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Finance & Law Explained in 2 Minutes

Place of supply of services — cross-border

Reviewed 2026-07-19Robots: index,followOfficial law prevails

Workflow in 2 Minutes

Apply section 13, identify intermediary/OIDAR/performance/property/event rules and preserve foreign-counterparty evidence.

Decision sequence

  • Freeze the relevant date and legal entity/registration.
  • Classify the supply, product, service, machine or process.
  • Apply the parent Act and exact special rule before the general rule.
  • Map rate/exemption/RCM/ECO/cess and connected form.
  • Reconcile books, customs/production/location evidence and portal data.
  • Prepare exception log, reviewer sign-off and litigation note.

Worked control example

A service contract involves parties in different locations. The team identifies the precise service category, tests the specific place-of-supply rule before the general rule, records recipient-location evidence and then selects the tax head.

Evidence pack

  • Executed contract / purchase order
  • Invoice and tax head
  • GSTIN and location evidence
  • Shipping/customs/SEZ or machine records
  • Rate/notification and computation sheet
  • Returns, challans and acknowledgements
  • Review note and source archive

Practical Q&A

What is the first control?

Fix the transaction, manufacture or import date and identify the legally relevant locations, product/service classification and liable person.

What is the minimum evidence file?

Act/Rule/notification sources, contract and invoice, location or production evidence, calculation, return/form acknowledgement and reviewer approval.

Can a portal result determine the law?

No. Portal treatment is operational evidence; the Act, Rules, notifications and binding judgments govern.