, the invoice in your GSTR4 min read
InvoicesTax invoice format under GSTA GST tax invoice is valid when it carries a fixed set of details: your GSTIN, a unique serial number, the buyer's details, HSN or SAC, taxable value,4 min read
TallyPrimeTally on mobile: how it worksTallyPrime runs on a Windows PC. To use its data on a phone, a small program on that PC reads your companies from Tally and keeps a synced copy online3 min read
Cash flowCash flow management for MSMEsCash flow management means knowing, week by week, how much money will come in and go out, and acting early when the two do not match. A profitable bus4 min readGST returnsWhat is GSTR-1?GSTR-1 is the return in which a registered business reports every sale it made in a month or quarter. Your buyers get their input tax credit from what4 min readGST returnsGSTR-1 due dates and late feeMonthly filers file GSTR-1 by the 11th of the next month and QRMP filers by the 13th after the quarter. File late and you pay a per-day late fee, and 3 min readGST returnsWhat is GSTR-3B?GSTR-3B is the summary return in which you declare your total sales tax, claim your input tax credit and pay the balance in cash. It is the return tha4 min read
GST returnsGSTR-1 vs GSTR-3B: what is different and why they must matchGSTR-1 is the detailed list of your sales; GSTR-3B is the summary where you pay tax. The tax on sales in both should be the same for the period, and t4 min readInput tax creditGSTR-2B and input tax credit matchingGSTR-2B is a monthly statement of the input tax credit your suppliers have reported against your GSTIN. As a rule, you can claim credit in GSTR-3B onl4 min readInput tax creditInput tax credit conditions under GSTYou can claim GST paid on purchases only when every condition in the law is met: a valid invoice, goods or services received, the invoice in your GSTR4 min readInvoices & documents
Tax invoices, quotations, proforma invoices, challans and notes: formats, rules and good practice.
All 30InvoicesTax invoice format under GSTA GST tax invoice is valid when it carries a fixed set of details: your GSTIN, a unique serial number, the buyer's details, HSN or SAC, taxable value,4 min read
InvoicesInvoice numbering rules under GSTA GST invoice number must be consecutive, no longer than 16 characters, use only letters, digits, a hyphen or a slash, and be unique within the financ3 min readInvoicesProforma invoice vs tax invoiceA proforma invoice is an advance bill that tells the buyer what they will pay; it creates no GST liability and gives no input tax credit. A tax invoic3 min readQuotationsQuotation format and best practicesA good quotation tells the buyer exactly what they get, what it costs including GST, how long the price holds and how to say yes. Most lost orders are3 min readQuotationsHow to convert a quotation into an invoiceConverting a quotation means carrying the agreed items, rates and terms into a sales order or tax invoice, then adding what only the invoice can have:4 min read
Delivery challansDelivery challan under GSTA delivery challan is the document that moves goods when there is no sale at that moment: job work, goods on approval, stock sent to a branch, or a su3 min readTally how-tos
Getting more out of TallyPrime: reports, bill-wise details, cost centres, multi-company and mobile access.
All 20TallyPrimeTally on mobile: how it worksTallyPrime runs on a Windows PC. To use its data on a phone, a small program on that PC reads your companies from Tally and keeps a synced copy online3 min read
TallyPrimeHow to access Tally remotelyThere are four common ways to reach your Tally data when you are not at the office PC: remote desktop, Tally's own remote-access options, running Tall3 min readTallyPrimeTally remote desktop vs a sync appRemote desktop shows you the office PC's screen, so you work in Tally itself. A sync app shows a copy of your Tally data in screens built for phones a3 min readTallyPrimeSharing a Tally ledger on WhatsAppTo share a party's ledger from Tally, open the party's ledger for the right period, export it as a PDF, and send it on WhatsApp with a short message. 4 min read
TallyPrimeChecking Tally outstanding on your phoneOutstanding in Tally is only useful if you see it when you need it: before a customer visit, when a dealer calls for more stock, or while deciding whi4 min readTallyPrimeBill-wise details in Tally, explainedBill-wise details let Tally track each invoice separately inside a party's ledger. Every bill gets a reference, and every payment or credit note is ma4 min readBusiness software & ERP
Choosing and running business software — ERP, billing, CRM, field sales and data safety.
All 20
Business softwareWhat is ERP?ERP (enterprise resource planning) is software that keeps purchase, stock, sales, accounts and people in one shared system, so a single entry updates 3 min read
Business softwareERP for small businesses in IndiaMost small Indian businesses do not need a big ERP. They need their sales, stock, orders and accounts to agree, and to be visible to the owner without4 min readBusiness softwareERP vs accounting softwareAccounting software records the money side of the business for the accountant. ERP tries to run the whole business, from purchase to delivery, for eve4 min readBusiness softwareBilling software vs accounting softwareBilling software makes invoices quickly at the counter. Accounting software turns every bill, payment and expense into ledgers, GST data and financial4 min readBusiness softwareCloud vs desktop accountingDesktop accounting keeps your books on a computer in your office. Cloud accounting keeps them on the vendor's servers and you open them in a browser o3 min readBusiness softwareHow to choose accounting softwareChoose accounting software by testing it on your own transactions, not by comparing feature lists. Check GST, outstanding, stock, user access, data ex3 min readAI in accounting
What AI can and cannot do for an Indian business's books — practical and honest.
All 15AI in accountingAI in accounting in India: a practical view for small businessesAI tools can already read bills, summarise ledgers and answer plain-language questions about your numbers, but they still make confident mistakes, so 4 min readAI in accountingAI for small business bookkeepingAI can take much of the typing and sorting out of bookkeeping for a small business, provided every AI-suggested entry is still checked against the sou4 min readAI in accountingWhat can an AI accounting assistant actually do?An AI accounting assistant is good at finding, summarising and explaining figures that already exist in your books, and weak at anything that needs fa4 min readAI in accountingAI and GST complianceAI can speed up the checking side of GST work, such as spotting missing GSTINs, odd tax rates and mismatches between your books and GSTR-2B, but rates4 min readAI in accountingAI for collections and payment remindersAI is useful in collections for three jobs: deciding whom to chase first, drafting the right message for each customer, and summarising a party's hist4 min readAI in accountingAI cash flow forecasting: useful estimate, not a promiseAn AI cash flow forecast projects your bank balance over the coming weeks from past collections, payments and known dues; it is a helpful early warnin4 min readCash flowCash flow management for MSMEsCash flow management means knowing, week by week, how much money will come in and go out, and acting early when the two do not match. A profitable bus4 min readWorking capitalThe working capital cycle explainedThe working capital cycle is the number of days between paying for stock and getting paid by your customer. The shorter it is, the less of your own mo3 min readCollectionsHow to reduce outstanding receivablesOutstanding receivables fall when you make terms clear before the sale, follow up on a fixed rhythm after it, and stop new credit to parties who are a3 min readCredit controlCredit control policy for distributorsA credit control policy is a one-page set of rules for who gets credit, how much, for how long, and what happens when they pay late. Written down, it 3 min readCollectionsHow to ask customers for paymentAsk early, ask specifically and ask the same way every time. A clear request for a named amount on a named date is more polite, and more effective, th3 min readCollectionsPayment reminder message templatesBelow are polite, ready-to-use payment reminders for each stage, from a friendly note before the due date to a final notice. Each has an English and a3 min readCashflow OS · works with TallyPrime
Put this into practice with your own books
Cashflow OS shows your TallyPrime ledgers, outstanding, GST views and reports on every phone in the team. Try it free on your own data, or let our Jaipur team walk you through it.
