GST Returns

GSTR-9 : GST Annual Return Filing Form, Eligibility and Due Date

On account of difficulties being faced by taxpayers in furnishing the annual returns in Form GSTR-9, the GST council in the 35th Council of GST, has extended the due date for furnishing the returns/reconciliation statements till 31st August 2019.

What is GSTR-9?

It is an Annual return for registered persons under the regular scheme and a compilation of return which includes all the business transactions that are done for the particular financial year. Additionally, it also consists all details of the supplies(Made or received), taxes paid, refund claimed, demand raised, and ITC availed by the taxpayer under different tax heads during the year. GSTR-9 requires details of both B2B and B2C supplies, and the assessee has to report sales under B2B and B2C in GSTR-9.

Read our article:What is ITC Rules for Capital Goods under GST?

Who is liable to pay GSTR-9?

All the registered taxpayer under GST is required to file GSTR-9. Where, Composite taxpayer is liable to file GSTR-9A and operators of E-commerce^[1] are liable to file GSTR-9B.

Exception

• Casual Taxpayers
• ISD (Input service Distributors)
• Non-resident taxpayers
• TDS and TCS (Taxpayers deducting /collecting at source) payers under section 51 and 52.

What are the types and applicability of GSTR-9 filed by different category of taxpayers?

Various forms are filled in GSTR-9 by the taxpayers on the basis of their applicability.

• GSTR 9 – An Annual return for registered persons under the regular scheme.
• GSTR 9A – Annual return applicable for registered persons under Composition Scheme.
• GSTR 9B – Annual Return for the operators of E-commerce who have filed GSTR 8 during the FY.
• GSTR 9C – It is a Reconciliation form to be certified by CA/CMA for registered persons with a turnover of more than two crores. The taxpayers filing GSTR-9C are also required to get their accounts audited and file a copy of audited annual accounts and reconciliation statement of tax already paid and tax payable as per audited accounts along with this form.

What are the difficulties faced by the taxpayer of filing GSTR-9 for different sectors?

1. More compliances and details are required in GSTR-9 – In GSTR-9,Bifurcation of inputs, input services, and capital goods are now required while the same was not required in GSTR-3B.
2. Additional compliances to bifurcate the refund – GSTR-9 requires details of demands and refunds during the financial year, for that taxpayer has to perform an additional exercise to bifurcate the refunds that have been applied for and sanctioned, pending or refunded. Additionally, demands paid and pending are also to be reported.
3. Proper maintenance of Books of Accounts – HSN-wise summary is required for inward supplies in GSTR-9, which requires a lot of digging and fetching of details into the books of accounts.
4. In Table 16A of GST, supplies from dealers opting for composition scheme are separately be shown. In the vendors master data, if the dealer has not maintained data in relation to composition dealer then there can be the possibility of facing difficulties in getting such details.
5. Compliance under section 143 – Table 16B requires details of deemed supply under section 143 (input and capital goods are sent to job worker and the same are not received back within a specified time). A taxpayer who has not maintained this data will face a lot of difficult and hardship to start working on this data.

Read our article:HSN Code Under GST – How to Implicate It?

In what situation “Nil” GSTR is filed?

NIL GSTR-9 can be filed if all the below mentioned criteria are met in the Financial Year

1. No outward supply
2. No receipt of goods/services
3. No other liability to report
4. Not claimed any credit
5. No refund claimed
6. No demand order received
7. No late fees to be paid.

Can a taxpayer make a manual edit to those fields in GSTR-9 that is auto-populated by the GSTN?

A manual edit can be done by the taxpayer to the auto-populated details in GSTR-9 except for the below – mentioned cases:

• Total ITC availed through GSTR-3B
• ITC as per GSTR-2A
• Details of tax paid except tax payable column.

Can a person show Non-GST turnover in GSTR-9?

 No, a person cannot show Non-GST turnover in GSTR-9.

What are the details required for filing GSTR-9?

• Details of the taxpayer are required and will be auto-populated.
• Details of Outward and Inward supplies declared during the FY and it must be picked up by consolidating summary from all GST returns filed in previous Financial Year.
• Details of the Input Tax declared in returns filed during the FY. The summarized values will be picked up from all the returns of GST filed in the previous FY.
• Information of tax paid as declared in the returns filed during the FY.
• Particulars of the transactions for the previous FY declared in returns of Apr to Sept of current FY or up to the date of filing of GSTR-9 of previous FY whichever is earlier. So, a summary of entries belonging to previous Financial Year amendment or omission entries but reported in the Current Financial Year would be segregated and declared in this part.
• Details of late fees paid
• Demand and refund of tax
• Information of the number of goods supplied and received on the basis of HSN summary.

Download GSTR-9 Format in Excel Format

Conclusion

GSTR-9 is filed on an annual basis and it is mandatory to file form GSTR-9 for normal taxpayers. However, there are certain transactions that are not reported while filing GST returns for various reasons.