A ladder discount for pharma distributors lets the chemist's bill show the trade discount and any extra step separately, for example 10% trade and then 2% for prompt payment, while Tally gets the single compounded percentage. In Takkada, you type the steps on a sales invoice or sales order line from the phone. The app applies them one after the other and rounds the total to two decimals: 11.8%. Two hundred strips at a rate of ₹85 before GST come to ₹17,000, and after both steps the taxable value is ₹14,994.00. The line reads "10% + 2% · total 11.80%". The PDF prints Disc. for the trade discount, a column named for your second step, and Total Disc. Tally receives 11.8 in the item line's discount field, next to your rate. The chemist sees both percentages he was promised, and your books carry the same amount as his bill.
A pharma distributor's day
You supply 200 to 400 chemists and a few nursing homes, mostly on 15 to 30 days of credit, with orders coming in by phone, WhatsApp and through the rep by noon and going out the same evening. The rate on the bill is your selling rate to the chemist. On top of it sits a trade discount, and many distributors give a further percentage for prompt payment or for a company's monthly push.
The chemist's counter checks every bill. A bill showing 11.8% when the rep said "10 plus 2" starts a phone call, and a pharma counter on a busy evening has no time for that call.
Naming the second step
The owner sets the names once in Settings, Invoices, Discount step names. Second discount and Third discount take up to 16 characters each, so "Prompt" and "Scheme" both fit. The first step is the line's usual Discount %, printed as Disc. on the PDF.
On the bill, add the item, tap its discount, and type 10 in Discount % and 2 in Prompt. The Item Discount sheet shows the strip price after each step, 85.00 → 76.50 → 74.97, total 11.80%.
The ₹17,000 line
Two hundred strips at a rate of ₹85, rate before GST, 5% GST.
- Gross: ₹17,000.00
- Total discount: 11.8%, so ₹2,006.00 off
- Taxable value: ₹14,994.00
- CGST ₹374.85 and SGST ₹374.85
- Line total: ₹15,743.70
Both steps come off before GST, and GST is worked on what remains. For an item taxed at 18%, the discount and the ₹14,994.00 stay the same; only the GST on top changes.
Orders, edits and returns
If the chemist's order was taken first as a sales order, its steps carry into the invoice made from it. Editing a saved invoice reopens each line with its steps.
Expiry and breakage returns go back on a credit note with a plain discount per line, without the ladder boxes. Settle the return percentage on the credit note itself.
Keeping trade discount fixed for staff
Many pharma distributors fix the trade discount and let the billing desk decide only the extra step. The owner can set each item's first discount in Settings, Invoices, First discount by item, and turn on "Lock rate and first discount for staff". On sales invoices, orders and quotations made by non-owner logins, the rate and Discount % then show read-only and staff change only the named steps. The owner's own login is not covered by the lock.
What reaches Tally
The invoice reaches Tally as a sales voucher with your rate and 11.8 in the item line's discount field. Step names stay in Takkada and on the PDF. The rounding behind every total is explained in how the ladder discount works on a Tally invoice. The module page is ladder discount in Tally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will Tally show the trade discount and the prompt step separately?
A: No. Tally gets one percentage per item line, 11.8 here. The separate steps print on the chemist's PDF.
Q: Can expiry returns carry the same steps?
A: Credit notes take a plain discount per line. The ladder boxes are offered on sales invoices and sales orders.
Q: Is the trade discount taken before GST?
A: Yes. Every step comes off the rate before GST, and GST is worked on the amount after the total discount.
Q: Can my billing desk change the trade discount?
A: By default, yes. With the staff lock on and a first discount set per item, staff can change only the named steps.
Talk to us
WhatsApp us at https://wa.me/919435977777 and we will set up your Prompt step with you.