Introduction

Businesses with turnover of more than Rs 5 crore will have to furnish six-digit HSN or tariff code on the invoices issued for supplies of taxable goods and services from April 1, 2021. Those with turnover of up to Rs 5 crore in the preceding financial year would be required to mandatorily furnish four-digit HSN code on B2B invoices. Earlier, the requirement was four-digits and two-digits respectively. “With effect from the 1st April, 2021, GST taxpayers will have to furnish HSN (Harmonised System of Nomenclature Code), or Service Accounting Code (SAC) in their invoices, as per the revised requirement, the Ministry said in a statement.

What is HSN code?
HSN stands for Harmonised System of Nomenclature code. It is mandatory for both B2B and B2C tax invoices on the supplies of Goods and Services. This was introduced in 1988 by the World Customs Organization (WCO). This was introduced for a systematic classification of goods both national and international. This is a 6-digit code that classifies various products. India has been using HSN codes since 1986 to classify commodities for Customs and Central Excise. HSN codes apply to Customs and GST. The codes prescribed in the Customs tariff are used for the GST purposes too. HSN is used all over the world. There are different HSN codes for various commodities. HSN codes remove the need to upload details about the goods which makes filing of GST returns easier.

In trade parlance, every product is categorised under an HSN code (Harmonised System of Nomenclature). It helps in systematic classification of goods across the globe. HSN codes for goods at 6 digits are universally common. Therefore, common HSN codes apply to Customs and GST. Accordingly, codes prescribed in the Customs tariff are used for the GST purposes too. The Ministry said manufacturers and importers/exporters have been commonly using HSN Codes. Manufacturers were furnishing these codes even in the pre-GST regime. Importers and exporters have been furnishing these codes in import/export documents. Traders would mostly be using HSN codes furnished in the invoices issued to them by the manufacturer or importer suppliers.

Who needs it?
Manufacturers, importers and exporters have been using HSN codes for a long time now. Manufacturers were furnishing these codes even in the pre-GST regime. Importers and exporters have been furnishing these codes in their import, export documents. Traders would mostly be using HSN codes furnished in the invoices issued to them by the manufacturer or importer suppliers. Dealers with turnover of less than Rs 1.5 crore do not need to adopt HSN codes for their commodities. Businesses with turnover between Rs 1.5 crore and Rs 5 crore use two-digit HSN codes for their commodities.
 

Understanding the code
The HSN code contains 21 sections. These are divided into 99 chapters which are divided into 1244 sections. This system helps in making GST simpler and globally accepted. HSN codes for goods at 6 digits are universally common. Common HSN codes apply to Customs and GST. Codes prescribed in the Customs tariff are used for the GST purposes. In Customs Tariff, HS code is prescribed as heading (4 digits HS), sub-heading (6 digits HS) and tariff items (8 digits). These documents are accessible on the CBIC website.
 

What is SAC HSN code?
SAC code stands for Services Accounting. This is issued by Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) to classify each service under GST. Each service has a unique SAC. These SAC codes can be used in invoices created by you for the services you delivered. HSN and SAC codes are used to classify goods and services under GST regime.

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