GST invoices for cloud hosting in India, explained

For an Indian business, a cloud bill is only finished when it can be filed. That means a proper GST tax invoice in rupees, with your GSTIN, your legal name and the tax shown clearly. It also means knowing, before you pay, exactly how the rupee amount was worked out.

This article explains how invoices work on Plexivo, line by line: how the rupee amount is calculated, what each invoice carries, where to add your GSTIN, and where to find every PDF. It describes how Plexivo bills; it is not tax advice.

How does Plexivo bill Indian customers?

Plexivo is prepaid. You add money to your organisation's wallet, and plan fees and resource charges are taken from it. You always know what you have left, and there is never a surprise bill.

Prices, wallets and charges are in US dollars for every customer. Indian customers pay in rupees, by UPI, card or net banking. So there are two layers:

• The wallet, in US dollars. This is what your apps, databases and plan fees draw from.
• The payment, in rupees. This is what you pay to add money to the wallet, plus GST.

Every top-up gets its own GST tax invoice. That is the document your accounts team files.

How is the rupee amount calculated?

The calculation has two steps, and both are shown before you pay.

1. Convert at this month's rate. The month's rate is the RBI reference rate on the 1st of the month, plus a 2% conversion margin. It stays the same all month, so every top-up in a month uses the same rate.
2. Add 18% GST. GST is added to the amount you pay. It is never taken from your wallet credit.

Say you add US$100 to your wallet. Your wallet receives US$100 of credit. You pay the rupee value of US$100 at this month's rate, plus 18% GST on that value. The Payment summary shows the Wallet credit at this month's rate, the GST and the Total to pay, and the price you see holds for 15 minutes while you complete the payment.

Because the rate is fixed for the month, nobody has to guess. The rate used is printed on each invoice, so your accountant can trace every figure back to its source.

What does a GST invoice for cloud hosting show?

Each top-up gets a GST tax invoice in rupees. On Plexivo, every invoice carries:

• A number in one series per financial year, such as PX/2627/000001.
• The rate used for the conversion that month.
• Your GSTIN, once you have added it.
• Your PAN-verified legal name, when you have one.
• The tax split by place of supply. Within the supplier's state it is split into CGST and SGST; from another state it is IGST. The state code in your GSTIN sets the place of supply.

Plexivo is operated by Plexivo (OPC) Private Limited, registered in India. Every invoice is emailed to your organisation's owners and admins with the PDF attached.

Where do I add my GSTIN?

There are three places, and any one of them is enough. Whichever you use, the GSTIN appears on every invoice from then on.

• At sign-up. A business registered for GST in India can tick This organisation is registered for GST and enter its GSTIN.
• In settings. Open Settings → Organisation and add it under Tax & billing details.
• At checkout. In Billing → Add money, open GST details for your invoice (optional) and check the GSTIN, legal name and billing address.

A useful habit: ask your finance team to add the GSTIN before the first top-up, so every invoice carries it from the start. Your billing state, chosen at sign-up, also sets the tax on your invoices. See create your account.

Where is the PAN-verified legal name from?

In India, your PAN is checked once, when you first approve a deployment. With your explicit consent, Plexivo may ask for your PAN, name and date of birth. That check keeps free trials to one per person, and once it is done, your invoices carry the legal name it verified. No payment and no identity check happen at sign-up itself.

Where do I download my invoices?

Open Billing → Invoices. Every top-up is listed with its own invoice. Open one to Download PDF or Email a copy to yourself.

Everyone in your organisation can see the balance and usage. Adding money, invoices, budgets, commitments and plan changes need the owner role, or a policy that grants billing. That keeps the money side with the people who should hold it. The billing how-to covers every screen.

Step by step: top up in rupees and get your GST invoice

1. Open Billing. In the sidebar, choose Billing, then Add money.
2. Choose an amount. Enter the Amount to add (US$) or pick a quick amount: US$10, US$25, US$50 or US$100.
3. Add GST details. Open GST details for your invoice (optional) and check the GSTIN, legal name and billing address.
4. Check the summary. The Payment summary shows the wallet credit at this month's rate, the GST and the Total to pay.
5. Pay. Choose Pay and complete the payment by UPI, card or net banking on the secure checkout page. Plexivo never stores your card or UPI details.
6. Collect the invoice. Money reaches your wallet once the payment is confirmed. A receipt is emailed to you, and the GST tax invoice appears in Billing → Invoices with its PDF.

How do I track what I spend each month?

The Billing overview shows your Wallet balance, This month so far, Projected this month and recent Transactions. Billing → Usage shows what each resource has cost this month, your charges day by day, and what everything running now costs per day.

To be told when spending reaches a level you choose, open the Auto-recharge tab, find Budget limits, enter a Monthly budget in US dollars and choose Save budget. A budget alerts you and never stops anything. Owners and admins are also emailed when about a week of charges is left in the wallet, and again at about two days. The wallet and currency page explains what happens if a wallet runs out.

How do invoices work for agencies and their clients?

Agencies that join the Plexivo partner programme give each client its own organisation. Each client is isolated, with their own login, members, services, wallet and GST invoices, so every client's invoices carry that client's own GSTIN and legal name.

The agency itself gets monthly statements, invoices and exports for its accounts team, with GST shown separately. Partners earn 5–20% on their clients' eligible infrastructure billing. Read about the partner programme.

Can I claim input tax credit on cloud hosting?

That depends on your business and how you use the service, so it is a question for your chartered accountant. What Plexivo provides is the paperwork they will ask for: a GST tax invoice in rupees for every top-up, your GSTIN on it, your legal name, the tax split into CGST and SGST or IGST, and the conversion rate used. Share the PDFs from Billing → Invoices with your CA and ask them how to treat them.

FAQ

Do I get a GST invoice for cloud hosting on Plexivo?

Yes. Every wallet top-up made from India gets a GST tax invoice in rupees, emailed to your owners and admins with the PDF attached. You can also find them all in Billing → Invoices.

Is GST added to my wallet balance?

No. 18% GST is added to the amount you pay and is never taken from your wallet credit. Your wallet receives the full US dollar amount you chose.

Which exchange rate does Plexivo use?

The RBI reference rate on the 1st of the month, plus a 2% conversion margin. It is fixed for the whole month and printed on every invoice.

Can I add my GSTIN after I have signed up?

Yes. Add it in Settings → Organisation under Tax & billing details, or at checkout under GST details for your invoice (optional). It appears on every invoice after that.

Will the invoice show CGST and SGST or IGST?

It depends on the place of supply, which the state code in your GSTIN sets. Within the supplier's state, the tax is split into CGST and SGST; from another state, it is IGST.

Is this tax advice?

No. This article explains how Plexivo bills and what its invoices contain. For how to treat them in your own books, including input tax credit, ask your chartered accountant.

Get started

Create your organisation at cloud.plexivo.io and add your GSTIN before your first top-up. The free trial is on the Developer plan, and no credit card is required. Plan prices are on the pricing page, and our guide to deploying from Git in India shows the whole deploy-and-pay flow.