Question 1

Are there any hidden charges for GST refund RFD-01?

Accepted Answer

No. The fee quoted before we start is the fee you pay. Government fees, portal charges or statutory late fees, where they apply, are separate and disclosed to you in advance with the exact amount. We issue a proper GST invoice for our professional fee. If the scope of work changes — for example, an unexpected notice or additional periods — we tell you the revised fee before doing anything further.

Question 2

Do you provide gst refund application for small businesses and proprietorships in Chepauk?

Accepted Answer

Yes. A large share of our clients in Chepauk are proprietors, small traders, shop owners, freelancers and family businesses rather than large companies. The fee of Rs.4,999 and the process are the same regardless of size, and we explain the compliance position in plain language — in Tamil or English — so you understand what is being filed on your behalf and why.

Question 3

What documents do I need to attach with a GST refund application?

Accepted Answer

The documents depend on the refund category. Export refunds under LUT need a statement of invoices with corresponding shipping bill numbers and dates, or FIRC and BRC for service exports. Inverted duty claims need statements of inward and outward supplies with the Rule 89(5) computation. All claims need a declaration that the tax incidence has not been passed on, and claims above Rs.2 lakh require a certificate from a chartered accountant or cost accountant in certain cases. Uploads are limited on the portal, so annexures must be prepared compactly. Call +91 - 9600 606 444 for a category-wise checklist.

Question 4

I charged CGST and SGST on an invoice that should have carried IGST. How do I fix it?

Accepted Answer

The law provides a clean remedy without interest. Under Section 77 of the CGST Act and Section 19 of the IGST Act, where a supply was wrongly treated as intra-state instead of inter-state or vice versa, you pay the tax under the correct head and claim refund of the tax paid under the wrong head; no interest is charged on the correct payment. Rule 89(1A) allows the refund application within two years from the date the correct tax is paid. Issue a credit note and corrected invoice, amend GSTR-1, and file RFD-01 under the appropriate category. Our Chepauk team handles these head-swap corrections regularly; call +91 - 9600 606 444 before the limitation runs.

Question 5

I run a software services company in Chepauk billing US clients. Can I claim a GST refund?

Accepted Answer

Yes, provided your supplies qualify as export of services: the recipient is outside India, payment is received in convertible foreign exchange, and you and the client are not merely establishments of the same person. Export of services is zero-rated, so if you supply under LUT without charging IGST, the ITC on your rent, software subscriptions and other business inputs can be refunded through RFD-01. You must attach FIRC or bank realisation certificates proving foreign exchange receipt. Many IT exporters in Chepauk accumulate lakhs in unclaimed credit; call +91 - 9600 606 444 for a free eligibility review.

Question 6

Can I include ITC on input services in my inverted duty refund claim?

Accepted Answer

No. Under Rule 89(5) of the CGST Rules, the refund formula for inverted duty structure considers only the net input tax credit availed on inputs, meaning goods used in making the outward supply. ITC on input services and capital goods is excluded from the computation, a position upheld by the Supreme Court in the VKC Footsteps case. That excluded credit is not lost; it remains in your electronic credit ledger for set-off against future output tax. A proper working of eligible versus ineligible credit prevents deficiency memos and partial rejections.

Question 7

What is an inverted duty structure refund and does my business qualify?

Accepted Answer

An inverted duty structure arises when the GST rate on your inputs is higher than the rate on your outward supplies, causing input tax credit to accumulate. For example, a manufacturer buying raw material at 18 percent and selling finished goods at 5 percent will qualify. Refund of the accumulated ITC is claimed through RFD-01 using the formula prescribed in Rule 89(5), filed within two years of the due date of the relevant return. Certain notified goods are excluded from this refund, so eligibility should be checked against current CBIC notifications before applying.

Question 8

What is the time limit for filing a GST refund application?

Accepted Answer

Form RFD-01 must be filed within two years from the relevant date defined in Section 54 of the CGST Act. For export of goods, the relevant date is the date the ship or aircraft leaves India; for export of services, it is the date of receipt of foreign exchange or the invoice date, whichever is later; for inverted duty structure, it is the due date of the return for the period in which the claim arises. Missing the two-year window makes the refund time-barred, so track pending claims carefully and file early.

Question 9

What happens if I miss filing GSTR-3B this month?

Accepted Answer

A late fee of Rs.50 per day (Rs.20 per day for a nil return) accrues automatically, capped based on your turnover, and interest at 18 percent per annum applies on tax paid late. You also cannot file the next period's GSTR-1 until the pending GSTR-3B is filed, since returns must be filed sequentially. If two consecutive tax periods remain unfiled, e-way bill generation gets blocked, and continued default can lead to suspension of your GSTIN. File the pending return at the earliest; call +91 - 9600 606 444 and we can clear the backlog quickly.

Question 10

How is GST charged in a joint development agreement between a landowner and builder?

Accepted Answer

Two supplies run in parallel. The landowner's transfer of development rights is taxable, but the developer pays that tax under reverse charge, and for residential projects the liability is exempt to the extent the apartments are booked before the completion certificate; tax applies on the rights attributable to flats lying unsold on that date, subject to a cap linked to the 1 or 5 percent rate on their value. Separately, the developer charges the landowner GST on the construction service for the owner's share of flats. JDA structuring decides cash flow for both parties, so Chepauk landowners should model the tax before signing. Call +91 - 9600 606 444 for a working.

Question 11

What GST rates apply at my hardware and paint shop in Chepauk now?

Accepted Answer

The core hardware basket now sits at 18%. Cement, long the costliest line at 28%, came down to 18% from 22 September 2025, joining paints and varnishes, putty, iron and steel products, pipes, sanitaryware and hardware fittings, all at 18%. Marble and granite blocks attract 5%, while finished slabs are at 18%. For a hardware dealer in Chepauk, this means a largely single-rate counter with a few exceptions to flag in the billing master. Cement stock bought at 28% before the change retains full input credit while being sold at 18%. Call +91 - 9600 606 444 for an HSN-wise review of your inventory.

Question 12

Why are so many businesses suddenly receiving GST notices these days?

Accepted Answer

Enforcement has shifted from manual selection to data analytics. The portal now automatically compares GSTR-1 with GSTR-3B and flags tax shortfalls through DRC-01B intimations under Rule 88C, and compares GSTR-2B with GSTR-3B to flag excess ITC through DRC-01C under Rule 88D. E-way bill, e-invoice, TDS and income tax data are also cross-matched, and limitation deadlines for older financial years have pushed departments to clear pending demands in batches. The practical lesson for Chepauk businesses is that mismatches no longer go unnoticed, so month-wise reconciliation before filing is now essential hygiene rather than a year-end exercise.

Question 13

Can one document cover both taxable and exempt items sold together?

Accepted Answer

Yes, in one specific situation. Rule 46A permits a registered person supplying both taxable and exempt goods or services to an unregistered recipient to issue a single invoice-cum-bill of supply covering the entire transaction. This saves retail counters from splitting every mixed basket into two documents. The concession applies only when the buyer is unregistered; for a registered buyer, you must still issue a tax invoice for the taxable items and a separate bill of supply for the exempt items. Supermarkets and pharmacies with mixed inventories use this format daily, and billing software handles the split automatically once configured.

Question 14

How does GST work on lorry freight paid to a goods transport agency?

Accepted Answer

A goods transport agency, identified by its issue of a consignment note, is taxed in one of two ways. By default, specified recipients such as companies and registered persons pay 5 percent under reverse charge on the freight and can claim it as ITC. Alternatively, the GTA may opt to pay tax itself under forward charge, at 5 percent without ITC or 18 percent with ITC after the September 2025 rate rationalisation replaced the earlier 12 percent option, by filing the prescribed declaration for the financial year; the invoice should state this option. Transport by an individual lorry owner without a consignment note is not a GTA service and is exempt. Check each transporter's invoice wording before deciding who pays the tax.

Question 15

Our security agency does not charge GST on its bills. Is that correct?

Accepted Answer

Quite possibly, yes. Since 1 January 2019, security services meaning supply of security personnel, when provided by any person other than a body corporate to a registered person, fall under reverse charge, so the agency correctly bills without tax and you pay 18 percent through GSTR-3B in cash, claiming ITC. If your security agency is a private limited company, however, RCM does not apply and it must charge GST on its invoice under forward charge. Composition taxpayers as recipients are excluded from this entry. Confirm the agency's constitution from its PAN, because paying under the wrong mechanism creates trouble for both sides.

Question 16

Is there really a penalty for not displaying my GST number at my shop?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Rule 18 of the CGST Rules requires every registered person to display the registration certificate in a prominent location at the principal place of business and every additional place, and to display the GSTIN on the name board at the entry of each such premises. There is no separate penalty provision for this lapse, so officers invoke the general penalty under Section 125, which can extend to Rs.25,000 under CGST with a matching state penalty. Inspection teams visiting Chepauk markets routinely check name boards first, so a few hundred rupees of signage is the cheapest compliance in the entire GST law.

Question 17

Can one invoice contain items taxed at different GST rates?

Accepted Answer

Yes, there is no requirement to issue separate invoices per rate. A single tax invoice can carry multiple line items, each with its own HSN code, taxable value, rate and tax amount, and the totals section simply aggregates the tax rate-wise. A hardware store in Chepauk can bill cement at 18 percent and certain tools at 5 percent on one document. What matters is that each line is classified and taxed correctly, and that mixed baskets are not collapsed into one rate. Be careful with genuine composite supplies, where one principal supply drives a single rate; that is a classification question, not an invoicing one.

Question 18

I returned an advance because the deal was cancelled. What document do I issue?

Accepted Answer

It depends on how far the paperwork went. If you had issued only a receipt voucher and no tax invoice, you issue a refund voucher under Rule 51 when returning the advance, and the tax paid on that advance can be adjusted. If a tax invoice had already been issued, the cancellation is handled through a credit note under Section 34 instead. The refund voucher records the original receipt voucher reference, the amount refunded and the tax involved. Event managers and contractors see cancellations regularly, and using the wrong document between these two is a common reconciliation error.

Question 19

What documents are required for GST refund RFD-01 in Chepauk?

Accepted Answer

For GST refund RFD-01 you will generally need: Export invoices and shipping bills, for export refund claims, FIRC or bank realisation certificates for export proceeds, Copy of LUT filed in RFD-11, for exports without payment of tax, GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B filed copies for the claim period, GSTR-2B and purchase invoices supporting input tax credit. The exact list depends on your constitution — proprietorship, partnership, LLP or company — and on the specifics of your case. Send what you have on WhatsApp to +91 - 9600 606 444 and we will confirm within the same working day exactly what else is needed, so nothing is rejected later for a missing paper.

Question 20

How long does GST refund RFD-01 take in Chepauk?

Accepted Answer

Application filed in 3-5 working days; sanction typically within 60 days. That assumes your documents are complete and there is no departmental query. We start the same day we receive your papers and tell you the realistic completion date upfront rather than an optimistic one. Where the GST portal or the officer causes delay — clarifications, physical verification or system issues — we track it daily and keep you informed on WhatsApp.

Question 21

What is the process for GST refund RFD-01?

Accepted Answer

The process runs in clear stages: Eligibility and computation; Document compilation; RFD-01 filing; Departmental follow-up. A senior consultant reviews your file at each stage rather than passing it to a data-entry desk, and you receive a confirmation with the filed documents once it is complete. You always know which stage your work is at — we update you on WhatsApp instead of leaving you to follow up.

Aspect	With ChennaiGST	DIY / Unattended
Annual return preparation	Monthly reconciliations roll naturally into GSTR-9, filed comfortably before 31 December with figures already agreed through the year.	Twelve months of unmatched data reconstructed in December, with differences discovered too late to be corrected cleanly.
Input tax credit	Purchase register matched against GSTR-2B each period, with defaulting suppliers chased so eligible credit is actually captured.	Credit claimed from books alone; mismatches with GSTR-2B mean lost credit or excess claims that invite departmental queries.
Record keeping	Every return, challan, acknowledgement and working paper archived in an organised folder, retrievable in minutes years later.	Documents scattered across email, downloads and old phones; assembling records for a bank or an audit takes days.
Portal credentials and data	Logins handled by a small engaged team under strict confidentiality, with credentials stored securely and never passed onward.	Passwords circulating on chats with freelancers and part-timers, and no accountability for who has accessed your business data.
Refund claims	RFD-01 filed with complete statements and annexures, tracked from ARN to bank credit, with any deficiency memo answered promptly.	Incomplete claims bounce back as deficiency memos while the refund sits unclaimed for months and working capital stays blocked.
Supplier defaults	Suppliers who stop uploading invoices are identified within the period and pursued before their default becomes your blocked credit.	Missing supplier invoices surface only when credit is denied, by which time recovering the amount from the vendor is difficult.

GST Refund RFD-01 near Venkatrangam Street, Chepauk, Chennai

Get a Free GST Consultation

Trade Profile and GST Jurisdiction for Venkatrangam Street, Chepauk

Why Venkatrangam Street, Chepauk Businesses Choose ChennaiGST

Advisory, Not Just Data Entry

We Work with Your Existing Software

A Real Local Office You Can Walk Into

Composition Scheme Compliance Without Slips

Fast, Clean Registrations and Amendments

Correct HSN Codes and Rates, Verified

Our GST Refund Process

Eligibility and computation

Document compilation

RFD-01 filing

Departmental follow-up

Sanction and credit

Documents Required for GST Refund RFD-01

What GST Refund RFD-01 Costs in Chepauk

What You Get

Audit-Ready Records at All Times

Slips Settled Before They Become Notices

TDS and TCS Credits Converted to Cash

Smooth Scheme Transitions

Fewer Departmental Notices

Reduced Dependence on One Employee

With ChennaiGST vs Doing It Yourself

GST Support on Venkatrangam Street, Chepauk

The Current Law on This Service — relevant to Chepauk businesses

Cancer drugs cut to 5 per cent; namkeens and savoury snacks cut to 12 per cent

Karnataka High Court: trading in vouchers is neither supply of goods nor services

Extruded savoury snacks at 12 per cent, car seats and railway air conditioners clarified

Frequently Asked Questions

Related GST Services & Nearby Areas

Ready to Sort Out Your GST?