Question 1

How is the place of supply decided when I sell goods?

Accepted Answer

Section 10 of the IGST Act gives the tests. Where the sale involves movement of goods, the place of supply is the location where the movement terminates for delivery to the recipient, whoever arranges the transport. Where there is no movement, it is the location of the goods at the time of delivery, which covers over-the-counter sales and sales of installed machinery in place. Where goods are assembled or installed at site, the place of supply is the site of installation. Getting this right decides whether you charge CGST plus SGST or IGST, and a Kathivakkam seller delivering to a Bengaluru buyer charges IGST because delivery terminates in Karnataka.

Question 2

Something is malfunctioning on the GST portal. How do I raise a formal grievance ticket?

Accepted Answer

Use the GST Self-Service Grievance Redressal Portal at selfservice.gstsystem.in. Select Report Issue, type a keyword describing the problem, and the system suggests the matching category along with FAQs; if those do not resolve it, proceed to raise the ticket by entering your GSTIN or ARN, contact details and a description, and attach screenshots of the error. A ticket reference number is issued instantly by email and SMS. Raising a ticket also creates a record that the failure was on the system side, which helps later if a deadline was missed because of a portal outage. Our Kathivakkam office logs tickets for clients as part of retainer support.

Question 3

Can I reduce GST for discounts given after the sale, like turnover incentives?

Accepted Answer

Only if three conditions in Section 15(3)(b) are met: the discount was established under an agreement that existed before or at the time of supply, it can be linked to specific invoices, and the recipient reverses the input tax credit attributable to it. If all three hold, you issue a GST credit note and reduce your output tax. If any condition fails, which is common for year-end volume incentives negotiated later, the adjustment must go through a commercial credit note without any GST effect. Distributor incentive schemes run from Kathivakkam should be papered before the season starts, not after.

Question 4

When can goods move on a delivery challan instead of a tax invoice?

Accepted Answer

Rule 55 permits movement on a delivery challan where the transportation is not itself a supply: sending inputs or capital goods for job work, taking goods to an exhibition or for approval where the sale is not yet certain, supplying liquid gas where the quantity is unknown at removal, and moving goods in semi-knocked-down form in multiple consignments, where the full invoice travels with the first lot. The challan is prepared in triplicate and an e-way bill is still required where value thresholds are crossed. Goods sent on approval must be invoiced within six months, failing which tax becomes payable.

Question 5

I have taken a house on rent and I am GST registered. Does reverse charge hit my house rent?

Accepted Answer

Only in defined situations. From 18 July 2022, renting of a residential dwelling to a registered person attracts 18 percent under reverse charge in the tenant's hands. However, where a registered proprietor rents the dwelling in a personal capacity for use as his own residence, and on his own account rather than for the business, the exemption applies and no tax arises. If a company takes a flat as a guest house or for employee accommodation, RCM applies, and note that ITC on such rent may face challenge as a personal consumption expense. Document the purpose of the tenancy in the rent agreement so the correct treatment is defensible.

Question 6

How do I file Form PMT-09 to move money between heads in my cash ledger?

Accepted Answer

Log in and open Services, then Ledgers, then Electronic Cash Ledger, and select File GST PMT-09 for transfer of amount. The screen shows your balance under each major and minor head. Choose the transfer-from head and amount, choose the transfer-to head, add the details to the table, preview and file with DSC or EVC. The transfer reflects in the ledger immediately and an ARN is generated for your records. There is no limit on how often PMT-09 can be filed, and no government fee applies, so it is always the first fix for a wrong-head deposit.

Question 7

My footwear shop sells chappals at Rs.300 and shoes at Rs.4,000 on the same bill. How do I invoice this?

Accepted Answer

One invoice can comfortably carry both rates. Each pair is tested against the Rs.2,500 sale-value threshold independently, so the chappals are billed at 5% and the Rs.4,000 shoes at 18%, as separate line items under their footwear HSN codes in Chapter 64. Your GSTR-1 HSN summary will then show turnover split across the two rates. Ensure the billing software picks the rate from the item price automatically rather than from a fixed product master, because the same article sold at different price points can legitimately fall in different slabs. A quick POS configuration check prevents months of wrong-rate billing; call +91 - 9600 606 444 to arrange one.

Question 8

My customer says he cannot claim ITC because of my late filing. Is that correct?

Accepted Answer

Yes, he is right. A buyer can claim input tax credit only for invoices appearing in his GSTR-2B, which is generated from suppliers' GSTR-1 and IFF filings. If you file GSTR-1 after the 11th, your invoices miss that month's GSTR-2B and your customer's credit gets pushed to the next month, straining his working capital. Repeated delays lead buyers to withhold the GST portion of payments or move to more compliant vendors. Timely GSTR-1 filing is therefore a commercial necessity, not just a legal one. ChennaiGST ensures clients in Kathivakkam never face this complaint.

Question 9

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 Kathivakkam should configure billing software to test the per-day value on each invoice rather than fixing one rate for the property.

Question 10

Where is the place of supply for services connected to a building or land?

Accepted Answer

Services directly relating to immovable property, including those of architects, interior decorators, engineers, surveyors, construction and works contract services, renting, and accommodation in hotels, are supplied where the property is located, under Section 12(3). The recipient's location and registration are irrelevant. So a Kathivakkam architect designing a factory in Coimbatore charges CGST plus SGST of Tamil Nadu, but for a project in Kochi the place of supply is Kerala and IGST applies. For hotels, the state where the hotel stands is always the place of supply, which is why accommodation is invariably billed with that state's local taxes regardless of where the guest's business is registered.

Question 11

What GST rate applies to a goods transport agency: 5 percent or 18 percent?

Accepted Answer

Both exist, depending on the option exercised. The default position is 5 percent payable by the specified recipient under reverse charge, with no input tax credit to the GTA. Alternatively, a GTA may opt to pay tax itself under forward charge, either at 5 percent without input tax credit or at the higher rate with full credit, which was revised from 12 percent to 18 percent with effect from 22 September 2025. The with-credit option suits transporters with large spends on vehicles and tyres. Once the forward charge option is exercised for a year, it applies to all consignments of that year.

Question 12

We hire cabs monthly for employee transport in Kathivakkam. Who pays the GST?

Accepted Answer

If the cab operator is not a body corporate, charges 5 percent, and your business is a body corporate, the liability shifts to you under reverse charge. The entry covers renting of motor vehicles designed to carry passengers where the cost of fuel is included in the consideration. If the operator is itself a company, or bills at the higher rate with full ITC, 18 percent since the September 2025 rate rationalisation, forward charge applies and the operator collects the tax. Remember that even after paying RCM, the ITC on employee transport in vehicles seating up to thirteen is blocked under Section 17(5) unless providing the transport is obligatory for the employer under a law.

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