A GST Return is a document containing all the details of the income earned which a taxpayer has to mandatorily file with the tax administrative authorities to calculate the tax liability.

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

- Purchases

- Sales

- Output GST (GST received on sales)

- Input tax credit (GST paid on purchase)

Who should file GST Returns?

In the GST regime, every registered business has to file two monthly returns and one annual return. This sums to 26 returns in an annual year. They must file the GST returns according to the nature of their business transactions. Taxpayers are also supposed to go through various eligibility criteria for different slab rates.

Types of GST Returns Chart

Different types of GSTR Forms with explanation

The following are the different types of GST returns to be filed depending on the nature of their business and the type of transactions they perform:

GSTR-1

• The form GSTR-1 has to be furnished by a taxpayer who is a registered supplier under the new GST regime providing the details of the outward supplies of goods and services filled by a supplier.
• The form contains all the details of the invoices, debit notes, credit notes, and revised notes for outward goods and services.
• The recipient has to confirm the auto-populated buy information in the form and make necessary modifications as per requirement.
• The return is to be filed monthly by the 10th of next month.

GSTR-2

• The form GSTR-2 has to be furnished by a registered taxable recipient under the new GST regime providing the details of all the inward supplies of goods and services made.
• The form contains all the details of purchases made by the taxable recipient from both registered and unregistered dealers, along with corresponding taxes collected and revised outward sales.
• The return is to be filed by the 15th of the following month.

GSTR-3

• The form GSTR-3 has to be furnished by a registered taxpayer providing all the details that are auto-populated in the GSTR-1 AND GSTR-2 Forms.
• The form contains all the information regarding any filing made under GSTR-1 and GSTR-2, along with other liabilities in relation to previous tax periods.
• The return is to be filed by the 20th of the following month.

GSTR-3B

• The form GSTR-3B is a self-declaration form made by the registered taxpayer for the GST Tax liabilities for the time period.
• The form is filed separately by both the supplier and his recipient containing the details of outward and inward supplies made.
• Every registered taxpayer under GST has to mandatorily file GSTR-3B even if the tax liability is zero.
• The return is to be filed by the 20th of the following month.

GSTR-4

• The form GSTR-4 has to be furnished by a taxpayer who has opted for Composition Scheme. Small taxpayers whose aggregate turnover is up to Rs. 1.5 crore has to file quarterly returns in this form.
• The form contains the details of taxes paid, invoice details, and the total value of consolidated supply made during the period of returns.
• However, the taxpayers cannot avail of the benefits of the Input Tax Credit and make inter-state transactions and operate supplies electronically.
• Taxpayers can reduce their tax burden by paying taxes at fixed rates and filing their returns quarterly.
• The return is to be filed by the 18th of the following month.

GSTR-5

• The form GSTR-5 has to be furnished by all the registered Non-Resident taxpayers.
• The form contains the details of all the inward and outward supplies made by the NRI, the taxes he has paid under GST, interest, and fees paid, details of his goods imported, import if services, closing stock of goods, and refund claimed from cash.
• Since the NRI is a casual taxable person (occasionally makes transactions) he will not have a fixed place of supply, and therefore makes his supplies in his capacity.
• The return is to be filed by the 20th of the following month.

GSTR-6

• The form GSTR-6 has to be furnished by all the registered taxpayers who are registered as Input Service Distributors under the GST regime.
• The form contains the details of the invoices which are issued by the ISD, the name and address of the registered taxpayers, GSTIN, and the period of return, debit, and credit notes.
• The details of the inward supply will be auto-populated from GSTR-1 and GSTR-5 return forms.
• The return is to be filed by the 13th of the following month.

GSTR-7

• The form GSTR-7 has to be furnished by all the taxpayers registered under GST who are required to Deduct Tax at Source.
• The form contains the details like tax deducted at source and its liabilities and amount to pay as a fee, interest on delayed payments, TDS refund if any.
• The TDS liability will be auto-populated.
• The return is to be filed by the 10th of the following month.

GSTR-8

• The form GSTR-8 has to be furnished by all the e-commerce operators who have to collect Tax at Source.
• The form contains the details of all the supplies of goods and services made through electronic mode and the amount of tax collected from the concerned suppliers.
• TDS liability will be auto-populated.
• The operators for e-commerce are accessible to make any modifications in the information of the supplies made in the previous statements.
• The return is to be filed by the 10th of the following month.

GSTR-9

• The form GSTR-9 has to be furnished by registered taxpayers form providing necessary documents showing all the income and expenditures of the financial year.
• The form contains information about casually taxable persons, Input Tax Credits, Non-Resident taxable persons, and persons who have to pay tax under sections 51 and 52.
• GSTR-9 has to be furnished annually.
• When the registered taxpayer has a zero-tax liability, then his annual return for the financial year will be nil.
• The taxpayer can make necessary changes if required.
• The return is to file by 31st December of the following financial year attesting to audited copies of the Annual Accounts.

GSTR-9A

• The form GSTR-9A is the annual return that has to be furnished by registered taxpayers under the composition scheme.
• The form contains the details of inward and outward supplies, tax paid, and refunds if any, delayed fees and interest, ITC availed.
• The return is to be filed by 31st December of the following month.

GSTR-9B

• The form GSTR-9B has to be furnished by taxable e-commerce operators registered under GST, who has to collect tax at source under section 52.
• The return is to be filed by the 31st of the following month.

GSTR-9C

• The form GSTR-9C has to be furnished by every registered taxpayer having an aggregate annual turnover of Rs.2 crore or more.
• They need to ensure that the provided accounts are audited by a Chartered Accountant while filing their annual returns.
• The reconciliation statement has to be submitted in form GSTR-9C.
• The return is to be filed by 31st December of the following month.

GSTR-10

• The form GSTR-10 has to be furnished as a final return by registered taxpayers who opt to cancel their GST registration.
• The form contains the details of the date of cancellation of such GST registration, Unique ID of the cancellation order, date of the cancellation order, and closing stock including the amount of tax payable.
• The return is to file within 3 months of the date of cancellation or the date of cancellation order, whichever is earlier.

GSTR-11

• The form GSTR-11 has to be furnished by every single registered tax who is issued with a Unique Identification Number [UIN].
• The form contains the details of all the inward supplies from a registered GST supplier, to claim tax refunds.
• The form will be auto-populated.
• The return is to be filed by the 28th of the following month.

How to file GST Return online Step by Step?

Every manufacturer, trader, dealer, supplier, and customer registered under GST new regime has to file GST returns every year based on their nature of business and the type of transactions they make. The main advantage of the new regime under GST is that the returns will be filed automatically. The returns can be filed online using the apps or the software provided by the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) which will auto-populate the details on each GSTR form.

The following steps provide complete guidance as to how one can file GST returns:

• STEP 1- Visit the GST portal (www.gst.gov.in) and log in to your account by using the 15-digit GST Identification Number allotted to every registered taxpayer based on the state code and PAN.
• STEP 2- The second step is to upload invoices on the GST portal for each you will be allotted an invoice reference number for each invoice you upload.
• STEP 3- After uploading the invoices, inward returns, outward returns, and monthly returns should be filed accordingly. Errors can be rectified and can be refiled again.
• STEP 4- The next step is to file outward supply returns in GSTR-1 form by proving the necessary details at the GST Common Portal on or before the 10th of next month.
• STEP 5- Details of the outward supplies filed by the registered supplier will be available in GSTR-2A to the recipient.
• STEP 6- The recipient has to now verify and validate and modify the details of outward supplies along with the details of debit and credit notes.
• STEP 7- The details of inward supplies of the taxable goods and services have to be filed in GSTR-2.
• STEP 8- The recipient of GSTR-1A has the option to modify the details furnished on both the inward and outward supplies.

Filing of GST Return online with GSTN-

The introduction of the Goods and Services tax has proved to benefit a major way to taxpayers by cutting down the cascading effect. However, it makes it a little difficult for taxpayers to carry out the procedure manually and that's why the GST network has also introduced the filing of returns digitally. The following steps illustrate how one can perform the filings online-

1. Firstly, every registered taxpayer has to ensure that he is successfully registered under GST and has obtained, a 15-digit GST identification number (GIN).
2. Then, he has to log in to the GST portal using his username ID, and password, and the below captcha has to be matched.
3. He has to now select Return Dashboard.
4. After, successfully logging in he can now see all the forms relevant to him according to the nature of his business.
5. He has to now select the form for which he has to file the return.
6. Once selecting the file, he has to upload the necessary invoices on the next screen.
7. Now, enter the debit and credit note details, according to the form he is filing.
8. After, entering all the details, click on submit to the file the return.

Penalty for Late Filing of Returns

The filing of returns is mandatory for every registered taxpayer in order to carry out his business transactions. However, failing to file such a return will attract penalties under the GST law.

In the case of CGST and SGST taxes, being paid late ₹200 per day has to pay as a penalty i.e. ₹100 for CGST and ₹100 for SGST per day. The maximum late fee is limited to ₹5000.

However, there is no late fee on IGST.

The interest of 18% per annum has to be calculated by the registered taxpayer on the outstanding tax amount for the period. The period for the calculation of interest will start from the next day of the due date.