Blog · Compliance

Every date an Indian freelancer billing abroad has to keep

Exporting services from India comes with a calendar: some dates every month, some every quarter, a few once a year. Here is all of it in one place, and how Blackbird Finance keeps it for you.

By , Co-founder and COO, Blackbird Finance3 min read

In short

  • Monthly GST filers file GSTR-1 by the 11th and GSTR-3B by the 20th of the next month.
  • Quarterly (QRMP) filers file GSTR-1 by the 13th after the quarter and GSTR-3B by the 22nd or 24th, depending on their state.
  • From October 2026, every exporter of services hands their bank an EDF within 30 days of each month’s end.
  • Advance tax is due on 15 June, 15 September, 15 December and 15 March; professionals on presumptive tax pay it all by 15 March.
  • The LUT for exporting without IGST is renewed by 31 March for the coming year.

Who I am

I’m Satwik Reddy, co-founder and chief operating officer of Blackbird Finance, alongside Mahesh Bal, Saharsh Keerthi and Arhaan Rahil Mohammed. As COO I run the company’s operations, and a large part of what we operate is a calendar: making sure every account sees the right dates for the way it files.

Every month

If you file GST monthly, three dates repeat every month, each for the month before:

  1. 1GSTR-1 by the 11th. Your sales invoices, with exports in table 6A.
  2. 2GSTR-3B by the 20th. The summary return and any tax due; exports go in 3.1(b) as zero-rated.
  3. 3The EDF within 30 days of the month’s end. One form to your AD bank listing every export invoice raised that month. For October 2026, that is 30 November.

If you file quarterly

Businesses with a turnover of up to ₹5 crore can choose the QRMP scheme and file GST every quarter instead. Then:

  • GSTR-1 is due by the 13th of the month after the quarter;
  • GSTR-3B is due by the 22nd for GSTINs in states such as Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, and by the 24th everywhere else;
  • GST for the first two months of the quarter is paid by PMT-06, on the 25th of the following month.

The EDF stays monthly whichever way you file GST.

Once a year

  • Advance tax on 15 June, 15 September, 15 December and 15 March, at 15%, 45%, 75% and 100% of the year’s tax. Professionals on presumptive tax under section 58 pay it all by 15 March. It applies once your tax for the year, after TDS, is ₹10,000 or more.
  • The LUT for the coming year, by 31 March, so April’s export invoices can go out without IGST.
  • GSTR-9, the annual GST return, by 31 December after the year, for businesses that have to file it.
  • The income-tax return. Its date depends on the form and is often extended, so check the Income Tax portal each year.

One month, worked through: November 2026

Here is every deadline that falls in November 2026, from the same generator as Blackbird Finance’s calendar and our due dates page:

DateDeadlineWho it applies to
11 November 2026GSTR-1 for October 2026Monthly filers
20 November 2026GSTR-3B for October 2026Monthly filers
25 November 2026GST payment (PMT-06) for October 2026Quarterly (QRMP) filers
30 November 2026EDF for October 2026Every exporter of services

How Blackbird Finance keeps the calendar

Blackbird Finance builds your calendar from the way you file: monthly or quarterly, the state your GSTIN is in, and whether you export. Each date links to the portal page it is filed on, and the dashboard shows what is due next. The EDF and GSTR-1 come from the invoices you have already raised, so a deadline means checking a prepared file, not starting one.

Keep the calendar handy

The due dates calendar lists every deadline month by month, and our export guides explain each form. If a date here does not match what you see on a portal, tell us at support@blackbirdfinance.net and we will check it.

Questions people ask

Who is the COO of Blackbird Finance?
Satwik Reddy is the co-founder and chief operating officer of Blackbird Finance.
When is the EDF due?
Within 30 days of the end of the month it covers. The EDF for October 2026 is due by 30 November 2026.