How to sell event tickets
online in India, without losing 12% to a listing platform.
Legality, GST rules, UPI vs Razorpay, promo codes, refund policy language you can copy. Written for organisers who've been burned by hidden fees before.
Yes it's legal. Here's what actually applies.
Selling tickets online in India needs no special licence. The paperwork sits at the venue and business level, not the ticket level. What you need before you take rupee one:
- A registered business entity. Proprietorship works for events under ₹15-20 lakh a year. LLP or Private Limited if you're running multiple events or taking sponsor money above ₹50 lakh.
- PAN + current account. Razorpay, Cashfree, PayU all need PAN, GST (if applicable), and a current account matching the entity name. Savings accounts get flagged.
- GST registration if annual turnover crosses ₹20 lakh (₹10 lakh in special category states like Meghalaya, Nagaland). Voluntary registration is fine below the threshold if you're supplying to GST-registered corporates.
- Venue-level NOCs. Police clearance, fire safety, BMC (Mumbai) or similar municipal licence, and if you serve alcohol, a temporary L-1 licence. These are the venue's problem in most contracts, but read the fine print - some venues push it back on the organiser.
There's a common myth that online ticketing needs a separate Entertainment Tax registration. That's outdated. Entertainment Tax was subsumed into GST in 2017. What survived is the state-level Local Body Entertainment Tax in a few pockets (Tamil Nadu, parts of Punjab) - usually 5-10%, and usually the venue collects it as part of their bill.
The 18% rule, the ₹500 threshold, and what's exempt.
| Event type | Ticket price | GST rate |
|---|---|---|
| Cultural, music, entertainment | Up to ₹500 | Exempt |
| Cultural, music, entertainment | Above ₹500 | 18% |
| Business conferences, workshops | Any price | 18% |
| Sporting events (recognised) | Up to ₹500 | Exempt |
| Religious functions (by registered trust) | Any | Exempt |
| Educational (by recognised institution) | Any | Exempt |
Rates from CGST notifications up to Aug 2026. Always cross-check the latest notification before pricing.
Two common traps. First, if your ticket price is ₹499 to skip GST, but the "convenience fee" pushes it to ₹550, GST applies on the total. Second, sponsor payments for a booth or logo at your event are always B2B services - 18% GST regardless of whether tickets are exempt.
UPI vs card vs wallet. Real 2026 numbers.
A ₹2,000 ticket across three gateways. This is what you actually get in your bank.
| Gateway | UPI fee | Card fee | Settlement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Razorpay | 0.9% + GST | 2% + GST | T+2 |
| Cashfree | 0% (up to ₹2k), 0.9% above | 1.75-1.90% + GST | T+1 (Instant plan) |
| Instamojo | 2% flat | 2.5-3% flat | T+3 |
| PhonePe Business | 0% (UPI intent), 0.7% collect | Not offered | T+1 |
| BookMyShow (aggregator) | 8-12% platform + payment | Included | T+7 to T+14 |
On a ₹2,000 ticket with UPI, Cashfree gives you ₹2,000. Razorpay gives you ₹1,979. BookMyShow gives you around ₹1,720 (and their convenience fee to the buyer bumps the sticker to ₹2,200-2,300). If you already have an email list of past attendees, self-serve gateways win by a wide margin.
Free RSVP, paid, early bird, VIP, group. When to use each.
Codes that convert, not codes that leak.
A working code strategy for an Indian ticketing site has three layers:
- Public codes with a cap. EARLY100 = ₹100 off, first 200 uses only. Announce on Instagram, LinkedIn. Cap prevents the code from being screenshotted and shared to your loss.
- Sponsor-branded codes. ACME25 = 25% off for Acme Corp employees. Track usage per code, share the count with the sponsor as ROI proof.
- Single-use VIP codes. Randomly generated 8-char codes, one code = one seat. Great for speaker guest passes, media, past-attendee comps.
Small thing worth doing: hide the promo code field behind a "Have a code?" link. Buyers without a code don't feel like they're missing a discount. Buyers with a code find it in one click.
Copy this. Adjust the numbers.
Show this on the checkout page, above the pay button. Also show it in the confirmation email.
Refund policy
Cancellations up to 15 days before the event: 100% refund minus payment gateway fees (2%).
Cancellations 7-14 days before: 50% refund.
Cancellations within 7 days: no refund. Ticket transferable to another attendee.
Event postponement or cancellation by organiser: 100% refund within 10 working days.
Two rules the Consumer Protection Act 2019 cares about. First, no hidden non-refundable "service fee" that swallows most of the ticket. Second, refund the buyer within the timeline you promise - 10 working days is the common benchmark. Miss it and you're liable for interest under Section 39 of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act.
When each one wins.
Use BookMyShow / Paytm Insider if: you're a first-time organiser with no email list, your event is broadly consumer (comedy, concert, ticketed film screening), and you're okay giving up 8-12% for discovery.
Use SignupDesk if: you already have an audience (past attendees, LinkedIn following, WhatsApp community, corporate list), your event is B2B or niche, you want the checkout on your own domain, and you want the attendee data unfiltered.
Use both if: you're testing a new market. List a small allocation (10-15% of seats) on BookMyShow for discovery, drive your direct audience to your SignupDesk page. Track which channel converts best.