GST Return Filing

In India, Every Organizations registered under GST must file their GST returns with a frequency that aligns with their business operations - monthly, quarterly, or yearly. This requirement might seem daunting, but with the online assistance of GST professionals from , navigating through the necessary processes can be straightforward. Taxpayers must adhere to the designated deadlines for their GST submissions, as these returns are crucial for the Indian government to ascertain the nation's tax obligations.

Streamline your GST Return filing process and maintain compliance effortlessly with . Benefit from the convenience of LEDGERS GST platform, where you can access your business financials in real-time from any location. Plus, LEDGERS integrates smoothly with the apps you already use, ensuring a seamless workflow.

GST Return filing Contents

A GST Return is a detailed statement that captures all the financial transactions of a person registered under GST, reflecting revenues and expenditures. It is a mandatory submission for every holder of GSTIN to the tax authorities, allowing them to determine the net tax liability with precision.

  • Purchases: It records in detail the purchases the taxpayer has made.
  • Sales: It provides a comprehensive log of the taxpayer's sales activities.
  • Output GST (On Sales): It notes the GST charged on the taxpayer's sales.
  • Input Tax Credit (GST Paid on Purchases): It lists the GST paid on purchases, which is eligible to be deducted from the GST owed on sales.

GST returns must be filed by any business or individual registered under the GST regime. This obligation applies to entities whose annual aggregate turnover surpasses the specified threshold, which is set by the tax authorities and may differ for various classifications of taxpayers, such as standard taxpayers and those opting for the composition scheme.

GSTR-1 is the mandatory return for businesses to detail their outward supplies of goods and services. This encompasses all sales-related invoices and adjustment notes for the given tax period. Every regular taxpayer under GST, including those classified as casual taxable persons, is obligated to file GSTR-1.

  • Monthly: Due on the 11th of the subsequent month for businesses whose yearly turnover exceeds Rs. 5 crore or for those not enrolled in the QRMP scheme.
  • Quarterly: Due on the 13th of the month after the quarter's end for businesses participating in the QRMP scheme.

GSTR-2A is a dynamic, read-only return for the recipients or purchasers of goods and services, capturing details of all incoming supplies from registered GST vendors within a tax period. The information in GSTR-2A is filled automatically from the GSTR-1 returns of suppliers and the Invoice Furnishing Facility (IFF) data for those in the QRMP scheme.

Introduced in August 2020, GSTR-2B is a static read-only return that provides consistent ITC information sourced from the previous month's GSTR-1 filings. It supports purchasers in matching their ITC claims for each tax period, advising on necessary actions for each listed invoice, including any need for reversals, ineligibility, or application of the reverse charge.

GSTR-2, an editable return, is presently deferred and was meant for registered purchasers to declare their inward supply of goods and services for a tax period. Initially planned to be auto-filled from GSTR-2A, its filing has been on hold since September 2017.

GSTR-3, a suspended monthly summary return for regular taxpayers, compiled concise figures of both outward and inward supplies, input tax credits, tax liabilities, and tax payments. It was automatically generated from GSTR-1 and GSTR-2 filings but has been deferred since September 2017.

GSTR-3B, a monthly summary declaration for normal taxpayers, summarizes outward supplies, input tax credits, and tax dues. Before submitting GSTR-3B, it is critical to reconcile sales and ITC details with GSTR-1 and GSTR-2B records.

  • Monthly: Due by the 20th of the month following the reporting month for taxpayers with an annual turnover above Rs. 5 crore.
  • Quarterly: Due by the 22nd of the month following the quarter for 'X' category states and by the 24th for 'Y' category states for taxpayers with a turnover of up to Rs. 5 crore in the QRMP scheme.

GSTR-4 is the yearly return for those under the Composition Scheme, due by April 30th of the subsequent financial year. GSTR-4 has replaced the prior quarterly submissions, with taxpayers now submitting a simplified challan via Form CMP-08 by the 18th following each quarter's end Under the Composition Scheme, businesses with goods turnover up to Rs. 1.5 crores may pay tax at a predetermined rate on their turnover. Service providers with a turnover of up to Rs. 50 lakh can opt for a similar benefit

GSTR-5, required by non-resident foreign taxpayers engaged in business in India, details their outward and inward transactions, adjustments, tax liabilities, and payments, with submissions due by the 20th of each month

GSTR-5A is the monthly summary for providers of Online Information and Database Access or Retrieval Services, due by the 20th of every month.

Input Service Distributors must file GSTR-6 monthly, reporting the ITC received and allocated, including detailed documentation related to the distribution of credits, by the 13th of each month.

Entities must deduct TDS under GST file GSTR-7 monthly, documenting TDS deducted, due and paid amounts, and any TDS refunds, with filings due by the 10th of the subsequent month.

E-commerce operators under GST must submit GSTR-8 monthly, recording the supplies made and tax collected at source, due by the 10th of the following month.

All GST-registered taxpayers must file GSTR-9 annually, summarizing their outward and inward supply details, taxes due, and paid. The due date is December 31st of the year after the

Due dates for various types of GST returns

GST Return Type of Taxpayer Due Date
GSTR-1 Regular Taxpayer Monthly: 11th of the following month

Quarterly: 13th of the month following the quarter
GSTR-2A (Auto-generated) All Taxpayers Auto-generated, utilized for reconciliation purposes
GSTR-3B Regular Taxpayer Monthly: 20th of the following month
GSTR-4 Composition Scheme Dealer Annually: 30th of April following the end of the financial year
GSTR-5 Non-Resident Foreign Taxpayer 20th of the following month
GSTR-6 Input Service Distributor 13th of the following month
GSTR-7 Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) 10th of the following month
GSTR-8 E-commerce Operator 10th of the following month
GSTR-9 Regular Taxpayer (Annual) 31st December of the following financial year
GSTR-9C Regular Taxpayer (Annual) Filed along with GSTR-9, by 31st December of the following financial year

Penalty for Late Filing GST Returns

If you submit GST returns late, you could face penalties and interest charges. Businesses should submit on time to avoid these costs. Here's what you need to know about late GST returns:

  • Filing Returns is Required: Every registered taxpayer has to file GST returns regularly, even if there's no business activity.
  • Delays Lead to More Delays: If you miss a filing deadline, you can't file for the next period until you've filed for the previous one. This can lead to a pile-up of late returns.
  • Penalties for Late Filing: If you file GSTR-1 late, for example, you'll get a penalty that shows up when you file GSTR-3B.
  • Interest on Late Tax Payments: If you owe taxes and pay late, you'll be charged 18% interest per year on the amount you owe, starting from the day after the due date until you pay
  • Late Filing Fees: The law sets the late filing fee at Rs. 100 per day for each CGST and SGST, with a maximum of Rs. 5,000.
  • Annual Return Late Fees: For yearly returns like GSTR-9 and GSTR-9C, the late fee is capped at 0.25% of your turnover in your state or UT unless the government provides relief or changes the fees.

Benefits of choosing for the GST returns

Dedicated GST Advisor

An industry-experienced relationship manager will assist in GST registration, manage invoice uploads, ensure timely filing for your sector-specific needs.

Reminder to file GST returns

Our platform sends timely reminders before penalty deadlines, and your GST advisor ensures you never miss a filing date.

Monthly GST Status reports

Monthly reports detailing the status of GST return filing, including GSTR- 3B and the way forward, will be shared with the clients by the GST advisors.

GST returns by LEDGERS

GST returns are prepared by LEDGERS- the GST software so that it is error-free and filed on time without hassles.

Standard accounting & cloud records

Accountants record all financial transactions in LEDGERS for seamless, cost-effective filing of ITR, TDS, GST returns.

LEDGERS GST Software

In addition to the GST advisor support, LEDGERS GST Software will be provided to the client for GST invoicing, payments, returns filing, and accounting.

Some of the features of LEDGERS are:

  • Customer management
  • Supplier management
  • GST Invoicing
  • Estimate issuance & tracking
  • Accounts receivables tracking
  • Purchase register
  • Payments tracking
  • Payables management
  • Automated GST return filing (GSTR-1, GSTR-3B)
  • Automatic Input Tax credit reconciliation
  • GST E-way bill generation & management
  • ICICI bank integration