The IRD now requires VAT invoices in a specific "Tax Invoice" format with a mandatory serial number — and after the deadline, it's the only format accepted. Here's what changed, exactly what's required, and two ways to get compliant today.
Most Sri Lankan businesses raise VAT invoices from their own templates — a logo, an address, a line-item table, done. From 1 October 2026, that's no longer enough. Under Gazette Extraordinary No. 2481/22 (27 March 2026), as amended by No. 2500/106 (6 August 2026), the Inland Revenue Department requires every VAT invoice to follow one specific "Tax Invoice" format — and it's the only format the IRD will accept.
The requirement is about fields and numbering, not a fixed visual template — but every one of these has to be present:
Telephone number, payment mode, place of supply and the amount in words are good practice but optional.
Every Tax Invoice needs a serial in this exact shape, resetting every calendar month:
The 4-character code (QQQQ) is one you choose yourself, unique to your business. Crucially, this serial runs alongside your normal invoice numbering, not instead of it — a VAT invoice ends up with two numbers: your usual system invoice number, and this IRD serial.
Almost every off-the-shelf invoice template is missing at least one of these fields, and none of them generate the IRD's specific serial format automatically. After the deadline, an invoice without it isn't just untidy — the IRD won't accept it as a valid VAT invoice.
Fill in your details once, add line items, and print or save a compliant Tax Invoice as a PDF — in your browser, nothing uploaded anywhere. Good for getting compliant invoices out immediately.
Open the free tool →YENU ERP already generates this exact IRD format straight from your real sales — open any invoice and print it as a compliant Tax Invoice, with the serial issued and tracked automatically. No re-typing figures into a separate tool.
See YENU ERP plans →1 October 2026. After that date, the IRD only accepts VAT invoices in this format.
No — it runs alongside your normal numbering. Keep issuing your usual invoice numbers; the IRD serial is an addition, not a replacement.
No. The requirement is the fields and the serial format — you can keep your own branding and layout as long as every mandatory field is present and correctly formatted.
The gross total must be shown in whole LKR with no cents. The amount in words is a common convention but not mandatory.
IRD Tax Invoices generated automatically from your real sales — plus accounting, POS, inventory and HR in one place. No card required.
See plans →Pick a plan, and your private YENU ERP instance — IRD-ready invoicing included — is live in minutes.
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