GST Return

GST Return - What is GST Return? Who Should File, Due Dates & Types of GST Returns

All gst registered businesses have to file monthly or quarterly GST returns and an annual GST return based on the type of business. These GSTR filings are done online on the GST portal.

What is a GST Return?

A GST return is a document containing details of all income/sales and/or expenses/purchases that a GST-registered taxpayer (every GSTIN) is required to file with the tax administrative authorities. This is used by tax authorities to calculate net tax liability.

Under GST, a registered dealer has to file GST returns that broadly include:

·         Purchases

·         Sales

·         Output GST (On sales)

·         Input tax credit (GST paid on purchases)

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Who should file GST Returns?

Under the GST regime, regular businesses having more than Rs.5 crore as annual aggregate turnover (and taxpayers who have not opted for the QRMP scheme) have to file two monthly returns and one annual return. This amounts to 25 returns each year. 

Taxpayers with a turnover of up to Rs.5 crore have the option to file returns under the QRMP scheme. The number of GSTR filings for QRMP filers is 9 each year, which include 4 GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B returns each and an annual return. Note that QRMP filers have to pay tax on a monthly basis even though they are filing returns quarterly.

There are also separate statements/returns required to be filed in special cases such as composition dealers where the number of GSTR filings is 5 each year (4 statement-cum-challans in CMP-08 and 1 annual return GSTR-4).

How many returns are there under GST?

There are 13 returns under GST. They are the GSTR-1, GSTR-3B, GSTR-4, GSTR-5, GSTR-5A, GSTR-6, GSTR-7, GSTR-8, GSTR-9, GSTR-10, GSTR-11, CMP-08, and ITC-04. However, all returns do not apply to all taxpayers. Taxpayers file returns based on the type of taxpayer/type of registration obtained. 

Eligible taxpayers, i.e. with a turnover exceeding Rs.5 crore are also required to also file a self-certified reconciliation statement in Form GSTR-9C.

Besides the GST returns that are required to be filed, there are statements of input tax credit  available to taxpayers, namely GSTR-2A (dynamic) and GSTR-2B (static). There is also an Invoice Furnishing Facility (IFF) available to small taxpayers who are registered under the QRMP scheme to furnish their Business to Business (B2B) sales for the first two months of the quarter. These small taxpayers will still need to pay taxes on a monthly basis using Form PMT-06.

We have explained the various GST returns, along with applicability and due dates in the section below.

What are the different types of GST returns and the due dates to file them?

Here is to understand who should file GST Return and by when should it be filed –

Here is a list of all the returns to be filed as prescribed under the GST Law along with the due dates.

Return Form	Description	Frequency	Due Date
GSTR-1	Details of outward supplies of taxable goods and/or services affected.	Monthly	11th of the next month.
Quarterly (If opted under the QRMP scheme)	13th of the month succeeding the quarter.
IFF (Optional by taxpayers under the QRMP scheme)	Details of B2B supplies of taxable goods and/or services affected.	Monthly (for the first two months of the quarter)	13th of the next month.
GSTR-3B	Summary return of outward supplies and input tax credit claimed, along with payment of tax by the taxpayer.	Monthly	20th of the next month.
Quarterly (For taxpayers under the QRMP scheme)	22nd or 24th of the month succeeding the quarter***
CMP-08	Statement-cum-challan to make a tax payment by a taxpayer registered under the composition scheme under Section 10 of the CGST Act.	Quarterly	18th of the month succeeding the quarter.
GSTR-4	Return for a taxpayer registered under the composition scheme under Section 10 of the CGST Act.	Annually	30th of the month succeeding a financial year.
GSTR-5	Return to be filed by a non-resident taxable person.	Monthly	20th of the next month.(Amended to 13th by Budget yet to be notified by CBIC.)
GSTR-5A	Return to be filed by non-resident OIDAR service providers.	Monthly	20th of the next month.
GSTR-6	Return for an input service distributor to distribute the eligible input tax credit to its branches.	Monthly	13th of the next month.
GSTR-7	Return to be filed by registered persons deducting tax at source (TDS).	Monthly	10th of the next month.
GSTR-8	Return to be filed by e-commerce operators containing details of supplies effected and the amount of tax collected at source by them.	Monthly	10th of the next month.
GSTR-9	Annual return by a regular taxpayer.	Annually	31st December of the next financial year.
GSTR-9C	Self-certified reconciliation statement.	Annually	31st December of the next financial year.
GSTR-10	Final return to be filed by a taxpayer whose GST registration is cancelled.	Once, when the GST registration is cancelled or surrendered.	Within three months of the date of cancellation or date of cancellation order, whichever is later.
GSTR-11	Details of inward supplies to be furnished by a person having UIN and claiming a refund	Monthly	28th of the month following the month for which statement is filed.
ITC-04	Statement to be filed by a principal/job-worker about details of goods sent to/received from a job-worker	Annually (for AATO up to Rs.5 crore)Half-yearly(for AATO > Rs.5 crore)	25th April where AATO is up to Rs.5 crore.25th October and 25th April where AATO exceeds Rs.5 crore.(AATO = Annual aggregate turnover)

***For the taxpayers with aggregate turnover equal to or below Rs 5 crore, eligible and remain opted into the QRMP scheme, 22nd of month next to the quarter for taxpayers in category X states/UTs and 24th of month next to the quarter for taxpayers in category Y states/UTs 

·         Category X: Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana or Andhra Pradesh or the Union territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.

·         Category Y: Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Assam, West Bengal, Jharkhand or Odisha or the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Chandigarh and New Delhi.

Please note: GST filings as per the CGST Act are subject to changes by CBIC notifications/orders.

Upcoming Due Dates to file GST Returns

The due dates for filing GST returns can be extended by issuing orders or notifications.

For easy access to upcoming GST due dates, here is the GST calendar for all returns up to June :

GSTR-1

Quarterly filing of GSTR-1: 

(Annual turnover up to Rs.5 crore can opt for quarterly filing)

Quarter	Due date*
Jan-Mar	13th April
Apr-Jun	13th July

Note: Taxpayers with a turnover of up to Rs.5 crore can opt to furnish their Business to Business (B2B) sales for the first two months of the quarter using an Invoice Furnishing Facility (IFF). The deadline will be the 13th of the following month. However, GSTR-1 will still need to be filed quarterly, but the invoices already declared in the IFF need not be declared again. 

Monthly filing of GSTR-1:

(Annual turnover of more than Rs.5 crore must file monthly only)

Month	Due Date*
January	11th February
February	11th March
March	11th April
April	11th May
May	11th June
June	11th July

GSTR-2 and GSTR-3

The filing of these forms is currently suspended.

GSTR-3B

GSTR-3B is a monthly summary return to be filed by all taxpayers except those registered under the composition scheme.

Quarterly filing of GSTR-3B:

(Annual turnover up to Rs.5 crore can opt for quarterly filing)

Quarter	Due date*
Jan-Mar	22nd or 24th April
Apr-Jun	22nd or 24th July

Monthly filing of GSTR-3B:

(Annual turnover of more than Rs.5 crore must file monthly only)

Month	Due Date*
January	20th February
February	20th March
March	20th April
April	20th May
May	20th June
June	20th July

***Category X: Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana or Andhra Pradesh or the Union Territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.

Category Y: Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Assam, West Bengal, Jharkhand or Odisha or the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Chandigarh and New Delhi.

PMT-06

Taxpayers with a turnover of up to Rs.5 crore can opt to file a quarterly GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B under the QRMP scheme (with an optional use of the Invoice Furnishing Facility (IFF) to furnish their B2B sales for the first two months of the quarter).

These taxpayers will still need to pay taxes monthly using PMT-06 for the first two months of the quarter. The due dates are as follows: 

Period (Quarterly)	Due date*
January	25th February
February	25th March
April	25th May
May	25th June

CMP-08

Period (Quarterly)	Due date*
Jan-Mar	18th April
Apr-Jun	18th July

GSTR-4

The due date to file GSTR-4 for the FY 2021-22, the annual return by composition taxpayers, is 30th April 2022. However, as per the CGST Notification no. 7/2022 dated 26th May 2022, the late fee has been waived for the delay in filing GSTR-4 for FY 2021-22 between 1st May and 30th June 2022.

GSTR-5

Summary of outward taxable supplies and tax payable by the non-resident taxable persons:

Period (Monthly)	Due Date*
January	20th February
February	20th March
March	20th April
April	20th May
May	20th June
June	20th July

Amended to 13th by Budget ; yet to be notified by CBIC.

GSTR-5A

Summary of outward taxable supplies and tax payable by an Online Information and Database Access or Retrieval Services (OIDAR) provider:

Period (Monthly)	Due Date*
January	20th February
February	20th March
March	20th April
April	20th May
May	20th June
June	20th July

GSTR-6

Details of Input Tax Credit (ITC) received and distributed by an Input Service Distributor (ISD):

Period (Monthly)	Due Date*
January	13th February
February	13th March
March	13th April
April	13th May
May	13th June
June	13th July

GSTR-7

Summary of Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) and deposited under GST laws:

Period (Monthly)	Due Date*
January	10th February
February	10th March
March	10th April
April	10th May
May	10th June
June	10th July

GSTR-8

Summary of Tax Collected at Source (TCS) by e-commerce operators under GST laws:

Period (Monthly)	Due Date*
January	10th February
February	10th March
March	10th April
April	10th May
May	10th June
June	10th July

GSTR-9

GSTR-9 is the annual return to be filed by taxpayers. The due date for filing GSTR-9 for FY 2020-21 is 28th February 2022, and for filing GSTR-9 for FY 2021-22 is 31st December 2022*.

GSTR-9C

GSTR-9C is the annual self-certified reconciliation statement to be filed by taxpayers with a turnover exceeding Rs.5 crore. The due date for filing GSTR-9C for FY 2020-21 is 28th February 2022, and for filing GSTR-9C for FY 2021-22 is 31st December 2022*.

ITC-04

Statement to be filed by a principal/job-worker about details of goods sent to/received from a job-worker:

Period	Due date*
Oct 2021 – Mar (Half-yearly filers)	25th April
Apr 2021 – Mar (Annual filers)	25th April

*The due dates are subject to changes by CBIC notifications/orders.

Late Fees for not Filing Return on Time

If GST returns are not filed within the specified time limits, you will be liable to pay interest and a late fee.

Interest is charged at 18% per annum. It has to be calculated by the taxpayer on the amount of outstanding tax to be paid. The time period will be from the next day of filing to the date of payment.

Late fees are charged at Rs.100 per day per Act. Hence, it will be Rs.100 under CGST and Rs.100 under SGST. The total will be Rs.200 per day, subject to a maximum of Rs.5,000. Please note that from the month of/quarter ended June 2021, the maximum amount of late fees has been revised as below.

Taxpayer category	Late fee capped at
Taxpayers whose total amount of central tax payable is Nil	Rs.250^
Taxpayers with an annual aggregate turnover up to Rs.1.5 crore in the previous financial year	Rs.1,000^
Taxpayers with an annual aggregate turnover exceeding Rs.1.5 crore and up to Rs.5 crore in the previous financial year	Rs.2,500^

^Taxpayers should note that an equal penalty will apply under SGST. There are no late fees under IGST. 

How are GST returns filed or submitted?

There are prescribed formats for each of the above GST returns. These forms need to be filed on the GST portal. However, they may seem complex and difficult to understand by many taxpayers. Do not worry, you can also file your returns very easily using the infree tax filing software.

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Does GST have to be paid monthly?

GST is to be paid monthly by regular taxpayers, even those who have opted for quarterly filing of returns, i.e. the QRMP scheme. 

However, for small taxpayers, there is an option to choose the composition scheme under GST, if their annual aggregate turnover is up to Rs.1.5 crore for manufacturers/dealers and Rs.50 lakh for pure service providers. They can file a quarterly statement-cum-challan and pay taxes quarterly.