Does this consignment need an e-way bill?
Four questions — value, where it is going, how far, and what it is — and a straight answer, with the validity period.
Answer
Yes — an e-way bill is required
This is inter-state movement and the consignment value of ₹1,20,000 is above the ₹50,000 threshold.
Validity
2 days — one day per 200 km or part thereof.
The clock starts when the bill is generated, not when the vehicle leaves.
Some goods are exempt from the e-way bill requirement regardless of value — certain agricultural produce, some household items, and goods moving under customs bond among others. Check the exempt list if your goods might fall in it.
The e-way bill rule sounds simple and is not. The threshold everybody remembers is fifty thousand rupees, but that figure applies to inter-state movement; states set their own limits for movement inside the state, and some of them are higher. Then there are the exempt categories, and the separate question of how long the bill stays valid once it is generated.
The cost of getting it wrong lands at a checkpost, not at a desk. A vehicle stopped without a bill it needed is a penalty and a delay, and the delay is usually the more expensive half.
This walks the rule in the order it actually applies and tells you the answer, the reason, and how many days it is good for.
The threshold is not one number
For movement between states the limit is ₹50,000 of consignment value, and that is the figure most people know. For movement within a state the limit is set by the state, and several have set it higher — which means the same consignment can need a bill on one route and not on another.
Value here means the invoice value of the consignment including tax, not the value of a single item in it. Several small invoices moving on one vehicle are added together.
Validity runs on distance, and it runs out
An e-way bill is valid for one day per 200 kilometres, or part thereof, for ordinary cargo — so a 350 km trip gets two days. Over-dimensional cargo gets one day per 20 km instead, which is a very different calculation for anybody moving a machine.
The clock starts when the bill is generated, not when the vehicle leaves. Generating it the evening before a morning dispatch quietly spends most of the first day, which is the mistake that causes an expiry in transit.
Where this should come from
A checker is the right tool when somebody is unsure. It is the wrong tool when a dispatch department is asking the question several times a day, because the answer depends on the consignment value, the destination state and the goods — all of which the dispatch record already holds.
In a system where the challan and the invoice are generated from the dispatch, the e-way bill details come from the same row, and the question stops being asked at all.
Questions people ask.
When is an e-way bill required?
For inter-state movement of goods above ₹50,000 in consignment value. For movement within a state the threshold is set by that state and is sometimes higher. Certain categories of goods are exempt regardless of value.
How long is an e-way bill valid?
One day for every 200 km or part thereof for ordinary cargo — so up to 200 km is one day, 201 to 400 km is two. Over-dimensional cargo gets one day per 20 km. The clock starts when the bill is generated.
Is the ₹50,000 limit per invoice or per vehicle?
Per consignment. Several invoices moving together on one vehicle are added up, which is the case people most often get wrong.
Does the value include GST?
Yes — the consignment value is the invoice value including tax, not the taxable value before it.
What if the e-way bill expires in transit?
It can be extended within a window around its expiry, but the safer answer is not to be there: generate it when the vehicle is actually leaving rather than the night before, because the validity clock starts at generation.
Other free tools
Doing this for every item, every day?
A calculator is the right tool once. When it is every item in the store, it belongs in the system that already knows the numbers.