A ladder discount in Tally invoices means the customer sees every step of the discount, 10% then 5% then 2%, while Tally receives the one figure those steps compound to. In Takkada, you type up to three discount percentages on a sales invoice or sales order line from the phone. The app applies them one after the other, rounds the result to two decimals, and works out the line amount from that single figure. On ₹10,000, 10% + 5% + 2% comes to 16.21%, so the line is ₹8,379.00 before GST. The line reads "10% + 5% + 2% · total 16.21%". The invoice PDF prints a column for each step under the names you chose, plus a Total Disc. column. Tally gets 16.21 in the item line's discount field, next to your list rate, so the bill your customer checks and the voucher in your books carry the same amount.
Why one discount column is not enough
Most distributors are passed discounts in layers. The company gives a scheme, the trade discount sits under it, and a cash discount comes off at the end if the retailer pays on time. Each one is a percentage of what is left after the one before, so 10 + 5 + 2 is never 17%.
Tally takes one discount percentage per item line. Someone in your office compounds the steps on a calculator, decides how to round, and types one number. The retailer receives a bill with that one number and has no way to check it against the scheme letter, so the call comes: "bhai, 17% bola tha, yeh 16 kaise hua?" The payment waits until someone in your office explains the arithmetic.
The ₹10,000 line, worked
Take 100 units at ₹100 each, rate before GST, with 10% + 5% + 2%.
- Step 1: ₹100 less 10% is ₹90.00
- Step 2: ₹90.00 less 5% is ₹85.50
- Step 3: ₹85.50 less 2% is ₹83.79
- Total discount: 100 − (90 × 95 × 98 ÷ 10,000) = 16.21%
The app applies 16.21% to the ₹10,000 gross. Discount ₹1,621.00, taxable value ₹8,379.00. At 18% GST, CGST is ₹754.11 and SGST is ₹754.11, and the line total is ₹9,887.22. The discount comes off before GST, and GST is charged on what is left.
The order of the steps does not change the total. 5% + 10% + 2% also comes to 16.21%.
What the bill shows
On the phone, tap the discount on a line to open Item Discount. The first box is the ordinary Discount %, and under it sit two more boxes with your names for the second and third steps. As you type, the sheet shows the price after each step, "100.00 → 90.00 → 85.50 → 83.79 · total 16.21%", so the salesman can read the number back to the retailer before he saves.
The PDF keeps the Disc. column for the first step and adds one column per extra step, headed with your names, plus Total Disc. A step column prints only when some line on that bill uses it, so a bill without a ladder looks exactly as it did before.
What Tally receives
Tally receives only the total: the invoice reaches it as a sales voucher, and a sales order as a sales order, with your rate and 16.21 in the item line's discount field. The steps and their names stay in Takkada. Because the line amount was computed from the same rounded 16.21, the app and Tally land on the same paisa.
When a total needs rounding, the app rounds half up to two decimals. 10% + 5% + 3% compounds to 17.065%, and the line carries 17.07%.
Orders, edits and returns
A sales order keeps its steps, and the invoice made from it carries them across, including through a delivery challan. Editing a saved invoice reopens each line with its steps. Credit notes take a plain discount, with no ladder boxes.
The step names, and the optional switch that locks the rate and first discount for staff, are set by the owner. See the full module at ladder discount in Tally and the setup walk-through in how to set up named ladder discounts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many discount steps can one line have?
A: Up to three, each between 0 and 99.99% with up to two decimals. A line with only the first discount is an ordinary single-discount line.
Q: Does Tally see three separate discounts?
A: No. Tally gets one percentage per item line, the rounded total, and the line amount is worked out from that same figure.
Q: Is the discount taken before or after GST?
A: Before. The total discount comes off the rate without GST, and CGST and SGST are worked on the amount that remains.
Q: Can I rename all three steps?
A: The second and third steps take your names, up to 16 characters each. The first step is the line's usual discount, printed under Disc. on the PDF.
Talk to us
WhatsApp us at https://wa.me/919435977777 with one of your scheme letters and we will show you the bill it produces.