Question 1

What is the difference between the electronic cash ledger and the electronic credit ledger?

Accepted Answer

The electronic cash ledger reflects actual money you have deposited through challans, plus TDS and TCS credits you have accepted; it can pay tax, interest, penalty, late fee and any other amount. The electronic credit ledger reflects input tax credit claimed through your returns, and it can be used only for paying output tax, never for interest, penalty or late fee. Both are visible under Services, then Ledgers, after login. Refund of an excess cash balance is possible, while credit is refundable only in specified cases such as exports and inverted duty structure.

Question 2

The GST rate on my product changed. Which rate applies to pending orders and invoices?

Accepted Answer

Section 14 of the CGST Act decides this by looking at three events: the date of supply, the date of invoice and the date of payment. Broadly, if any two of the three events fall after the rate change, the new rate applies; if two fall before, the old rate applies. So goods delivered in Maduravoyal before 22 September 2025 but invoiced and paid for afterwards attract the new rate, while goods delivered and invoiced earlier keep the old rate even if payment came later. Document dates carefully during any transition window, because officers test these invoices in scrutiny.

Question 3

What documents must I prepare for reverse charge purchases from unregistered suppliers?

Accepted Answer

Two documents are required. First, a self-invoice: Section 31(3)(f) obliges you to issue an invoice on yourself for goods or services received from an unregistered supplier on which you pay tax under reverse charge, and under Rule 47A this self-invoice must be issued within thirty days of receiving the supply. Second, a payment voucher under Rule 52 at the time of making payment to the supplier. The self-invoice is the document on which you claim the input tax credit of the reverse charge tax paid. Freight from unregistered transporters and advocate fees are typical cases where businesses miss this paperwork.

Question 4

Can I transfer cash ledger balance from one GSTIN to another GSTIN of the same PAN?

Accepted Answer

Yes, within limits. Under Section 49(10), unutilised IGST and CGST balances in the electronic cash ledger can be transferred through PMT-09 to the cash ledger of a distinct person, that is, another GSTIN registered on the same PAN in the same or another state. SGST balances cannot be moved across states in this manner. The transfer is not permitted if the transferring GSTIN has any unpaid liability standing in its electronic liability register. Multi-state businesses headquartered in Maduravoyal use this to shift idle deposits to the branch that actually needs the cash, avoiding fresh working capital outflow.

Question 5

I hold stock purchased before the September 2025 rate cuts at higher tax rates. What happens when I sell it now?

Accepted Answer

You charge the rate in force on the date of supply, so goods sold on or after 22 September 2025 carry the new lower rate even if you bought them when the rate was 12% or 28%. The input tax credit you took at the old, higher rate remains fully intact in your credit ledger and is not restricted merely because output is now taxed lower; it simply sets off across your overall liability. No stock declaration was required for this transition. What traders in Maduravoyal must avoid is selling old-MRP stock at prices that ignore the tax cut without reviewing pricing. Call +91 - 9600 606 444 for a transition check.

Question 6

What happened to the old 12 percent and 28 percent GST slabs?

Accepted Answer

Both slabs were abolished with effect from 22 September 2025. Nearly all goods that were at 12 percent moved down to 5 percent, and the bulk of the 28 percent items moved to 18 percent, with only a small set of luxury and demerit goods shifted up to the special 40 percent rate. This means old rate charts, printed price lists and software masters created before September 2025 are unreliable. Before quoting or billing, confirm the current rate against the CBIC rate notifications for your exact HSN code, or call +91 - 9600 606 444 and we will verify it for your product list.

Question 7

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 Maduravoyal never face this complaint.

Question 8

Is a pure labour contract for building a house exempt from GST?

Accepted Answer

Two exemptions exist for pure labour contracts, meaning contracts where the contractor supplies only labour and the owner buys all materials. First, construction, erection or installation of original works pertaining to a single residential unit, otherwise than as part of a residential complex, is exempt. Second, pure labour services under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana for beneficiary-led individual house construction are exempt. Outside these, labour contracts are taxable at 18 percent. A mason team building one independent house in Maduravoyal on labour-only terms therefore charges no GST, but the same team working on an apartment project must.

Question 9

What is the electronic liability register on the GST portal and why should I check it?

Accepted Answer

The electronic liability register, maintained in Form PMT-01, records every liability raised against your GSTIN: self-assessed tax from returns in Part I, and demands from assessments, adjudication orders and DRC-07 summaries in Part II. Payments and pre-deposits are set off against these entries. You can view it under Services, then Ledgers. Checking Part II periodically matters because demand entries you never noticed can trigger recovery, interest accumulation and refund adjustments. During any refund claim, the officer will offset outstanding register balances, so a clean register speeds up your money. We review all three ledgers in every Maduravoyal health check.

Question 10

Does compensation cess still apply on any goods?

Accepted Answer

For most goods, no. With the rate restructuring of 22 September 2025, compensation cess was discontinued on items such as cars, and the demerit burden was merged into the single 40 percent rate. The cess continues only on pan masala and specified tobacco products during the transition period while past compensation cess loan obligations are being discharged. A practical point for traders: balances of unutilised compensation cess credit cannot be cross-utilised against CGST, SGST or IGST liability, so businesses holding old cess credit should evaluate their position rather than assuming it will set off future tax.

Question 11

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 12

What GST rate applies to cars and two-wheelers now?

Accepted Answer

Small cars, meaning petrol cars up to 1200cc and diesel cars up to 1500cc with length not exceeding 4 metres, attract 18 percent GST, down sharply from the earlier 28 percent plus cess. Larger cars, SUVs above these specifications, attract the 40 percent rate, but with the compensation cess gone, the overall burden on most of them is still lower than before. Motorcycles up to 350cc are at 18 percent, while those above 350cc attract 40 percent. Electric vehicles continue at a concessional 5 percent. Dealers must also apply these rates to demo vehicle sales.

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Recent GST Law You Should Know — relevant to Maduravoyal businesses

Registration provisions of the CGST Act switched on from 22 June 2017

No GST on loan penal charges and small payment aggregator transactions

Supreme Court upholds GST on lotteries and actionable claims as constitutional

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