How To Register For GST: A Complete Guide

How to Register for GST

Hey guys! If you have started or are thinking of starting any business in India and wondering if GST concerns you, this post will tell you all the answers. 

Being a GST registered person will not only help you in being compliant with laws and regulation but it also helps you create a market recognition and status. A GST registered supplier is authorized to generate a GST invoice and other related documents and for payment and collection of GST.

Since while transacting with an unregistered supplier, a recipient of goods or services may be subject to pay tax under reverse charge mechanism. So a GST registered supplier will always be preferred in such cases. And that is why some people voluntarily take GST registration even if they are not required to do so. 

The first part will tell you who is required to register for GST, if you are eligible and then you can continue to the second part for How to register for GST in India.

CHECK ELIGIBILITY FOR GST REGISTRATION

You will be required to own a GST registration number also called as GSTIN in India if you fulfill below requirements :

1. You are a supplier of goods or services or both.
2. Your aggregate turnover, which will be the total of amount received for goods/services supplied whether taxable or exempt, intra-state or inter-state, domestic or export exceeds the prescribed limit mentioned below. 

Prescribed limit under GST :

If your turnover exceeds 20 Lakhs in a year (or 10 lakhs in Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland), you are required to register for GST.

A special limit of 40 Lakhs is given if you are engaged in an exclusive supply of intra-state goods (except Pan Masla, Ice-cream, and tobacco products). 

[This limit is not applicable if you are required to be compulsorily registered. Or you belong to special category state which are Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Telangana, Puducherry Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura.]

Refer Below Tables For State Wise Limit For GST Registration :

GST exemption limit for Goods

GST exemption limit for Services

Compulsory registration for GST 

There are cases where you turnover is less than prescribed limit but you still need to register for GST :

1. Inter-state supply of goods (In or outside India): In case of the supply of services you can utilize turnover limits for registration.
2. Casual taxable person – Obtaining a 90 days registration for temporary business.
3. For paying tax under reverse charge where the recipient is required to pay the tax instead of the supplier in certain cases.
4. Non-resident person supplying Goods/Services in India.
5. Ecommerce operators 

Exemption from GST registration:

And there are some relaxation where you need not to register even if your turnover exceed limit:

1. If you are engaged in exclusive supply of exempt good or services under GST
2. If you undertake Agriculture or cultivation activities.

And as mentioned in the beginning, you can also register for GST voluntarily. But once registered you will be required to collect and pay taxes.

HOW TO REGISTER FOR GST

Registering for GST is necessary for being legally authorised for payment and collection of tax. A state wise registration of given under GST. You will need to obtain registration for each state where you are eligible to pay GST as per above eligibility criteria. 

GST is a PAN based tax. You will need to have a valid PAN and all your business should be linked to the same PAN.

For registration you will need to complete Part A and Part B of form online.

GST Registration process :

Part A :

1. Visit  https://reg.gst.gov.in/registration/ 
2. Fill you details under new registration tab. 
3. Select I am a “taxpayer” and fill your state, district, Name of business, PAN, E-mail, Mobile Number.
4. Submit OTP received on you mobile. 

You will receive a Temporary Reference Number (TRN) at this stage.

5. Go to the Temporary Reference Number tab using the same link above.
6. Fill your TRN and captcha, you will receive an OTP.
7. Submit OTP 

Your application will become a draft application and will be visible to you under your login.

Part B

1. Go to Dashboard > My saved application
2. Click on edit icon under action column
3. Fill in details of : Business, promoters/partners, Authorised signatories, principal place of business, additional place of business, Goods & Services, Bank accounts, State-specific information
4. The final step is verification click on the declaration and verifies using
   1. Companies must submit an application using DSC
   2. Using E-Sign: OTP will be sent to Aadhaar registered number
   3. Using EVC: OTP will be sent to the registered mobile number
5. A success message will be displayed on the screen.

You will receive your GST registration certification with 16 digit GSTIN within 3 working days.

Conclusion

Once you are GST registered make sure you make full use of it and mention your GSTIN on every official document. Use the same PAN and GSTIN while making every transaction. Multiple GST softwares are available to keep track of your taxes. Also GST portal has been made user-friendly for easy process.