How to create a customer?

In IntelligentGST every customer is a ledger account under the Sundry Debtors group. Once a customer is created you can pick it on sales invoices, quotations and receipts, and its ledger, outstanding and GST reports are kept automatically. This guide walks through the Customer screen and what each field is used for.

Opening the Customer screen

1. Go to Master › Account › Customers, or press F3 (Customer) from the main screen.
2. The Ledger Creation screen opens with Under already set to Sundry Debtors, so the customer is placed in the right group.
3. You can also create a customer from Master › Account › Accounts by selecting Sundry Debtors (or a group you created under it) in the Under field.

The quick way: fill details from the GSTIN

For a GST-registered customer, type the GSTIN and click Validate. IntelligentGST checks the number on the GST portal and, if the registration is active, fills in the trade name, mailing name, GST type, address, state, city and PIN code for you. An internet connection is needed. If the GSTIN already belongs to another account you will see "Duplicate GST Number", and if the registration is cancelled or suspended you will see "The GSTIN number is not ACTIVE".

Even without validating, typing a correct GSTIN fills the State and PAN Number automatically from the number itself.

Fields description

Basic details

• Account Name*: The name of the customer as it should appear in lists, vouchers and reports. It must be filled in.
• Under*: The account group the customer belongs to. It defaults to Sundry Debtors. Press F2 to create a new account group, for example to keep wholesale and retail customers apart.
• Mailing Name*: The name printed on invoices and other documents. It is copied from Account Name when left blank, so change it only if the billing name is different.
• Opening Balance as on: The amount the customer owes you on the date your books begin (shown next to the label). Select Dr when the customer owes you and Cr when you owe the customer, for example an advance received.
• Detail: Opens the bill-wise opening balance grid. Enter each unpaid bill with its voucher date, voucher number, due date, pending amount and voucher type, so receipts can later be adjusted against individual bills. Bill dates must be earlier than the books beginning date.

Address and contact

• Address*: The billing address in two lines. It is used when printing invoices, receipts and other documents.
• City: The customer’s city (up to 20 characters).
• Pin: The postal PIN code.
• Country: India by default. Selecting any other country sets the GST Supplier Type to Overseas and disables the State field.
• State*: The customer’s state. It is mandatory for Indian customers because it decides whether CGST + SGST or IGST is charged on an invoice.
• Contact Person: The person you deal with at the customer’s business.
• Mobile: The customer’s mobile number.
• E-mail: The customer’s e-mail address.

GST and tax details

• GST Supplier Type*: The customer’s GST registration type: Regular, Composition, Unregistered, Consumer, Overseas or SEZ.
• GSTIN: The customer’s 15-character GST number. It is required when the GST Supplier Type is Regular, Composition or SEZ, and must be left blank for Unregistered, Consumer and Overseas customers. The first two digits must match the state code of the selected State.
• Validate: Checks the GSTIN on the GST portal and fills in the customer’s details (see above). Available while creating a new customer.
• PAN Number: The customer’s PAN. It is filled in automatically from the GSTIN.
• Adhaar Number: The customer’s Aadhaar number, if you need to record it.
• MSME No: The customer’s Udyam / MSME registration number, if any.
• Party Type: Choose Deemed Export, Embassy/UN Body or SEZ when the customer falls under one of these special categories; otherwise leave it as Not Applicable.
• Is ecommerce operator ?: Select Yes if the customer is an e-commerce operator.
• Is a transporter ?: Select Yes if the account is a transporter.

Credit control and grouping

• Limit: The credit limit you allow this customer.
• Credit Days Default: The usual number of days the customer gets to pay (up to 3 digits). It is used to work out due dates.
• Rate of Interest: The interest rate used when calculating interest on overdue amounts.
• Category: An optional classification, for example Dealer or Retail, used to filter and group reports.
• Area: An optional area or route, used to group customers by location in reports.

Bank details

• Bank Name: The customer’s bank.
• Bank A/c No: The customer’s bank account number.
• Branch Name: The bank branch.
• IFSC Code: The branch IFSC code.

Fields with an asterisk (*) are mandatory and must be filled in to save the customer.

Saving the customer

Save the record once the details are complete. IntelligentGST checks the entries before saving and shows a message if something needs fixing:

• Enter valid name: Account Name is empty.
• Enter Mailing Name / Enter Address: Mailing Name or Address is blank. Both are required for customers.
• Please enter supplier GST Type: GST Supplier Type has not been selected.
• Enter valid GSTIN: The GST Supplier Type is Regular, Composition or SEZ but no GSTIN was entered.
• Please remove GSTIN: A GSTIN was entered for an Unregistered, Consumer or Overseas customer.
• Please enter proper GSTN Number: The GSTIN format is wrong, or its first two digits do not match the selected State.
• Select State: State is empty for a customer in India.
• City should be max 20 characters: Shorten the city name.

Additional instructions

1. Choose the correct State and GST Supplier Type. Together they decide the tax type on invoices and how the sale is reported in GSTR-1.
2. For walk-in buyers who are not registered under GST, use GST Supplier Type Consumer or Unregistered and leave the GSTIN blank.
3. Enter opening bills through Detail rather than only a lump-sum opening balance if you want bill-wise outstanding reports from day one.
4. To change a customer later, open the Customers list from Master › Account › Customers, select the customer and edit the details. A customer that already has transactions cannot be deleted.
5. Press Ctrl+H on the screen to open the help page for accounts.