The annual GST return, who has to file it, and the penalty tied to your turnover.
GSTR-9 is the annual return — a consolidation of everything already filed through the year. GSTR-9C is the reconciliation statement that goes with it above the turnover threshold. Both are due on 31 December following the financial year, a date the CBIC has extended in several recent years.
Not everyone has to file. The thresholds move by notification, so the first question is always whether the return is required at all before it is a question of when.
GSTR-9 / 9C — miss it: ₹200 a day, capped at 0.25% of your turnover in the state
The late fee is ₹200 a day — ₹100 CGST and ₹100 SGST — but it is capped at 0.25% of your turnover in the state. For a business turning over ₹4 crore that ceiling is ₹1 lakh, which is an order of magnitude above anything the monthly returns can cost.
It is the one GST filing where the penalty scales with the size of the business, and the one where a few months of inattention becomes a serious number.
The annual return is mostly a restatement of filings already made, so the time goes into reconciling them — GSTR-1 against GSTR-3B, both against the books, and input credit claimed against GSTR-2B. Differences that went unnoticed through the year surface here, and they are better found by you than in a notice.
31 December following the end of the financial year, though the CBIC has extended this date in several recent years. Check for a notification before assuming the standard date.
₹200 a day, capped at 0.25% of your turnover in the state. Unlike the monthly returns, the ceiling rises with the size of the business.
Only above the turnover threshold in force for that year. The limits have changed several times, so it is worth confirming for the specific year rather than assuming last year's answer.
Not sure whether this one is yours?
Send us one line about your business and we will tell you straight — and file it if it is.
Ask on WhatsAppStandard statutory dates, computed from today. Extensions notified by the CBDT or CBIC, ROC dates that follow your own AGM, and state-administered levies can all differ. General information, not advice on your position — confirm with us before you rely on a date that is close.
Gadhia Associate files these every month for clients across Gujarat and India. Tell us what you are registered for and the whole calendar becomes our problem instead of yours.
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