Setting up billing software for a kirana store takes one afternoon: scan your fast-moving packaged items into a catalogue first, add loose items (rice, dal, sugar) with a weight unit, set your GST type (regular or composition), and track customer credit in the app instead of a notebook. After that, every sale updates stock automatically.
Most kirana stores run on memory, a calculator, and a credit notebook — and they run well, until the shop gets busy, a family member covers the counter, or GST filing comes around. Billing software doesn't change how you sell; it just records it as you go. Here's a setup that works for a typical neighbourhood store.
Step 1: Build your catalogue by scanning
Don't type 800 items on day one. Most packaged goods — biscuits, soaps, oil, tea — already carry an EAN barcode. Scan each item as you restock or sell it, and add the price and GST rate once. Within two or three weeks, the items that actually sell are all in the system. Our guide to barcode vs manual entry explains why scanning matters at a busy counter.
Step 2: Set up loose items properly
| Item type | Unit | How to bill it |
|---|---|---|
| Packaged goods (biscuits, soap) | Piece | Scan the barcode |
| Loose staples (rice, dal, sugar) | Kg or g | Pick from a short list, enter weight |
| Bought by the case, sold by the piece | Box → piece | Set a conversion (e.g. 1 box = 24 pieces) |
| Items without barcodes | Piece | Print your own label once (see our barcode labels guide) |
Step 3: Choose the right invoice type
Most kirana stores fall into one of three GST situations:
- Not registered (turnover below the registration threshold): issue a simple bill with no GST charged.
- Composition scheme: issue a bill of supply — you can't charge GST on the bill, and it must say you're a composition taxable person.
- Regular GST: issue tax invoices with HSN codes and CGST/SGST. Sales to unregistered customers under ₹50,000 don't need the buyer's details.
Set this once in the software so every bill carries the right format. See the GST invoice format guide for the regular-scheme fields.
Step 4: Move the udhaar notebook into the app
Credit sales are where kirana stores lose the most money quietly — a forgotten entry, an unreadable page, a dispute about what was paid. Record credit sales against the customer's name, record payments as they come in, and check the outstanding list weekly. Sharing a statement on WhatsApp is far easier than arguing over a notebook.
Step 5: A five-minute daily routine
- Morning: open the low-stock list and note what to order from the distributor.
- When stock arrives: scan it in, so counts stay right.
- All day: bill by scanning; stock drops automatically.
- Closing: check the day's total against cash and UPI received.
What to look for in kirana billing software
- Works on the phone you already have — no separate POS machine needed to start
- Keeps billing when the internet or power is unreliable
- Handles weight-based and piece-based items
- Supports composition bills of supply as well as GST tax invoices
- Tracks customer credit and shares statements on WhatsApp
- Shows low-stock items so you reorder before shelves go empty
StashBill (launching soon) is built for exactly this kind of counter — scan to bill, offline by default, and free forever for one device. See how it fits retail shops.
Frequently asked
Do I need a barcode scanner machine for a kirana store?
No. A phone camera reads standard product barcodes. A USB or Bluetooth scanner helps only if you have queues at the counter.
Can I bill loose items like rice and dal?
Yes — set them up with a weight unit (kg or g) and a price per kg, and enter the weight at billing.
Does a small kirana store need GST registration?
Only once turnover crosses the registration threshold for your state (₹40 lakh for goods in most states, ₹20 lakh in some special category states), or if you sell inter-state. Check with your accountant for your situation.