A Few Words on
GST Return Filling
What are GST returns?
Who needs a GST Registration?
Any person who applies for GST registration will also have to make a GST return filing. The GST return is basically a document which is needed as per the Indian tax authorities of law, to be filed. It will be used by the authorities of tax for the purpose of calculating the tax liability.
Who is eligible for GST returns?
Business owners and dealers who are registered under GST must file two monthly GST returns and one annual GST returns. The nature of the business also dictates the GST that is to be filed. GST returns are of various types and late filing of GST returns will result in a penalty of Rs.100 per day till the day the GST returns are filed. Once filing is done, any tax liability must be promptly paid to the government.
GST Input Tax Credit Reconciliation
GST or Goods and Services Tax is an indirect tax that depends on the value added at each stage of the supply chain of a particular service or goods until it reaches the customer or consumer. With GST, tax is imposed at various stages and to nullify the cascading effect, it is designed in a way that is meant to refund all parties that are involved in the various stages with the exception of the final consumer. This element that is employed to offset the tax liability is called an input tax credit.
An insight into the GST filing procedure in India
Any business person who has taken the registration, but has not crossed the limit of exemption will have to comply with the step-by-step GST billing process.From 1st April, 2019, the GST Council has increased the threshold limits of annual aggregate turnover for GST registration. According to this, any business in normal category states, having a turnover of Rs 40 lakhs for sale of goods needs to register. This limit is raised from Rs 10 lakhs at Rs 20 lakhs for the special category states.
There has not been any change in the threshold limits for service providers. The same has been kept at Rs 20 lakhs and Rs 10 lakhs for the normal category states and the special category states respectively.
Special category states include,
State of Jammu and Kashmir and States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Uttarakhand.
Once the taxpayer crosses the limit of exemption, he/she will start filing for GST returns. Even in cases where no taxable supplies are received or made during a particular period, the taxpayer will have to file the NIL return. So, there is no way that you can avoid GST filing. If you miss out filing the return of one period, then you will not be able to file the next period’s return.
Let us simplify GST in this way- Any business will have to file monthly GST return twice and annual return once.This implies that as a total, you will have to file GST returns 26 times a year. The GST portal issues 4 different types of forms for filing the GST returns. They are:
- Return for purchases
- Return for supplies
- Annual returns
- Monthly returns
In case of small business taxpayers in India who have opted for a composition scheme, they just have to file GST returns on a quarterly basis. Return filing process can be done online.
Benefits of GST Return Filing
Elimination of the cascading effect
The introduction of GST into the Indian tax system has done away with several other taxes like central excise duty, service tax, customs duty and state level value added tax. Thus a single GST has eliminated the cascading effect of tax on tax .
Higher threshold benefits
Before GST was introduced, VAT or value added tax was applicable for any business that had an annual turnover of 20 lakhs. Services that saw a turnover of less than 10 lakhs did not have to pay service taxes.
Startup Benefits
Earlier startups with an annual turnover of 5 lakh had to pay VAT which would be very difficult for a business during the initial stages. But as GST has replaced VAT, businesses can set off the service tax on their sales.
E-commerce for quick supply of goods
Startups are making a strong presence online offering their services and products through their websites. Under VAT, there were many types of VAT laws, and the supply of goods through online, that is, E-commerce was never a well-defined one. For instance, if you need to deliver goods to various states, then you will have to file the VAT declaration first. After that, you will need to provide registration details about the trucks which deliver the goods. In many instances, goods end up being seized by the authorities due to lack of proper documents. GST has now removed all such confusing processes.
Regulations and accountability
The pre-GST period witnessed a disorganized tax filing system. Presently, all taxes are paid online and major hassles that were a part of tax filing have been eliminated in the process of introducing GST. This has resulted in industries becoming more accountable and tax filing laws are better regulated than before.
Late Fees/Penalty For Failing To Filing The Return On Time
In case the taxpayer fails to complete GST Return filing, file the returns within the time limits, then he/she will be asked to pay a penalty which is also known as the late fee. The late fee will be Rs.20 per day if it is NIL return or only purchases and Rs 50 will be levied if we fail to furnish the sales. Thus, it will come around Rs.25 under the CGST and again Rs.25 under the SGST. The total amount to be paid will be Rs.50 per day. The maximum penalty can be Rs.5000.The IGST do not levy any late fees.
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