Question 1

Is GST payable on my YouTube AdSense earnings?

Accepted Answer

AdSense payments come from a Google entity located outside India and are remitted in convertible foreign exchange, so for an Indian creator this revenue generally qualifies as export of services, zero-rated when supplied under an LUT after registration. The income still counts towards your Rs.20 lakh aggregate turnover, so a creator whose combined receipts cross the threshold must register even if the entire revenue is export. Brand sponsorships from Indian companies, by contrast, are domestic supplies taxable at 18 percent. Keep the remittance advices safely, as they establish the forex receipt if you later claim a refund of input tax credit.

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 Ramapuram office logs tickets for clients as part of retainer support.

Question 3

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 4

What is the difference between ISD and cross-charge, and when is each used?

Accepted Answer

They solve different problems. The Input Service Distributor mechanism distributes credit on third-party input services received at the head office but consumed by branches, such as an audit fee or software licence billed centrally; the ISD passes the credit itself through ISD invoices and GSTR-6, without charging tax again. Cross-charge applies where the head office performs a service for branches using its own resources; here the head office makes an outward supply, issues a tax invoice with tax, and the branch claims ITC. With ISD distribution mandatory for common third-party input services from 1 April 2025, businesses must now run both mechanisms side by side, each for its correct category.

Question 5

What details must a GST tax invoice compulsorily contain?

Accepted Answer

Rule 46 of the CGST Rules prescribes the mandatory contents: your name, address and GSTIN; a consecutive serial number not exceeding sixteen characters, unique for the financial year; the date of issue; the recipient's name, address and GSTIN if registered; the HSN or SAC code; description, quantity and unit; total and taxable value; any discount; the rate and amount of CGST, SGST or IGST shown separately; place of supply with the state name for inter-state supplies; a declaration where tax is payable on reverse charge; and signature or digital signature of the supplier. Missing fields make the invoice defective and can jeopardise your buyer's credit.

Question 6

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 7

Does buying from unregistered dealers attract reverse charge for everyone?

Accepted Answer

No. The general reverse charge on all unregistered purchases under Section 9(4) was never fully implemented and now applies only to notified classes, principally real estate. A promoter must procure at least eighty percent of inputs and input services from registered suppliers for a project; on any shortfall, the promoter pays 18 percent under RCM, and cement purchased from an unregistered dealer attracts RCM at the rate applicable to cement, 18 percent since the September 2025 rate rationalisation reduced it from 28 percent, irrespective of the eighty percent test. Transfer of development rights and long-term leases to promoters are also covered. An ordinary trader or service provider in Ramapuram buying stationery from an unregistered shop has no Section 9(4) liability at all.

Question 8

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 Ramapuram 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 9

Is GST payable on hostel or paying guest accommodation in Ramapuram?

Accepted Answer

A specific exemption effective 15 July 2024 covers accommodation services supplied at a value up to Rs.20,000 per person per month, provided the accommodation is supplied for a minimum continuous period of ninety days. Student hostels and working men's or women's PGs in Ramapuram charging within this limit for long stays are therefore exempt. Where the monthly charge exceeds Rs.20,000, or the stay is shorter than ninety days, the supply is taxable like ordinary accommodation. Operators should maintain stay records and agreements evidencing the duration, because the ninety-day condition is what officers test first during verification.

Question 10

How do I track the status of a grievance ticket or any ARN I have on the GST portal?

Accepted Answer

For grievance tickets, open selfservice.gstsystem.in and use Check Status by entering the ticket reference number; the screen shows whether it is open, under processing or resolved, with the resolution comments. For applications filed on the main portal, log in and use Services, then Track Application Status, choosing the module and entering the ARN, or open My Applications to see every application with its case detail folder, notices and replies in one place. Diarise every ARN the day it is generated, because reply windows run from portal timestamps. ChennaiGST maintains an ARN tracker for every client engagement.

Question 11

My shop's landlord in Ramapuram is not GST registered. Do I pay GST on the rent myself?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if you are registered. With effect from 10 October 2024, renting of any immovable property other than a residential dwelling by an unregistered person to a registered person was notified under reverse charge, so a registered tenant must pay 18 percent on the rent in cash through GSTR-3B and can claim ITC subject to the usual conditions. Composition taxpayers were subsequently excluded from this entry with effect from 16 January 2025. You must also raise a monthly self-invoice since the landlord is unregistered. Many shop and godown tenants in Ramapuram remain unaware of this recent entry; call +91 - 9600 606 444 to regularise past months.

Question 12

What is the GST treatment for an event management company handling corporate events?

Accepted Answer

Event management services attract 18 percent with full input tax credit. Place of supply rules deserve attention: for organising an event for a registered client, the place of supply is the client's location, so a Chennai company organising a Goa offsite for a Bengaluru-registered client charges IGST to Karnataka. For unregistered clients, the place of supply is where the event is actually held. Admission tickets are taxed where the event takes place. Getting the state wrong means the client's credit is jeopardised and the tax may need repayment under the correct head, so event companies serving multi-state clients should map each contract before invoicing.

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