Find the Best e-Way Bill Software

What is an E-Way Bill in GST?

A person who has registered on GST has to get an e-way bill to transport goods worth more than 50,000 Rs. e-way bill is an electronic bill for the movement of goods among various states in India that is generated on the e-way portal. E-Way bill is usually generated on https://ewaybillgst.gov.in. It can also be generated or canceled through SMS, an Android app or through a site-to-site integrated API. The e-way bill has a unique e-way bill number which is allocated to the supplier, recipient, and the transporter.

What are the Documents required to generate an e-way bill?

• Transport ID or Vehicle registration number in case of travel by road.
• Invoice or the supply bill of the goods in the consignment.
• Transporter Id, Transporter document number, and the date on the document in case of transport of goods by Railways, airways or waterways.

What is E-Way Bill Software?

An e-way bill software is an application which makes the e-way bill calculation, payment and integration feel like a walk in the park. The e-way bill generation software helps you concentrate on crucial business processes and deals rather than having to spend a lot of time on documentation and calculation.  A good e-way bill software is a one-stop shop for all GST calculations from vehicle registration to supplier-recipient integration. Tally e-way bill software, Cleartax software, Avalara, Gen GST are some of the software that help in calculating and generating your e-way bill.

What are the Key Features of an E-Way Bill Software?

1. Easy Generation: 

This is probably the most important feature to look for in E-Way bill generation software. Generating bill for a single good at a time is easy but imagine having to generate an e-way bill for a number of goods belonging to different consignments in a day? It seems like a daunting task. The e-way bill generation software should minimize the time consumed for the bill generation and make it error free and accurate.

2. Consolidated Bills: 

It might so occur that the transporters have to carry multiple consignments of different consignors during a single trip. The e-way bill software must be able to generate a consolidated bill effortlessly and with great accuracy and reduce the burden of carrying a number of bills.

3. Vehicle Update: 

At times it might happen that the goods will have to change from one vehicle to another. The e-way bill software should allow easy updating of vehicle number in all the invoices generated without any hassles.

4. Vehicle Movement Status: 

The e-way billing software must have the facility to give live updates and track the moving vehicle. This allows the stakeholders to keep a record of their goods and hence organize the transportation system in a simple way.

5. Compliance Monitoring: 

An e-way billing software must continuously monitor the expiry and closure of the e-way bills and give alerts in the form of emails and SMS.

6. Data Validation: 

The data entered in the e-way bill is thoroughly scrutinized and checked for any errors and mismatches before the final generation of the bill. This eliminates any possibility of errors.

7. CA Support:

 A chartered accountant is to be a call away in case of any doubts or issues regarding the bill. The software for eway bill must ensure 24*7 support on this front.

8. Regeneration of the E-way Bill: 

The software must support the regeneration of the e-way bill in case one of the stakeholders either the supplier or the recipient makes any changes. Quick updates on the details after application of changes are always desirable.

9. Cloud Compatibility: 

If the software works over a cloud it gets still better. Account accessibility is easy and can be done from anywhere with no location bar. Cloud operations also ensure that you are not bound to a particular machine at a particular place and generating or referring the e-way bill using the e-way bill system software is just a matter of a few taps on your device.

10. Archives: 

The software must enable the viewing of all the invoices generated or updated. This will prevent the users from generating multiple bills against the same invoice out of confusion. Having the facility of organizing the entire system of storing and tracking the e-way bill using the apt e-way bill generation software available in the market reduces the overhead of managing the invoices time and again.

11. Data Import: 

The software must be able to import data from excel sheet, PDFs and .prn files. It would be an added advantage if it is able to import data from ERP software as well. Support of integrating the software for e-way bill seamlessly with multiple platforms to ensure that data can be accessed smoothly is always a plus.

12. Sub-user Creation: 

Users can create sub-users and assign roles on the e-way bill software. This makes the generation of the e-way bill by various users and stakeholders using the e-way bill system software a process that is well coordinated and systematic.

13. Easy Cancellation: 

The canceling of an e-way bill is made easier by an e-way billing software. With just a click of a button, the bill can be canceled. Rejection of false bills or bills with error can be done the same-way enabling the entire bill generation system as robust and error-free as possible to maintain easy operations.

14. Filtering and Sorting: 

Finding the right bill at the right time can be a bit overwhelming when there are heaps of bills to check. The e-way billing system software comes handy at this time in filtering out the right bill for you. The e-way billing software keeps a record of all the bills generated and hence, the users can view any bills generated by filtering by month and status and download the required bill.

Advantages of an E-Way Bill Generation Software

1. Free From the Documentation: 

With the help of the e-way bill software, you are freed from the hassles of getting various documents ready before the actual movements of goods. Additionally, the vehicles which regularly transport goods now have RFID device attached to it. This saves the transporter from the troubles of having to carry physical copies of the document everywhere. The documentation overhead is reduced due to the various functionalities provided by the software.

2. Well-organized Process: 

Movement of goods without an e-way bill attracts legal problems. The software for the e-way bill ensures that the goods transported by the companies are within the legal framework and are properly invoiced and documented for further references and checking processes.

3. Reduction In Cost: 

Such software helps in organizing the entire system of bill generation and distribution within the bounds of the legal system and rules laid down by the government. It reinforces proper invoicing and reduces tax avoidance and logistics cost.

4. Saves Transportation Time: 

As the e-way bill gives all the information about the goods, it becomes easier to track the goods. The trucks carrying the goods don’t have to wait for hours at the check post to get their goods validated. e-way bill reduces the waiting time at the check post thus ensuring faster movement of goods and the efficient use of resources.

5. User-friendly: 

An easy-to-use interface enables learning the software quick and easy. It doesn’t require much technical knowledge to learn the software and work on it. It takes only a few taps here and a few clicks there to learn the e-way billing system. Dealer, transporters and suppliers can all download the bill from anywhere for use.

6. Eco-friendly: 

With everything going online and on the cloud, the bills generated are now on the computer or mobile systems eliminating the use of papers. The e-way bill does away with the need to generate a number of copies of the bill thus saving tons of paper.

The Validity of an E-Way Bill Software

The validity of an e-way bill depends on the distance traveled by the vehicle carrying the goods and the mode of transport. For an over-dimensional cargo which has to travel less than 20 km, the validity of the bill is 1 day. And, for every 20 km more traveled by the cargo, an extra day gets added. For vehicles other than an over-dimensional cargo which has to travel less than 100 km, validity is 1 day. And, for every 100 km more traveled, an extra day gets added.

When the E-Way bill Should be Issued?

An e-way bill is generated before the start of transportation of goods worth more than 50,000 Rs among the states in India. The bill can be a single invoice or a consolidated invoice of multiple consignments. The e-way bill is valid for goods transported for supply reasons as well as inward (return) of goods from an unregistered person.  

If the goods are being transported by a registered person acting as a consignor or a consignee who is transporting the goods in his own vehicle, hired vehicle or public transport, the supplier or the receiver is bound to generate the bill. When the goods reach the hands of the transporter, it is now his responsibility to generate the bill. And in case of inward supply or return of goods, either the transporter or the receiver should generate the bill. There are some goods for which the payment of an e-way bill is necessary even if the value of the goods is less than 50,000 Rs. Those are:

• Inter-state movement of goods between the Principal and the job worker.
• Transport of handicrafts between states by a dealer who is not registered under GST.

The e-way billing system is a very efficient transport feature introduced by the government of India. Since the implementation of the e-way bill from 1st April 2018, the movement of goods between states has seen a rise because of the ease with which all the documentation and transaction takes place. It prevents tax evasion and brings a lot of revenue into the system. The e-way billing software has made the work of the entire supply chain stakeholders easy, quick and transparent.

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