GSTR 9 Annual Return Filing - Procedure & Penalty

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes (CBIC) has enabled the GSTR-9 on the GST Portal on the respective assessment year. All the regular taxpayers registered under Goods and Service Tax and having an annual turnover of more than Rs.2 crore should file a GST Annual Return (GSTR-9). The GSTR 9 Form is enabled in the GST portal for taxpayers whose Table 8A computation has been completed. The GSTR 9 due date usually falls on the 31st of December. In this article, we look at GSTR 9 filing in detail. The current article briefs the procedure for filing the GSTR 9 annual return, and the provisions related to GSTR 9 and 9C.

Note on GSTR-9

GSTR-9 is an annual return to be filed yearly by regular taxpayers registered under Goods and Service Tax.GSTR-9 must be filed every year through the GST Portal or LEDGERS GST Software or at a GST Facilitation Centre. Taxpayers need to provide details regarding the outward and inward supplies made/received during the relevant fiscal year under different tax heads i.e. CGST, SGST & IGST and HSN codes. It is also to be noted GSTR 9C must be filed along with the GSTR-9 annual return.

Law Governs the Provision for GSTR 9 Annual Return

Section 44 of the Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) Rules, 2017 read with Rule 80 of CGST Rules, 2017 governs the provisions for GSTR 9 comprising the returns of GSTR 9A, GSTR 9B, in overall, GSTR 9 and 9C.

GSTR 9A return

Regular GST taxpayers filing GSTR-1, GSTR-2 and GSTR-3 must file GSTR 9A, consolidating information furnished during the previous fiscal year.

GSTR 9B return

All the electronic commerce operators collecting tax at source need to file GSTR-9B return. In addition to GSTR 9B return, electronic commerce operators will also file GSTR-8 return, every month.

GSTR 9C return

Regular taxpayers having an aggregate turnover (ATO) of over Rs.5 crore during a financial year and registered with GST must audit the accounts maintained by the taxpayer and file a copy of the audited annual account and reconciliation statement along with GSTR 9C return. To audit the returns, the taxpayer can approach the practising Chartered Accountant or Cost Accountant. These are the provisions comes under the GSTR 9 and 9c. GSTR 9C have to be filed to reconcile the audited financial statements and GSTR-9 return.

GSTR 9 Due date 

The due date to file GSTR 9 for a fiscal year is 31st of December of the year following the relevant financial year. GSTR 9C filing due date is also as same as the GSTR-9 return.

Information to be filed in GSTR 9

GSTR 9 is divided into 6 parts and 19 sections. Each part will ask for details that are easily available from the previously filed returns and books of accounts. The taxpayer needs to provide the following information while filing GSTR 9 return:

• The total value of purchases on which Input Tax Credit availed (inter-State)
• The total value of purchases on which Input Tax Credit availed (intra-State)
• The total value of purchases on which Input Tax Credit availed (Imports)
• Other Purchases on which no Input Tax Credit availed
• Sales Returns
• Other Expenditure (Expenditure other than purchases)
• The total value of supplies on which GST paid (inter-State Supplies)
• The total value of supplies on which GST Paid (intra-State Supplies)
• The total value of supplies on which GST Paid (Exports)
• The total value of supplies on which no GST Paid (Exports)
• Value of Other Supplies on which no GST paid
• Purchase Returns and Other Income (Income other than from supplies)
• Return Reconciliation Statement and Arrears (Audit/Assessment etc.)
• Refunds and Turnover Details
• Profit as Per the Profit and Loss Statement
• Gross Profit and Profit after Tax
• Net Profit and Details of Statutory Audit

Penalty for Late Filing of GSTR 9

Any registered person, who fails to furnish the GSTR-9 return by the GSTR 9 due date will be liable to pay a GSTR 9

late fees of two hundred rupees (Rs.200) for every day during which such failure continues subject to a maximum of an amount calculated at a half per cent of his turnover in the State or Union territory.

GSTR 9 return to be audited

Regular taxpayers having an aggregate turnover of over Rs.5 crore during a financial year and registered with GST must file GSTR-9 returns. To audit GSTR-9 return, the taxpayer can approach the Chartered Accountant or Cost Accountant.

Prerequisites for filing GSTR-9

The Prerequisites for filing the annual return is as follows:

• A taxpayer should be registered as a normal taxpayer under Goods and Service Tax at least for a single day in a financial year.
• As mentioned above, a taxpayer needs to GSTR-1and GSTR-3B for the financial year before filing the annual return because GSTR 9 is a compilation of data filed in GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B.
• While filing GSTR 9, table number 6A will be auto-filled based on the information furnished in GSTR-3B and the same is not editable.
• Similarly, table number 8A will also be auto-filled based on the details auto-populated in GSTR-2A and the same is not editable.
• The complete table number 9 – Details of Tax paid as declared in returns filed during the financial year will be auto-filled based on the details provided by the taxpayer in Form GSTR-3B for the relevant financial year.

Procedure to filing GSTR-9 in GST Portal

Procedure to filing GSTR-9 of FY 2019-2020 in GST Portal is explained in detail below:

Log in and navigate to GSTR-9

• The taxpayer needs to access the official website of GST and log in to the Portal using the user name and password and go to ‘Returns Dashboard’ and click on the Annual Return option.
• Select the ‘Financial Year’ option on the File Annual Returns page and A vital message will pop up detailing the steps to be performed for the Online or Offline filing of GSTR-9. Click ‘Prepare Online’.
• Choose whether you want to file Nil return for the financial year 2019-2020 by clicking ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. The taxpayer can select the ‘Yes’ option if all of the following criteria are satisfied.
  • No outward supply
  • There is no receipt of goods or services
  • Not claimed any credit
  • No refund claimed
  • No other liability to report
  • No demand order received
  • GSTR 9 Late fees not required to be paid

In case the taxpayer selects the ‘Yes’ to file NIL returns, then select the ‘Next’ option to Compute Liabilities and file a NIL GSTR-9.

• If you choose ‘No’ to NIL returns, click on ‘Next’, a page ‘GSTR-9 Annual Return for normal taxpayers’ will be displayed. It will contain various tiles for which details must be filled.

The taxpayer needs to click on all the three tabs to download the details. The downloaded summaries will help taxpayers with the details to be provided in various tiles of GSTR-9.

• GSTR- 9 System Computed Summary
• GSTR-1 Summary
• GSTR-3B Summary

Provide requisite details in various tables for the financial year and the details will be auto-populated based on information provided in GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B Note: If the details vary +/- 20% from the auto-populated details then the cells will be highlighted and a confirmation message will pop up asking for further processing. Click ‘Yes’ to accept the details. Go back to the ‘GSTR-9 Dashboard and provide all the required information and follow the same steps to save the data:

Preview draft GSTR 9 Form in Excel or PDF format

A taxpayer can preview the GSTR 9 form in PDF/Excel format by clicking on the Click Preview GSTR-9 (PDF) on the GSTR-9 dashboard

Computation of liabilities and GSTR 9 Late fees

On clicking compute liabilities, GST portal will process all the details provided in various tables and also

calculates late fees if there is a delay in filing return. The taxpayer can make the payment from the funds available in the electronic cash ledger. In case of insufficient funds in the cash ledger, the additional payment can be made via Net banking, over the counter or via NEFT/RTGS by creating an additional payment challan.

Final Submission of Form

Select the declaration check box and then select the Authorized Signatory, a page will be displayed for Submitting Application with two options for filing.

• File with DSC: The Taxpayer has to browse and select the certificate. Sign and submit.
• File with EVC: An OTP will be sent to the registered email ID and mobile number. Upon successful validation of OTP, the status of the return changes to ‘Filed"