GST Registration in Jawaharlal Nehru Road Koyambedu, Chennai

Section 22 of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act 2017 sets the threshold-based registration trigger. A person whose aggregate turnover in a financial year exceeds ₹40 lakh for exclusive goods suppliers in Tamil Nadu or ₹20 lakh for service or mixed suppliers is liable to be registered in every State from which they make taxable supplies. Aggregate turnover is computed PAN-wise across India and includes taxable, exempt, exports and inter-State supplies but excludes inward supplies on reverse charge.

Section 24 overrides the threshold under Section 22 and mandates registration regardless of turnover for inter-State taxable suppliers, casual taxable persons, persons liable under reverse charge, e-commerce operators and sellers on e-commerce platforms required to collect TCS under Section 52, non-resident taxable persons, TDS deductors under Section 51, Input Service Distributors and persons supplying through e-commerce operators.

Section 25 lays out the procedural framework — every person liable under Section 22 or Section 24 must apply for registration within thirty days from the date of becoming liable, in every State from which they make a taxable supply. Voluntary registration is permitted under Section 25(3). The proper officer grants registration after verification under Rule 9. Multiple business verticals within the same State can opt for separate registrations under Section 25(2) read with Rule 11.

Rule 8 of the CGST Rules prescribes Form GST REG-01 as the application for registration. Part A captures PAN, mobile and email — the system validates these and generates a Temporary Reference Number (TRN). Part B captures business details, promoters, authorised signatory, principal place of business, additional places, goods and services with HSN/SAC codes, bank account details and verification.

Rule 9 requires the proper officer to examine the REG-01 application within seven working days. If everything is in order the registration is granted and the GSTIN issued in Form REG-06. If any information is found deficient, a notice in Form REG-03 is issued and the applicant must reply in REG-04 within seven working days. If no reply is received or the reply is unsatisfactory, the application is rejected in Form REG-05.

The Rule 8(4A) framework requires the promoter or authorised signatory to undergo Aadhaar authentication. If Aadhaar authentication is not opted for, physical verification of the business premises under Rule 25 is mandatory before registration is granted. Aadhaar authentication is the faster path for most applicants.

What is GST registration and when is it required

Statutory basis under Section 22

GST registration in India is governed by Sections 22 to 30 of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act 2017 read with corresponding State GST legislation. The trigger for compulsory registration under Section 22 is an aggregate annual turnover of ₹40 lakh for exclusive suppliers of goods in Tamil Nadu (per Notification 10/2019-Central Tax) and ₹20 lakh for service or mixed suppliers. Aggregate turnover under Section 2(6) is the sum of all taxable supplies, exempt supplies, exports of goods and services, and inter-State supplies of a person having the same Permanent Account Number, computed on an all-India basis. Once a person crosses this threshold in any financial year, the obligation to register arises within thirty days under Section 25(1). Section 24 of the CGST Act overrides Section 22 entirely for specified categories including inter-State taxable suppliers, casual taxable persons, persons supplying through e-commerce operators, and reverse-charge liable persons — these categories must register regardless of turnover.

Voluntary registration option

A person whose aggregate turnover is below the threshold can still register voluntarily under Section 25(3) of the CGST Act. Once voluntary registration is granted, all provisions of GST law apply to such a person as they would to any registered person — including monthly returns, ITC eligibility for inputs, and the obligation to issue tax invoices. Voluntary registration is commonly chosen by B2B service providers and traders who want to enable ITC pass-through to their corporate clients, by exporters who need to file LUTs and claim refunds, and by startups that want to capture ITC on early-stage procurement before revenue commencement. Once obtained, voluntary registration cannot be casually surrendered — REG-16 cancellation follows the same procedure as any other cancellation under Section 29.

Registration certificate REG-06 and post-grant steps

Effective date of registration

Form REG-06 — the certificate of registration — is issued after the application is approved. The certificate carries the 15-digit GSTIN, the legal name and trade name, the constitution, the principal place of business and additional places, the date of registration, and the date of validity (for casual or non-resident taxable persons). The effective date of registration is the date from which the registered person is liable to charge GST on supplies and entitled to claim ITC on inputs. For first-time threshold-crossers, the effective date is generally the date the application was filed (if filed within 30 days of liability) or the date of liability itself in delayed cases. For voluntary registration, it is the date of grant.

Bank account particulars post-registration

Rule 10A of the CGST Rules mandates that within forty-five days of grant of registration, or before the first GSTR-3B is filed (whichever is earlier), the registered person must furnish bank account details through an amendment of REG-01. The bank account must be in the name of the registered taxable person and must be linked to the PAN. Failure to furnish bank-account particulars within the timeline triggers Rule 21A suspension of the GSTIN — the suspended taxpayer cannot issue tax invoices or pass on ITC during the suspension. Compliance with Rule 10A is therefore one of the first post-registration housekeeping items.

First GSTR-3B filing

The first GSTR-3B return after registration is due on the 20th, 22nd or 24th of the month following the month of registration grant — the date depending on the State and the QRMP-opt-in status. The first return covers the period from the effective date of registration to the end of the registration month. Output tax on supplies made from the effective date, ITC on inputs received from the effective date, and net tax payable are declared. Section 47 late fee plus Section 50 interest at 18% per annum apply if the first return is delayed. A clean first GSTR-3B sets the tone for the compliance record and reduces scrutiny exposure.

Compulsory registration under Section 24

E-commerce operators and sellers

Section 24(ix) makes GST registration compulsory for any person supplying goods or services through an e-commerce operator that is required to collect tax at source under Section 52, regardless of aggregate turnover. This catches every seller on Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, Myntra and similar platforms — even a homemaker selling handicrafts at ₹50,000 a month must register before listing. Section 24(x) makes registration compulsory for the e-commerce operator itself; the operator obtains a separate TCS-GSTIN in Form REG-07. For restaurants supplying through Zomato or Swiggy, Section 9(5) shifts the GST collection burden to the aggregator, but the restaurant must still be registered to enable the flow.

Reverse-charge and TDS / TCS roles

Section 24(iii) requires compulsory registration for persons liable to pay tax under reverse charge — for example, recipients of GTA services, lawyer services, or supplies from unregistered persons in specified scenarios. Section 24(vi) covers persons liable to deduct TDS under Section 51 (specified government departments and notified entities); Section 24(x) read with Section 52 covers TCS collectors. TDS deductors and TCS collectors obtain a separate registration in Form REG-07 in the TDS or TCS category — this is distinct from any regular GSTIN they may hold for their own supplies. The TDS deductor files GSTR-7 monthly; the TCS collector files GSTR-8 monthly.

Inter-State suppliers

Section 24(i) of the CGST Act makes registration compulsory for any person making an inter-State taxable supply, regardless of aggregate turnover. The threshold under Section 22 does not protect inter-State suppliers. The day the first inter-State invoice is raised, the supplier must already be registered under GST. This rule catches many freelancers, IT-services providers and traders unaware — particularly those who scale from local clients to inter-State or overseas clients without proactively planning the registration timeline. Export of goods or services is also treated as inter-State supply under Section 7 of the IGST Act and triggers Section 24(i) registration. The penalty for failure to register under Section 122(1)(xi) is ₹10,000 or the tax evaded, whichever is higher.

Composition scheme versus regular registration

Eligibility under Section 10

The composition scheme under Section 10 of the CGST Act is an alternative simplified scheme for small taxpayers with aggregate turnover up to ₹1.5 crore (₹75 lakh for special-category States including Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, and Uttarakhand). For service providers, a separate composition under Section 10(2A) is available up to ₹50 lakh aggregate turnover. The scheme is opted at the time of REG-01 application by marking the composition box; an already-registered regular taxpayer can opt in later by filing CMP-02 before the commencement of the financial year. Section 10(2) excludes from composition: persons making inter-State supplies, persons making supplies through e-commerce operators that collect TCS, manufacturers of notified goods (tobacco, pan masala, ice cream, aerated water), casual or non-resident taxable persons.

Composition rates

The flat tax rates under the composition scheme are: 1 percent of turnover for traders and manufacturers (0.5 percent CGST + 0.5 percent SGST), 5 percent for restaurants not serving alcohol (2.5 percent CGST + 2.5 percent SGST), and 6 percent for service providers under Section 10(2A) (3 percent CGST + 3 percent SGST). The composition taxpayer cannot collect tax from customers, cannot issue tax invoices (only bills of supply), and cannot claim ITC on inputs. Compliance is lighter: quarterly CMP-08 challan-cum-statement instead of monthly GSTR-3B, and annual GSTR-4 instead of GSTR-9. Composition is most attractive for B2C businesses with low value-added margins where the simpler compliance outweighs the loss of ITC.

Switching between schemes

A composition taxpayer who crosses the eligibility threshold or whose circumstances change can switch to regular registration mid-year by filing Form CMP-04 within seven days of the disqualifying event. Conversely, a regular taxpayer can opt in to composition only at the start of a financial year by filing CMP-02 before 31 March of the preceding year. The switch from regular to composition entails reversal of ITC balance in the electronic credit ledger as on the date of switch. The switch from composition to regular entails ITC claim on opening stock as on the date of switch, in Form ITC-01 within 30 days.

Logistics operator registers for GTA on reverse charge

Family business converts proprietorship to partnership

Petty trader voluntarily exits via cancellation

Manufacturer registers under composition for trading arm

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