Yes, filing a GST annual return (Form GSTR-9) is generally mandatory for most registered taxpayers in India. It is required to be filed by all regular taxpayers for each financial year, regardless of whether they had any business transactions. However, it may be optional for taxpayers with a low aggregate annual turnover.
All registered persons, except for a few specified categories of persons, are required to file GST annual return for every financial year.
Form GSTR-9 is an annual return to be filed once for each financial year, by the registered taxpayers who were regular taxpayers, including SEZ units and SEZ developers. The taxpayers are required to furnish details of purchases, sales, input tax credit or refund claimed or demand created etc.
GST return filing is mandatory even if there's no transaction during the period (NIL return). Important: You cannot file the current return if the previous return is pending. Late filing attracts interest & late fees, impacting compliance.
Levy of late fee:
Therefore, effectively the late fee for delay in filing Annual Return by the due date is R 200/- per day subject to a maximum of an amount calculated at 0.50% of his turnover in the State or Union Territory.
Therefore, upon non –filing of GST returns or missing out the GST due dates, the GST law prescribes a general penalty. The maximum penalty that may be imposed is Rs. 5,000. The taxpayer will be required to pay interest on late payment of GST at a rate of 18% annually in addition to the late payment penalty.
If you are registered for GST/HST, you must file a GST/HST return for each reporting period.
Businesses dealing in goods are exempt from GST if their annual aggregate turnover is below INR 40 lakhs. For businesses in hilly and northeastern states, this threshold is reduced to INR 20 lakhs to address regional challenges. Service providers are exempt from GST if their turnover is under INR 20 lakhs annually.
GST Annual Return is to be filed by the registered taxpayer whose turnover for the year exceeds Rs. 2 crores. GSTR 9 is basically a compilation of GSTR 1, GSTR 3B, GSTR 2A and purchase data for the respective financial year.
All business owners and dealers who have registered under the GST system must file GST returns according to the nature of their business or transactions. Regular Businesses. Businesses registered under the Composition Scheme.
Annual Return
All companies, including inactive and dormant companies, are required to file annual returns. As long as a company's status is "live", it must file its annual return with ACRA even if IRAS has exempted the company from filing its income tax return. Read our guide on filing Annual Returns.
You can elect to report and pay GST annually. You can only use this method if you are voluntarily registered for GST. That is, you are registered for GST and your turnover is under $75,000 (or $150,000 for not-for-profit bodies).
The GST Search Tool and GSTIN Validator enable businesses to verify any GSTIN with a single-click GSTIN search. Most importantly, the tool helps verify GSTIN authenticity and spot fake GSTINs. This feature can be used by anyone free of cost, provided they have the requisite GSTIN on hand.
The registered person whose aggregate turnover in any financial year is up to two crore rupees is exempt from filing annual return that said financial year. This is with respect of filing of annual return for the financial year 2024-25 onwards.
GST is leviable only if aggregate turnover is more than 20 lacs. (Rs. 10 lacs in 11 special category States). For computing aggregate supplies turnover of all supplies made by you would be added.
For GST, the CRA filing and payment deadline is 3 months after your fiscal year end. For GST filed and paid annually, the CRA payment deadline is April 30 and the filing deadline is June 15. For GST filed and paid monthly and quarterly, the CRA filing and payment deadline is one month after the reporting period.
Businesses with annual sales of Rs. 40 lakhs or more for goods, and Rs. 20 lakhs or more for services, must register for GST. If the turnover exceeds the allowed threshold, there is a penalty for failing to register under GST.
You must register for GST as soon as you think you'll earn more than $60,000 in 12 months – whether you're a sole trader, a contractor, in partnership or a company. You may be charged penalties if you don't register when you need to. If you don't think you'll earn that much, it's up to you whether or not to register.
Here's a breakdown of the typical expenses for small businesses: GST Return Fees: Rs. 500 to Rs. 1,000 per month for online filing via the GST portal.
GST exemption from registration
A person whose turnover falls below the threshold exemption limit—INR 40 lakhs for goods, INR 20 lakhs for services, and INR 20 lakhs (or INR 10 lakhs in special category states) for specified categories.
For Goods Suppliers: Businesses involved in the supply of goods must register for GST if their annual turnover exceeds Rs. 40 lakhs. For Service Providers: For those providing services, the registration threshold is Rs. 20 lakhs in annual turnover.
Customers do not pay GST on goods and services that are GST‑free such as basic food, many medical and health services, some education courses, childcare, certain medical aids, and exports.
A failure-to-file penalty is 5% of the unpaid tax obligation for each month your return is late. This penalty can't exceed 25% of your total unpaid taxes, and will max out after five months.
Every registered taxable person, other than an input service distributor/ composition taxpayer/ persons liable to deduct tax u/s 51 / persons liable to collect tax u/s 52 is required to file Form GSTR-1, the details of outward supplies of goods and/or services during a tax period, electronically on the GST Portal.
What is the new 3-year filing rule? Starting from December 1, 2025, the GST portal will bar taxpayers from filing any return that is more than three years past its original due date. This means November 2025 is the last chance to file returns for periods like October 2022 or the FY 2020-21 annual return.