Registration, Audit, and Documents for GST Compliance

GST Registration Process

GST registration process is simple. It is done entirely online on the official GST portal (gst.gov.in), and registration is PAN-based — every approved applicant gets a 15-digit PAN-linked GSTIN. GST Suvidha Providers (GSPs) and GST practitioners are also available to help businesses with the registration process.

Here is a step by step mechanism for the GST registration process in India

• Any person liable for (or voluntarily seeking) registration must apply on the GST portal, gst.gov.in.
• Go to Services, then Registration, then New Registration to open Part A of Form GST REG-01.
• Enter your details such as the legal name of the business, PAN, state, e-mail address and mobile number, then press proceed.
• You will receive a one-time password (OTP) on your e-mail and mobile number. Enter the OTP in the required field and click on continue.
• You will receive a 15-digit Temporary Reference Number (TRN), which is used to fill Part B of the application within 15 days.
• Log in with the TRN and an OTP to open the saved application in the My Saved Applications section.
• After opening the application, you must fill in the business details, upload the required documents and complete Aadhaar authentication, then click on save and continue.
• Fill the details about the proprietors and partners of your firm.
• Fill in the details of the Authorized Signatory.
• After entering the details, upload the required document, then click ‘Save’ and continue.
• Fill details about the principal place of your business.
• Enter the commodity details, then save and continue.
• Fill the details about the bank account and upload the required documents.
• Click on verification button and submit Digital Signature Certificate (DSC). Please note that DSC is mandatory in case of LLP and companies.
• Click ‘Submit’ to save and update the information and document provided.
• Proceed and then click ‘Sign’ from the pop-up window.
• If your submission is successful then it will show a message on the screen.

Please note that the success message is displayed after the application is verified through DSC, e-signature or EVC. You will receive the acknowledgment mail and message in the next 15 minutes on your mail and mobile number. An Application Reference Number (ARN) will be sent to the registered e-mail address and mobile number, and on approval (normally within about 7 working days, faster with Aadhaar authentication) the GSTIN and registration certificate in Form GST REG-06 can be downloaded from the portal.

How to Check GST Registration Status

Once the application is submitted, its progress can be tracked online with the ARN. The following steps will check the progress of the GST registration

• Go to the GST portal, gst.gov.in.
• Click on Services, then Registration.
• Select the Track Application Status option.
• Enter the ARN received on your e-mail and mobile number.
• The current status of the application will be displayed, where one can check the status of his/her GST registration. Registered users can also see it under My Saved Applications after logging in.

Audit

Assessment helps in the determination of tax liability under GST. The various assessment covered under this are

• Provisional Assessment: If the assessee is unable to determine value or rate of tax, then he/she can request the officer for provisional assessment to determine the value. The officer can allow the assessee to pay tax on a provisional basis.
• Self- Assessment: Every registered taxable person shall assess the taxes which they are supposed to pay and are required to furnish tax return for each tax period.
• Summary Assessment: This assessment is done in special cases like, when assessing officer believes that there is any delay in showing tax liability by the assessee which can harm the interest of the revenue. He/she can also pass the summary assessment to the joint or additional commissioner.
• Best Judgement Assessment:
  • Assessment for unregistered persons: This is for those individuals who fail to obtain registration although he is liable to do so. The officer will assess the tax liability of such persons and after that, the taxable person will receive a show cause notice and opportunity of being heard.
  • Assessment of non-filers of returns: The assigned officer will assess the tax liability of the registered taxable person who doesn’t file his/her return after getting notice to the best of his judgement.
• Scrutiny Assessment: Under this, the assigned officer scrutinizes the return to check the correctness of the return which is filed. The officer will ask for explanations if any discrepancies will be noticed by him in the return.

Provision for Demand and Recovery

It is possible that the taxable person may have made some errors while filing GST returns, as GST is payable on a self-assessment basis. Some of the errors which are likely to arise are that he may have received the wrong refund of tax or input tax credit or he may not have paid the tax correctly. In such cases, demand and recovery provisions become applicable, upon which the assigned officer will issue a show cause notice along with the demand for payment of tax.