I finally got my GSTIN, what do I need to set up before my first invoice goes out?
The short answer
First, validate your bank account on the GST portal within 30 days (or before your first GSTR-1/IFF filing), an unvalidated account can get your GSTIN suspended. Then set up a compliant invoice format (GSTIN, HSN code, tax breakup) in whatever billing tool you're using, and put a return-filing cadence on your calendar, GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B, monthly or quarterly depending on your scheme. A short video walkthrough of the actual filing screens is worth 20 minutes before your first return is due, since the portal's UX isn't intuitive on a first pass.
A quick summary to orient you. The real value is below: the resources worth your time, from people who've actually done it, not us.
Here are the resources
Hand-picked from around the web, each with a note on why it earns your time. India-specific ones carry a badge.
Why we picked it
The government's own click-through video tutorial of the enrolment screens, as close to an official demo as you'll get, useful right before you sit down to file.
Why we picked it
A free full-length course for founders who want the conceptual model (why GST works the way it does) before diving into registration mechanics, worth it if tax concepts are genuinely new to you.
Why we picked it
A short, well-produced explainer that gets a total beginner to a working mental model of GST in under 20 minutes, the video to send a co-founder who's never touched tax before.
Why we picked it
The most complete walk-through of the TRN-to-GSTIN flow we found, screen by screen, read this once before you open the actual portal so nothing on the form surprises you.
