Question 1

Are there any hidden charges for GSTR-1 & GSTR-3B monthly filing?

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 return filing for small businesses and proprietorships in Chetpet?

Accepted Answer

Yes. A large share of our clients in Chetpet are proprietors, small traders, shop owners, freelancers and family businesses rather than large companies. The fee of Rs.749/month 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

A client paid me an advance. Do I raise an invoice or something else?

Accepted Answer

On receiving an advance, you issue a receipt voucher under Rule 50, not an invoice; the tax invoice follows when the service is actually supplied. GST is payable on advances received for services in the period of receipt, and the receipt voucher documents that liability. Advances for the supply of goods are not taxed at receipt for normal taxpayers under Notification 66/2017. If the rate is not determinable when the advance arrives, tax is paid at 18 percent, and if the nature of supply is not determinable, it is treated as inter-state. Service firms in Chetpet with retainer billing should map this into their monthly cycle.

Question 4

My credit notes this month exceed my sales. Can GSTR-3B show a negative figure?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Since the January 2024 tax period, the portal permits negative values in Table 3.1 of GSTR-3B where credit notes issued in a month exceed the outward supplies, a situation common in businesses with heavy sales returns. The resulting negative liability is carried forward automatically by the system and adjusted against the liability of subsequent tax periods, so you no longer need to defer reporting credit notes. Ensure the same credit notes are reported in GSTR-1, because GSTR-3B auto-populates from it and manual deviations invite the portal's variance flags. Retailers with seasonal return spikes benefit most from this facility.

Question 5

My shop was closed for a month. Can I skip filing GST returns for that period?

Accepted Answer

No. Once you hold an active GSTIN, returns must be filed for every tax period regardless of business activity. If there were no sales and no purchases, you must file nil GSTR-1 and nil GSTR-3B for that month. Skipping creates a break in the sequential filing chain, blocks future returns, accumulates late fees and can eventually lead to suspension of registration. Nil returns take only minutes and can even be filed by SMS. If your business in Chetpet has periods of inactivity, ask us about our low-cost nil filing plan.

Question 6

What is the difference between GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B?

Accepted Answer

GSTR-1 is a detailed invoice-wise statement of your sales, filed by the 11th of the next month. It does not involve any tax payment but it feeds your customers' GSTR-2B for input tax credit. GSTR-3B is a self-declared summary return, due on the 20th, where you report total sales, claim input tax credit and pay the net tax in cash or through credit. Both must match; mismatches between GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B are a common trigger for notices from the department, which is why we reconcile them before every filing.

Question 7

How exactly do I pay RCM in my return and claim it back as credit?

Accepted Answer

Report the taxable value and tax in Table 3.1(d) of GSTR-3B; this liability must be discharged in cash through the electronic cash ledger, because input tax credit cannot be used to pay reverse charge dues. In the same return, claim the amount as ITC in Table 4(A)(2) or 4(A)(3), so the net impact is usually nil. RCM invoices from registered suppliers like GTAs appear in GSTR-2B, but credit for unregistered-supplier RCM rests on your self-invoice, and Circular 211/5/2024 confirms the Section 16(4) deadline runs from the year of that self-invoice. Businesses in Chetpet that skip the 3.1(d) reporting but claim the credit invite automatic mismatch flags.

Question 8

What is the difference between CPIN and CIN, and how long is a GST challan valid?

Accepted Answer

When you generate a challan in Form PMT-06 on the portal, the system issues a fourteen-digit Common Portal Identification Number, the CPIN, which identifies the unpaid challan and remains valid for fifteen days. Once the bank receives your payment, a seventeen-digit Challan Identification Number, the CIN, is generated, comprising the CPIN plus the bank code, and the amount credits your electronic cash ledger. If a challan expires unpaid, simply generate a fresh one; no consequence follows. Payment modes include net banking, UPI, cards, NEFT or RTGS, and over-the-counter deposit up to Rs.10,000 per challan per tax period.

Question 9

I am under QRMP in Chennai. When is my quarterly GSTR-3B due?

Accepted Answer

For taxpayers registered in Tamil Nadu, which falls in the category of states with the earlier date, the quarterly GSTR-3B under QRMP is due on the 22nd of the month following the quarter. So the return for April to June is due by 22 July, and so on for each quarter. The quarterly GSTR-1 is due by the 13th of the same month. Mark both dates, because late fee and 18 percent interest apply on delays just as they do for monthly filers. Call +91 - 9600 606 444 if you want us to manage the calendar.

Question 10

I make both taxable and exempt supplies. How is the Rule 42 credit reversal actually computed?

Accepted Answer

Rule 42 first removes credit exclusively for exempt supplies and non-business use, and credit exclusively for taxable supplies, leaving the common credit. From this common pool, you reverse the portion equal to exempt turnover divided by total turnover for the month, plus a flat five percent of the common credit where inputs are partly used for non-business purposes. The reversal is declared monthly in GSTR-3B, and a final recomputation for the whole year must be done, with any shortfall paid with interest, by the November return following the financial year. Traders in Chetpet dealing in items like unbranded foods alongside taxable goods need this working every month.

Question 11

What is the 180-day payment rule for input tax credit?

Accepted Answer

Under the second proviso to Section 16(2) read with Rule 37, if you do not pay your supplier the invoice value including tax within 180 days from the invoice date, you must reverse the proportionate ITC in GSTR-3B, along with interest at 18 percent per annum from the date of availment. The credit can be re-availed, without any time limit, once payment is actually made. Long credit periods negotiated with vendors around Chetpet frequently breach this rule unnoticed, so your reconciliation should include an ageing of creditors mapped to ITC claimed. Call +91 - 9600 606 444 if you need this ageing built into your monthly process.

Question 12

Is GST applicable on rent for my shop or office premises?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Renting of commercial property such as shops, offices, godowns and industrial sheds is a taxable supply of services at 18 percent, charged by the landlord under forward charge once the landlord's aggregate turnover, including this rent, crosses Rs.20 lakh. The tenant, if registered and using the premises for business, can claim the GST as input tax credit, since renting is not a blocked credit. Landlords with several small commercial properties often cross the threshold without realising it, because rent from all properties on the same PAN is clubbed. A yearly turnover check protects against retrospective demands.

Question 13

How is GST charged on hotel room tariffs after the rate changes?

Accepted Answer

Hotel accommodation with a value of supply up to Rs.7,500 per unit per day attracts 5 percent GST without input tax credit, a reduction from the earlier 12 percent. Rooms priced above Rs.7,500 per day attract 18 percent with full input tax credit. The rate is determined by the actual transaction value charged for the room, so seasonal discounts can change the applicable rate on the same room across bookings. Lodges and hotels around Chetpet should configure billing software to test the per-day value on each invoice rather than fixing one rate for the property.

Question 14

Is the late fee charged on delayed returns the same thing as a penalty?

Accepted Answer

No, they are legally distinct. Late fee under Section 47 is an automatic, fixed daily charge for filing a return after its due date, computed by the portal and payable in cash before the return is accepted; no officer discretion or notice is involved. Penalty, under provisions such as Sections 122 to 125, is imposed through adjudication for specified offences, requires a show cause notice and hearing, and can be contested or reduced. Interest under Section 50 is a third, separate levy compensating for delayed payment. A delayed return with tax due can therefore attract all three simultaneously, each on its own footing.

Question 15

Which daily-use grocery items became cheaper under GST from September 2025?

Accepted Answer

The 56th GST Council's rationalisation, effective 22 September 2025, moved a large basket of daily essentials from 12% or 18% down to 5%, including butter, ghee, cheese, namkeens, sauces, pasta, chocolates, biscuits, cornflakes, hair oil, shampoo, soaps and toothpaste. UHT milk, pre-packaged paneer and all Indian breads such as roti, chapati and paratha became nil rated. Aerated and caffeinated beverages, by contrast, went to the 40% demerit rate. Grocery and supermarket billing masters needed a near-complete refresh from that date, and old stock is simply sold at the new rate applicable on the date of supply.

Question 16

What are the most common mistakes Chennai businesses make with GST refunds and ITC?

Accepted Answer

The recurring ones we see across Chetpet are: missing the two-year limitation for RFD-01, mismatches between GSTR-1, GSTR-3B and shipping bill data that stall export refunds, forgetting the April LUT renewal, claiming ITC on invoices absent from GSTR-2B, ignoring blocked credits under Section 17(5), breaching the 180-day supplier payment rule, and treating deficiency memos as rejections instead of refiling within limitation. Each of these is preventable with a simple monthly checklist and a year-end reconciliation. ChennaiGST builds exactly this discipline into its retainer engagements; call +91 - 9600 606 444 if any of these sounds familiar.

Question 17

How many digits of the HSN code must I print on my tax invoices?

Accepted Answer

Under Notification 78/2020 Central Tax, taxpayers with aggregate turnover up to Rs.5 crore in the preceding financial year must mention a 4-digit HSN code on all B2B tax invoices, though it is optional on B2C invoices. Taxpayers with turnover above Rs.5 crore must mention 6-digit HSN codes on every invoice, including B2C. Eight digits are required for specified goods such as certain chemicals and for export documentation. Services follow the same rule using SAC codes, which begin with 99. Printing truncated or wrong codes on invoices creates mismatches later, so set the codes correctly in your billing software once.

Question 18

What are OIDAR services under GST and who pays the tax on them?

Accepted Answer

OIDAR means Online Information Database Access or Retrieval services, delivered over the internet, such as cloud services, e-books, streaming, online advertising and automated e-learning. When a foreign OIDAR provider supplies these to unregistered persons in India, the foreign provider itself must take a simplified registration in Form REG-10 and file monthly return GSTR-5A. From 1 October 2023, the definition was widened, so almost every unregistered Indian recipient is covered. When the Indian recipient is GST-registered, the tax instead falls on the recipient under reverse charge as an import of services.

Question 19

How long does GSTR-1 & GSTR-3B monthly filing take in Chetpet?

Accepted Answer

Filed before the 11th and 20th of every month. 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 20

Is there a GST consultant near Chetpet for gst return filing?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We serve Chetpet and the surrounding areas from our office at Porur, Chennai - 600 116, Tamil Nadu, and most monthly returns work is completed online — you send documents on WhatsApp and we handle the portal work. If you prefer in-person help, we offer doorstep document pickup across Chetpet and you are welcome to visit our office. Reach us on +91 - 9600 606 444 between 9 AM and 8 PM, Monday to Saturday.

Question 21

How much does GSTR-1 & GSTR-3B monthly filing cost in Chetpet?

Accepted Answer

Our fee for GSTR-1 & GSTR-3B monthly filing in Chetpet starts at Rs.749/month and is quoted in full before we begin — there are no hidden charges added later. The fee covers professional work end to end: document review, preparation, filing and follow-up until completion. Government fees or portal charges, where applicable, are separate and always shown to you upfront. For an exact quote based on your turnover and business type, call +91 - 9600 606 444 and a consultant will confirm it on the call.

Aspect	With ChennaiGST	DIY / Unattended
Late fees and interest	Filings go in ahead of statutory dates, so the Rs.50-per-day late fee and 18 percent interest never arise.	Late fees accumulate silently every delayed day, and interest on unpaid tax runs at 18 percent per annum.
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.
Goods in transit	E-way bills generated correctly and matched to invoices, so consignments pass roadside inspections without detention or penalty.	A defective or missing e-way bill can mean detention at a checkpoint, with penalties that dwarf the tax on the consignment.
Risk of notices	GSTR-1, GSTR-3B and GSTR-2B reconciled before filing, removing the mismatches that trigger most scrutiny notices.	Inconsistent figures across returns quietly build a mismatch history that surfaces later as ASMT-10 scrutiny or a demand notice.
Time cost	Roughly an hour a month to send data and approve drafts; the portal work, reconciliation and follow-up are ours.	Hours every month lost to portal errors, JSON files, OTP failures and reworking figures — usually on the due date itself.
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.

GSTR-1 & GSTR-3B Monthly Filing near Pachaiyappa's College Hostel Road, Chetpet, Chennai

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Trade Profile and GST Jurisdiction for Pachaiyappa's College Hostel Road, Chetpet

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Documents Required for GSTR-1 & GSTR-3B Monthly Filing

What GSTR-1 & GSTR-3B Monthly Filing Costs in Chetpet

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With ChennaiGST vs Doing It Yourself

GST Support on Pachaiyappa's College Hostel Road, Chetpet

GST Developments Worth Knowing — relevant to Chetpet businesses

Rate and exemption clarifications on services after the 47th Council

Supreme Court bars customs recovery action during an insolvency moratorium

Ready to cook idli, dosa and porridge mixes taxable at 18 percent

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