Get legal & compliant

Register, get GST-ready, protect your name, and clear the licenses you need to sell.

What founders use for get legal & compliant, ranked by how many answers lean on it.

  1. The clearest field-by-field breakdown of what Rule 46 actually requires, with the HSN-digit rule spelled out by turnover slab... Tally Solutions Article GST Invoice: Format, Types, Mandatory Fields & Examples Tally Solutions
  2. A single glance-able calendar to put your GSTR-1/GSTR-3B dates straight into your own calendar instead of hunting through... ClearTax Tool GST Calendar 2026-27: GST Due Dates, Filing Deadlines and Compliance ClearTax
  3. Video GST Returns Filing 2026: How to file GST Returns, GSTR-1, IMS & GSTR-3B YouTube
  4. The rare resource that sequences the tasks in order instead of listing rules alphabetically, so you know what to do this week... CA in Bangalore Template GST Compliance Guide for First-Time GST Registrants: Month-by-Month Checklist CA in Bangalore
  5. If you want compliant invoices and eventual e-filing from one tool rather than stitching together a billing app and a separate... Zoho Tool Zoho Books: GST Billing Software built for Indian SMEs Zoho
  6. Worth a skim even at invoice-zero, since a DPIIT-recognized D2C startup may qualify for GST and income-tax carve-outs that... Startup India / DPIIT Report Tax Playbook for Startup Ecosystem (May 2026) Startup India / DPIIT
  7. The clean global baseline for what belongs on any invoice, useful to sanity-check your GST-specific template is not missing... Xero Article What to include on an invoice: a complete guide for small businesses Xero
  8. If your D2C brand plans to sell outside India too, this is the cleanest mental model for treating tax registration as a... Stripe Template Getting Started: Sales Tax Compliance Checklist Stripe
  9. If you bill through Shopify, this is the primary doc for where your GSTIN and tax settings actually plug into the platform,... Shopify Article Shopify Help Center: Taxes Shopify
  10. A ready-made checklist format, not just an article to read, that you can literally tick through while setting up your invoicing... A2X Template The ESSENTIAL Ecommerce Bookkeeping Checklist A2X
  11. Zooms out from the single invoice to the bookkeeping system it feeds into, so your first invoice lands in a set of books that... Shopify Article Ecommerce Bookkeeping 101 for Small Business: A Step-by-Step Guide Shopify

The questions

Registering your business 6

The right entity to sell and to raise.

I'm just starting out, should I register as a proprietorship, LLP, or private limited company? 4 → Once I've decided on Private Limited, what's the actual step-by-step to incorporate it? 4 → Is it worth applying for Startup India / DPIIT recognition, and what does it actually get me? 4 → I'm a solo founder with no co-founder, does an OPC (One Person Company) make more sense than an LLP? 4 → Beyond incorporation, what other registrations do I actually need before I can legally take my first order? 4 → All 6 questions in Registering your business →
GST registration & basics 6

Get GST-ready before your first online sale.

Do I need a GST number before I make my very first sale, or can that wait? 20 → What's the actual step-by-step to register for GST myself, without paying a CA? 18 → What documents do I need lined up before I start the GST application? 16 → I'm a small maker just starting out, does the GST composition scheme make sense for me? 20 → How long does GST registration actually take and what does it cost? 18 → All 6 questions in GST registration & basics →
GST across states & e-commerce 7

Place of supply, TCS, and selling pan-India cleanly.

Do I actually need a GST registration to sell online, or can I start without one? 4 → A customer in another state ordered, do I charge IGST or CGST + SGST? 4 → Why is Amazon/Flipkart holding back a cut of my payout, what is this TCS? 4 → I store stock in a 3PL or Amazon FBA warehouse in another state, do I need a separate GST registration there? 4 → What HSN code and GST rate apply to my product, and where do I look it up? 3 → All 7 questions in GST across states & e-commerce →
Trademark & brand IP 6

Own your name before someone else does.

Should I trademark my brand name before I even launch, or can it wait till I have traction? 4 → How do I check if my brand name is already taken before I fall in love with it? 4 → What trademark class do I actually file under for my D2C brand, just one, or more? 3 → How much does trademark registration actually cost and how long does it take in India? 3 → What's the difference between the ™ I'm already using and getting an actual registered ®? 3 → All 6 questions in Trademark & brand IP →
Product licenses & certifications 6

FSSAI, cosmetics, BIS, drug, legal-metrology, get legal to sell.

I'm selling packaged food/snacks online, what FSSAI license do I need, and does my turnover matter? 4 → I make skincare/cosmetics at home or with a small manufacturer, do I need a CDSCO license before I can sell? 2 → I import or sell gadgets/electronics, what's this BIS CRS mark I keep hearing about? 3 → What exactly has to be on my product label/pack to be legally compliant under Legal Metrology? 3 → How do I even figure out which licenses apply to MY specific product, is there a single checklist? 3 → All 6 questions in Product licenses & certifications →
EPR & sustainability compliance 6

Plastic EPR, packaging rules, and green claims that hold up.

Do I actually need EPR registration for my D2C brand's plastic packaging, and what happens if I skip it? 3 → What's the actual step-by-step to register for EPR on the CPCB portal? 4 → What are the recycled-content and QR code traceability rules I need to hit in 2025-2026? 3 → Can I call my packaging 'eco-friendly' or 'sustainable' on my product page without getting into trouble? 3 → Where do I actually source compostable or plastic-free packaging in India without blowing my per-order cost? 3 → All 6 questions in EPR & sustainability compliance →
Data privacy & the DPDP Act 6

Handle customer data legally under India's DPDP Act.

Do I actually need to worry about DPDP as a small D2C brand, or is this a big-company problem? 3 → What exactly counts as valid consent under DPDP for my checkout and signup forms? 3 → What do I need to put in my privacy policy, and how do I actually draft one? 4 → What tools should I use to get DPDP-compliant without hiring a lawyer for every step? 2 → What actually happens to my brand if I don't comply, what are the real penalties? 3 → All 6 questions in Data privacy & the DPDP Act →
Business insurance & risk 6

Cover product liability, inventory, and shipping risk.

Do I actually need product liability insurance as a small D2C brand, or am I overthinking it? 3 → What does product liability insurance in India actually cost and cover? 3 → My marketplace is asking for liability insurance before I can keep selling, what do I actually need to show them? 3 → How do I insure my inventory against fire, theft, or damage sitting in a warehouse? 3 → What about goods lost or damaged in transit or shipping, is that covered separately from warehouse insurance? 3 → All 6 questions in Business insurance & risk →
Counterfeits & IP enforcement 6

Stop fakes and hijackers on marketplaces and your store.

How do I get my brand onto Amazon Brand Registry and Project Zero to fight counterfeits? 3 → What's Flipkart's equivalent, and how do I actually report a fake or unauthorised listing there? 3 → Someone's hijacked my own product listing and is undercutting my price, what do I do? 3 → Do I need a trademark before I can even start protecting my brand, and how do I register one in India? 2 → My brand is being sold as fake on Instagram and WhatsApp, not just on marketplaces, what do I do? 3 → All 6 questions in Counterfeits & IP enforcement →
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →