GST registration for event management companies

What makes up your turnover

If you contract with the client for the whole event and pay vendors yourself, the full amount you bill is your turnover, not just your margin. Only amounts where you meet the pure agent conditions in Rule 33 stay out: you incur the cost on the client's behalf with their authorisation, the vendor's supply is to the client, you recover the exact amount and show it separately. In practice most planners act as principal, so plan registration on gross billing.

Place of supply for events

For organising an event for a registered business, the place of supply is the client's location. A Delhi planner running a product launch in Jaipur for a Delhi company charges CGST and SGST. For an individual, such as a family booking a destination wedding, the place of supply is where the event is held. A Mumbai planner doing a wedding in Udaipur for an unregistered family charges IGST.

Events held abroad for Indian clients have special rules, so check those contracts separately.

Invoicing practices

• Advances for bookings are taxable when received, so issue a receipt voucher.
• Credit on decor, sound, lighting and artist fees from registered vendors is available.
• Credit on food and catering is blocked for your own consumption, but available when you supply catering as part of an outward taxable event supply of the same kind.
• If a sponsor that is a company or firm pays you for branding at an event you organise, sponsorship is taxed under reverse charge in the sponsor's hands.
• Cancellation charges retained after an event is called off are generally taxable.

Registration and returns

Register at your office or home office with address proof and bank details, and add the bank account within 30 days of approval. Because clients and vendors are spread across states, take care with the place of supply on each invoice, since IGST paid in place of CGST and SGST cannot simply be adjusted. A professional can set up invoice templates by event type and handle monthly or quarterly returns.

Get it handled for you

Need GST registration done right the first time? Our chartered accountants prepare the documents, file the application and handle any query, so you do not have to visit the GST office. Call or WhatsApp +91 63677 44602, or use the form below.

This guide explains the law in general terms as of October 2026. Time limits and requirements can depend on the facts of your case and on the notice you received.