How to collect a buyer’s GSTIN on Shopify, even on the Basic plan
Business buyers in India want a tax invoice with their GSTIN on it so they can claim input tax credit. Shopify has no GSTIN field, and adding fields inside checkout is a Shopify Plus feature. This guide covers what works on every other plan.
Why the GSTIN has to be captured before the invoice
A GST invoice for a registered business needs the buyer’s GSTIN and legal name. If you collect them by email after the order, you chase buyers, retype numbers and risk typos that surface later in your GSTR-1. Capturing the GSTIN during the order puts the right data on the order from the start.
What a GSTIN looks like, and what you can check
A GSTIN has 15 characters:
- Characters 1 and 2: the state code, for example 27 for Maharashtra.
- Characters 3 to 12: the PAN of the business.
- Character 13: the number of the registration under that PAN.
- Character 14: the letter Z.
- Character 15: a check character calculated from the other fourteen.
Because the last character is calculated, a form can catch almost every typo by checking the format, the state code and the check character as the buyer types. What it cannot do is confirm that the business is active on the GST portal. That needs a paid GST service provider connection.
Ways to collect it on Shopify
1. An order note or cart attribute
You can add a text box to the cart page by editing the theme. It works, but it needs theme code, it does not validate anything, and the value sits in a note that is hard to export.
2. A checkout field
Fields inside checkout need Shopify Plus. Basic, Grow and Advanced stores cannot use them.
3. A cart field from an app
Flying Star GST Capture adds a GSTIN field to the cart page and cart drawer with one switch in the theme editor. It checks the GSTIN as the buyer types, saves it on the order together with the business name, and tags the order GST B2B. Buyers who skip the cart, for example with Buy now, can add it on the Thank you or order status page.
A simple checklist
- Decide where the GSTIN should appear: cart, Thank you page and order status page.
- Make sure the value is checked before the order is placed.
- Confirm it is saved on the order, not only in a note.
- Tag B2B orders so you can filter them.
- Test with one order for your own state and one for another state.
This guide is general information, not tax advice. Check your invoicing rules with your chartered accountant.
Next, see what each B2B order needs for your monthly return in our guide to GSTR-1 for Shopify stores.
Capture buyer GSTIN today
On every Shopify plan, checked as buyers type, exported for GSTR-1. $0.99 a month, 7 day free trial.