GST Slabs Redefined: Stay Compliant Using Zoho Books!

GST Slabs Redefined: Stay Compliant Using Zoho Books!

Hello Everyone!

The Government of India is rolling out new GST rates, a major reform aimed at simplifying the current tax structure starting 22 September 2025. GST will move from four slabs (5%, 12%, 18%, 28%) to two main slabs (5% and 18%), plus a special 40% slab for luxury and sin goods. 

To support updating this, Zoho Books offers complete GST management from automatically updating the new GST rates and applying the updated tax rates for the invoices and recurring invoices. You can stay compliant, reduce manual errors, and make financial management easier for businesses. 

What’s Changing in GST 

The new GST reforms provide relief for both households and businesses in India. These changes affect GST rates across products and services, impacting how businesses manage invoicing and compliance.

You can review the revised GST rates for different products and services in the table below.

Food & Household Sector

Products / Items
Tax Slab (From 1 July 2017)
New Tax Slab (From 22 Sept 2025)
UHT milk, pre-packaged chena/paneer, all Indian breads
-
NIL
Soaps, shampoos, toothbrushes, toothpaste, tableware, bicycles
-
5%
Packaged namkeens, bhujia, sauces, pasta, chocolates, coffee, preserved meat
12% / 18%
5%
TVs (LCD/LED >32’), ACs, dishwashers
28%
18%

Home Building & Materials

Products / Items
Tax Slab (From 1 July 2017)
New Tax Slab (From 22 Sept 2025)
Cement
28%
18%
Marble/travertine blocks, granite blocks, sand-lime bricks
12%
5%
Bamboo flooring/joinery, packing cases & pallets (wood)
12%
5%

Automobile Sector

Products / Items
Tax Slab (From 1 July 2017)
New Tax Slab (From 22 Sept 2025)
Small cars, two-wheelers ≤350cc
28%
18%
Buses, trucks, three-wheelers, auto parts
28%
18%

Agriculture Sector

Products / Items
Tax Slab (From 1 July 2017)
New Tax Slab (From 22 Sept 2025)
Tractors
12%
5%
Tires and parts
18%
5%
Harvesters, threshers, sprinklers, drip irrigation, poultry & beekeeping machines
12%
5%
Bio-pesticides and natural menthol
12%
5%

Service Sector

Products / Items
Tax Slab (From 1 July 2017)
New Tax Slab (From 22 Sept 2025)
Hotel stays up to ₹7,500/day
12%
5%
Gyms, salons, barbers, yoga
18%
5%

Toys, Sports & Handicrafts

Products / Items
Tax Slab (From 1 July 2017)
New Tax Slab (From 22 Sept 2025)
Handicraft idols & statues
12%
5%
Paintings, sculptures
12%
5%
Wooden/metal/textile dolls & toys
12%
5%

Education Sector

Products / Items
Tax Slab (From 1 July 2017)
New Tax Slab (From 22 Sept 2025)
Geometry boxes, school cartons, trays12%5%

Medical Sector

Products / Items
Tax Slab (From 1 July 2017)
New Tax Slab (From 22 Sept 2025)
Life-saving drugs, diagnostic kits
12%
0%
Other medicines (Ayurveda, Unani, Homeopathy)
12%
5%
Spectacles and corrective goggles
28%
5%
Medical oxygen, thermometers, surgical instruments
12–18%
5%
Medical, dental, and veterinary devices
18%
5%

Learn more about updates in GST rate for more goods/services.

Update to new GST Rates in Zoho Books

Important Note: The GST tax rate update scheduling banner will be available in Zoho Books from 6 PM on September 18, 2025.

Zoho Books makes it easy to switch to the new GST rates. You can review the new tax rates for all items based on their HSN Codes, Composite Items, and any recurring transactions. Once reviewed, you can schedule the update. Zoho Books will then apply the new GST rates across all transactions. To review and update:
  1. Go to your Zoho Books organisation’s Home page.
  2. Click View Details from the GST Slab Update banner.
  3. Click Review Updates to apply the new tax rates automatically.
  4. Review the tax changes and click Proceed to Schedule Update.
  5. If your organisation has more than 250 items, the preview will not be available.
    1. You can download the Tax Update file from the generated link to view the new tax rates for all items, along with their HSN Codes, Composite Items, and Recurring Transactions.
  6. Once you have reviewed the items and tax rates, click Confirm & Schedule.
  7. Select your preferred date for updating the tax rates.
Date
How It Is Updated
22 September 2025 (Monday)
New tax rates will be updated on this date. Any transaction created on or after this date will have the new GST rates applied.
20 September 2025 (Saturday)
New tax rates will be updated on this date. Any transaction created after this date will have the new rates, but they will not be effective yet.
21 September 2025 (Sunday)
New tax rates will be updated on this date. Any transaction created after this date will have the new rates, but they will not be effective yet.

Note: If you create a transaction dated before the scheduled update, the new tax rate will be applied by default. You can manually change the tax rate from the item's Edit page if needed.
  1. Check the I agree to manually update the tax rates for all my items and to ensure they are correct for all transactions created until September 22, 2025.
  2. Click Confirm & Schedule to schedule the update.
Alternatively, you can update the new tax rates manually. To do so, export all your items, composite items, and recurring transactions, update the new tax rates in a spreadsheet, and re-import the updated files into Zoho Books.

What Happens After GST Rates Are Updated

Once the new GST rates are updated:
  1. The Tax Rates under Taxes in Settings will display both the old and new tax rates.
  2. Items will be updated with new tax rates based on their selected HSN Code. For items without an HSN Code, you must update the new tax rates manually.
  3. Any transaction created after the update will have the new tax rate set as the default. You can still manually change the tax rate from the transaction’s Edit page if needed.
What If you Miss the GST Update

You can always update to new tax rate from the GST update banner in Zoho Books. However, failing to update the GST tax rates may cause compliance issues while filing your GST returns.

Update your tax rates now to stay compliant, ensuring all transactions reflect the new GST slabs in Zoho Books.

If you have any questions or insights to share, please leave a comment below. We will be happy to assist you!

Regards,
The Zoho Books Team




        • Recent Topics

        • Identify long running sync jobs/tables

          My sync process causes strain on my production database and I'd love some tools/alerts to help me identify which tables are taking the longest. The current screen only shows 3 tables at a time and truncates the last fetch time so that it is very cumbersome

        • Zoho Analytics Regex Support

          When can we expect full regex support in Zoho Analytics SQL such as REGEXP_REPLACE? Sometimes I need to clean the data and using regex functions is the easiest way to achieve this.

        • Automatically CC an address using Zoho CRM Email Templates

          Hi all - have searched but can't see a definitive answer. We have built multiple email templates in CRM. Every time we send this we want it to CC a particular address (the same address for every email sent) so that it populates the reply back into our

        • Solution to Import PST File into Office 365.

          MailsDaddy OST to Office 365 Migration Tool is an outstanding solution to recover OST files and migrate them into Office 365 without any hassle. Using this software users can multiple OST files into Office 365 with complete data security. It offers users

        • Series Label in the Legend

          My legend reads 'Series 1' and 'Series 2'. From everything I read online, Zoho is supposed to change the data names if it's formatted correctly. I have the proper labels on the top of the columns and the right range selected. I assume it's something in

        • Associate emails from both primary and secondary contacts to deal

          We need to associate emails from multiple contacts to a deal. Please advise how this can be achieved. At present, only emails from primary contacts can be associated. Thanks

        • New integration: Zoho Sign for Zoho Projects

          Hey there! We’re excited to announce the brand-new Zoho Sign integration for Zoho Projects! With this integration, users can now send documents for signatures, track their progress, and manage approvals—all without leaving Zoho Projects. This bridges

        • Update to attachment display in ticket threads

          This enhancement will provide faster access for support teams and end-users, significantly boosting productivity for everyone. Get ready for a more efficient and satisfying experience! Immediate benefits Faster ticket rendering reduces wait times and

        • Narrative 15: Blueprint - Automate, guide, and transform your support processes

          Behind the scenes of a successful ticketing system: BTS Series Narrative 15: Blueprint - Automate, guide, and transform your support processes Even organizations that deliver quality products and services can face low customer satisfaction when their

        • Different MRP / Pricing for same product but different batches

          We often face the following situations where MRP of a particular product changes on every purchase and hence we have to charge the customer accordingly. This can't be solved by Batch tracking as of now so far as I understand Zoho. How do you manage it as of now? 

        • Batch/lot # and Storage bin location

          Hi I want to ask for a feature on Zoho inventory I own a warehouse and I've gone through different management software solutions with no luck until I found Zoho, it has been a game changer for my business with up to the minute information, I'm extremely happy with it. It's almost perfect. And I say Almost because the only thing missing for me (and I'm sure I'm not alone) is the need of being able to identify the lot number of my inventory and where it is located in the warehouse. Due to the nature

        • ZOHO BOOKS - RECEIVING MORE ITEMS THAN ORDERED

          Hello, When trying to enter a vendor's bill that contains items with bigger quantity than ordered in the PO (it happens quite often) - The system would not let us save the bill and show this error: "Quantity recorded cannot be more than quantity ordered." 

        • Good news! Calendar in Zoho CRM gets a face lift

          Dear Customers, We are delighted to unveil the revamped calendar UI in Zoho CRM. With a complete visual overhaul aligned with CRM for Everyone, the calendar now offers a more intuitive and flexible scheduling experience. What’s new? Distinguish activities

        • Sync desktop folders instantly with WorkDrive TrueSync (Beta)

          Keeping your important files backed up and accessible has never been easier! With WorkDrive desktop app (TrueSync), you can now automatically sync specific desktop folders to WorkDrive Web, ensuring seamless, real-time updates across devices. Important:

        • Writer update results in BitDefender blocking it as malware

          After updating Writer to latest update, Bitdefender blocked the app and writer no longer runs.

        • Zoho Books - New Interface keep details with PDF View

          Hello, The Zoho Books Interface has changed for estimates etc... One thing is causing issues though. Before the change, in PDF view you could see the detail information including custom fields entered for the estimate. Now, you have to switch between

        • Zoho One Unified Portal - Applications

          Hello, It is great to see the work on the New Unified Customer Portal. Thanks for that. The number of applications is limited though. It is now only around the Zoho Books ecosystem (Books, Expense...) and Zoho Social. = Are other applications planned

        • Refresh frequency

          Dear Zoho Team, I really, truly appreciate that Zoho Books gets frequent updates. As a matter of fact this is how a good SaaS company should stay on top. However, I feel that I have to hit refresh almost every day. This was exciting at the beginning but

        • Refund

          My plan expired today, and I updated my payment details with a new credit card. At the same time, I wanted to downgrade, but the system wouldn’t allow the downgrade until the payment details were updated. As a result, I was charged for the same plan before

        • Can we generate APK and IOS app?

          Dears, I want to know the availability to develop the app on zoho and after that .. generate the APK or IOS app  and after that I added them to play store or IOS store.. Is it possible to do this .. I want not to use zoho app or let my customers use it. thanks 

        • Add "Fetch Composite Item" Action for Inventory

          I want to make a Flow that uses information returned in the GET call for Composite Items, and it's not currently available in Zoho Flow. Please consider adding this functionality.

        • Calling Function via REST API with API Key gives 401 using Zoho Developer

          Hi, I created a couple of functions using the one month trial of Enterprise edition, which I was able to call using the API Key method from Postman and from an external site. Now that my trial has expired, I have created the same functions in the Developer

        • Error due to - 'Internal Exception' when uploading Sign-generated PDF file to workdrive via Deluge in Zoho CRM

          Hi I wasnt getting this error a few days ago and my code had not changed, so I'm wondering if there's a Zoho bug somewhere? I am downloading a PDF file from a Zoho Sign url using invokeurl and then uploading it to a Workdrive folder using zoho.workdrive.uploadFile.

        • Embed CRM record images in email templates

          I have email templates that I want to embed dynamic images in their body - not as an attachment. For the context, the image is a QR code individual to each contact. So there are couple of challenges for which I think there is no solution in CRM: 1/ I

        • Assign multiple departments to multiple helpcenters

          Hi there! I have a reseller company for a software and I'm using Zoho Desk as my helpcenter and ticket management system. The software is great and I would like to make a suggestion! With multi-branding activated, your departments that visible in help

        • Zoho Desk Training

          Hello, We've had Zoho desk for a while now, but we run into issues occasionally, and I was wondering if there was a customer who currently uses it and really enjoys the functionality, that would be wiling to chat with us?

        • Advanced Customization of the Help Center using JavaScript

          Hello everyone, The Help Center in Zoho Desk can be customized by using HTML and CSS to provide structure and enhance the page's appearance—but what if you want to add interactive and dynamic elements? You can add these effects with JavaScript, a programming

        • Exciting Updates to the Kiosk Studio Feature in Zoho CRM!

          Hello Everyone, We are here again with a series of new enhancements to Kiosk Studio, designed to elevate your experience and bring even greater efficiency to your business processes. These updates build upon our ongoing commitment to making Kiosk a powerful

        • Edit default "We are here to help you" text in chat SalesIQ widget

          Does anyone know how this text can be edited? I can't find it anywhere in settings. Thanks!

        • PO Based Advance payment to Vendor

          We recommend to introduce a provision at PO to make advance payment to vendors and auto apply that advance paid later at the time of Vendor Bill submission for that PO. This will help us track PO-wise Total Payments.

        • Converting Customer Invoice to Purchase Bill

          Hi, In my service-based business, I sometimes create the customer invoice first, and later I receive the purchase bill from the vendor for the same job. Is there any option in Zoho Books to: Convert a customer invoice into a purchase bill, or Link/associate

        • Getting Project Template List using the REST API

          I am trying to confirm that I can use the REST API to create a project using a project template. The API documentation indicates this is possible by providing the Template ID, but it is not clear at all how to get a list of available Project Templates

        • How to get Quickbooks Desktop Info into Zoho?

          Our team has used Quickbooks desktop for years and is looking at switching to Zoho books in 2026. I want to bring all old sales history over since we use Zoho CRM. I can export Item sales history and generic sales orders from Quickbooks desktop. How do

        • ZeptoMail API Request

          We tried to send mail using ZeptoMail using Django. Following is my payload {'from': {'address': 'abc@abc.com'}, 'to': [{'email_address': {'address': 'xyz@xyz.in', 'name': 'Bhavik'}}], 'subject': 'Report Name', 'htmlbody': '<p>Test</p>'} Following is

        • Zoho Inventory - Allow Update of Marketplace Generated Sales Orders via API

          Hi Inventory Team, I was recently asked by a client to create an automation which updated a Zoho Inventory Sales Order if a Shopify Order was updated. I have created the script but I found that the request is blocked as the Sales Order was generated by

        • Admin asked me for Backend Details when I wanted to verify my ZeptoMail Account

          Please provide the backend details where you will be adding the SMTP/API information of ZeptoMail Who knows what this means?

        • Mass import of documents into Zoho Writer

          I'm using Google's word processor at the moment but feel that Zoho does a better job (on the online apps market). Iwant to move my documents (about 50-70) to Zoho but it seems to me that I have to import them seperately. Is it already possible to upload several documents at a time or is this a forthcoming feature? Cheers Rolli :?:

        • Add System Pre-Defined Lookup Field to Subform?

          Hi there! New to using Zoho, so this may already exist, but I'm having trouble figuring it out. Is there a way to get the system pre-defined Account Lookup field (in our case, renamed to Company Name), as the starting point for a subform? In our company,

        • Duplicating and referencing datasets

          I am moving from PowerBI to Zoho Analytics and while I find Zoho easier to use in many ways, there is one function that I use in PowerBI that I have not been able to find in Zoho.   I have several data sets that I need to modify in different ways to get

        • How we cut CRM updates from ~20 minutes down to 2, our real workflow

          Updating the Zoho CRM after every call used to be one of the biggest time sucks for our team. By the time you write your notes, clean them up, fill in the fields, and log everything properly… you’ve easily lost 15–20 minutes per call. We started experimenting

        • Next Page