Question 1

Our head office in Puzhal supports branches in other states. Is a cross-charge invoice really required?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Branches with separate GSTINs are distinct persons, and Schedule I treats supplies between them as taxable even without consideration. Services your head office renders to branches, such as accounting, IT support or management oversight, should be cross-charged through a tax invoice with IGST, which the branch claims as credit. On valuation, Rule 28 helps: where the recipient branch is entitled to full ITC, the value declared on the invoice is deemed to be the open market value, and Circular 199/11/2023 clarifies that internally generated services need not include the salary cost of head office employees. A documented cross-charge policy keeps audits short; call +91 - 9600 606 444 to set one up.

Question 2

What is the GST rate for salons, gyms and yoga centres?

Accepted Answer

From 22 September 2025, beauty and physical well-being services, covering salons, barbers, beauty parlours, gyms, fitness centres and yoga institutes, attract 5 percent GST without input tax credit, reduced from the earlier 18 percent. The condition attached to the concessional rate is important: because credit is barred, the GST paid on your rent, equipment, cosmetics and consumables becomes part of your cost base. Service businesses in Puzhal moving to the 5 percent rate should reprice services keeping this embedded tax in mind, and must not continue charging 18 percent, since excess tax collected has to be deposited with the government.

Question 3

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 4

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 5

How do I choose a good GST consultant near me in Puzhal?

Accepted Answer

Look for four things: familiarity with the GST portal's actual workflows rather than just theory, responsiveness around due dates such as the 11th for GSTR-1 and the 20th for GSTR-3B, transparent fixed pricing instead of vague estimates, and the ability to handle departmental work like clarification notices, amendments and revocations, not just routine filing. Ask how they track your ARNs and deadlines, and whether they share acknowledgements after every filing. ChennaiGST serves businesses across Puzhal with fixed-fee packages starting at Rs.999, and every filing is confirmed back to you with the portal acknowledgement. Call +91 - 9600 606 444 for a free initial consultation.

Question 6

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 7

What is self-invoicing under RCM and is there a time limit for it?

Accepted Answer

When you receive supplies liable to reverse charge from an unregistered supplier, Section 31(3)(f) requires you, the recipient, to issue an invoice on yourself, because the supplier cannot issue a tax invoice. You must also issue a payment voucher when paying the supplier. From 1 November 2024, Rule 47A prescribes a firm deadline: the self-invoice must be issued within thirty days of receiving the supply. This document is not a formality; the time limit for claiming the RCM credit is reckoned from the self-invoice, and its absence can cost you the credit besides inviting penalty. Maintain a monthly self-invoice series covering rent, freight, legal fees and similar unregistered-supplier heads.

Question 8

If I open a bulk bag and sell rice loose by weight, is that sale taxable?

Accepted Answer

No. The 5% levy on specified food items applies only when they are supplied in pre-packaged and labelled form in packs up to 25 kilograms. When a retailer opens bulk stock and weighs out loose quantities against each customer's order, the supply is not of a pre-packaged commodity, so it remains exempt. What you cannot do is sell an intact labelled retail pack and bill it as loose. Keep purchase records showing bulk procurement and maintain the loose counter separately from the packed shelf, because officers test this distinction during inspections of grocery businesses. When in doubt on a product, call +91 - 9600 606 444.

Question 9

We conduct training programmes and events in different cities. Which state's GST applies?

Accepted Answer

Two rules operate. For admission to an event, including tickets to exhibitions or conferences, the place of supply is where the event is held. For organising an event or providing training, the place of supply is the registered recipient's location when the client is registered; if the client is unregistered, it shifts to the venue where the event or training is actually performed. So a Puzhal trainer running a workshop in Hyderabad for a registered Chennai company charges CGST plus SGST of Tamil Nadu, but the same workshop sold to unregistered individuals is taxed in Telangana. Invoice each engagement after checking the client's registration.

Question 10

How do I document free samples and gifts given to customers?

Accepted Answer

Goods supplied genuinely free of cost to unrelated persons are not a supply, so no tax invoice is raised and no GST is charged; the movement is covered by a delivery challan marked as free samples. The cost is that input tax credit on those goods must be reversed. Two traps deserve care: gifts to related persons or between distinct GSTINs of the same PAN are taxable under Schedule I even without consideration, and promotional schemes like buy one get one are treated as a single price for two items, taxed normally with credit intact. Structure your Puzhal promotions with this distinction in mind.

Question 11

Are hospital and clinic charges exempt from GST?

Accepted Answer

Healthcare services provided by a clinical establishment, an authorised medical practitioner or paramedics are exempt from GST. This covers diagnosis, treatment and care for illness, injury, deformity or pregnancy in any recognised system of medicine in India, and includes transportation of patients by ambulance, which is separately exempt for any provider. Consultation fees, surgery charges, nursing and diagnostic services within this definition carry no GST, which is why hospitals do not charge tax on treatment bills. The exemption attaches to the nature of the service, not the size of the hospital, so both a large corporate hospital and a single-doctor clinic are covered.

Question 12

Is GST payable under reverse charge on payments made to our company directors?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the capacity in which the director is paid. CBIC Circular 140/10/2020 settles the position: remuneration to a whole-time or executive director who is an employee, paid as salary with TDS under Section 192, is outside GST entirely as an employer-employee transaction. In contrast, sitting fees, commission and professional charges paid to independent or non-executive directors, typically suffering TDS under Section 194J, are taxable and the company pays 18 percent under reverse charge, claiming ITC. Companies in Puzhal should split their director payments ledger accordingly, issue self-invoices for the RCM portion, and keep board resolutions and TDS treatment consistent as supporting evidence.

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GST Developments Worth Knowing — relevant to Puzhal businesses

Prohibition order modified and goods released provisionally where the department showed no supporting material

Reverse charge on purchases from unregistered persons suspended

Project management consultancy for a public water project held exempt

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