Question 1

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 2

How do I round off tax amounts on a GST invoice?

Accepted Answer

Section 170 of the CGST Act prescribes normal rounding to the nearest rupee: where the tax contains a part of a rupee, fifty paise or more is rounded up to one rupee, and less than fifty paise is ignored. The rounding is applied to the tax amount on each invoice, separately for each tax head, so CGST and SGST are each rounded individually rather than rounding only the invoice total. Most billing software handles this automatically, but spreadsheets and manual bills often round the grand total instead, creating one-rupee mismatches that clutter reconciliations across thousands of invoices.

Question 3

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 4

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 5

Can my GST registration be cancelled for not filing returns?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Under Rule 21A, the department can suspend a GSTIN where returns are not filed for a continuous period, and Section 29 permits cancellation where a regular taxpayer has not filed returns for six months (two quarters for QRMP, and a composition taxpayer defaulting on the annual return beyond three months). During suspension you cannot issue tax invoices or file returns, which freezes the business. If cancellation happens, revocation must be sought through REG-21 within 90 days after clearing all dues. If you have received a suspension notice in Uthandi, call +91 - 9600 606 444 immediately.

Question 6

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 7

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 Uthandi 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 8

Which food items became completely tax-free under GST 2.0?

Accepted Answer

From 22 September 2025, UHT milk, pre-packaged and labelled paneer and chena, and all Indian breads including roti, chapati, paratha and khakhra attract nil GST. In the pharma space, thirty-three notified lifesaving drugs and medicines for cancer and rare diseases also moved to nil rate. Remember that selling nil-rated goods still has compliance effects: you issue a bill of supply instead of a tax invoice for such items, and input tax credit attributable to nil-rated supplies must be reversed proportionately under Rules 42 and 43. Grocery retailers in Uthandi commonly need help splitting mixed billing correctly.

Question 9

What is the place of supply for freight and courier charges on goods?

Accepted Answer

For transportation of goods, including by courier, Section 12(8) fixes the place of supply as the location of the recipient where the recipient is registered. Where the recipient is unregistered, it is the location where the goods are handed over for transportation. So a registered Uthandi manufacturer paying a transporter for a Chennai-to-Delhi movement has Tamil Nadu as the place of supply, and the RCM liability is paid as CGST plus SGST if the transporter is also in Tamil Nadu. This rule matters chiefly for paying reverse charge on GTA freight under the correct heads, because paying IGST where CGST and SGST were due creates a refund-and-repay exercise later.

Question 10

My customer in Mumbai asked me to deliver goods directly to his buyer in Uthandi. How do I bill this?

Accepted Answer

This is a bill-to ship-to transaction under Section 10(1)(b). When goods are delivered to a third party on the instruction of your customer, the law deems your customer's principal place of business as the place of supply, not the actual delivery point. So you invoice the Mumbai customer with IGST even though the goods physically moved within Tamil Nadu, and the Mumbai customer raises a second invoice on the ultimate recipient in Uthandi. Only one e-way bill is needed for the movement, generated by either party with both invoice legs captured. Wrongly billing the delivery-point state is a classic error that misplaces the credit chain entirely.

Question 11

What does a GST consultant in Uthandi typically charge for refund and compliance work?

Accepted Answer

Fees vary with complexity. Simple filings such as an LUT or an excess cash ledger refund are usually fixed-fee assignments, while export and inverted duty refunds involve invoice statements, formula workings and departmental follow-up, so they may be priced as a fixed fee or a small percentage of the refund secured. Monthly reconciliation and return packages are subscription-based. ChennaiGST publishes transparent pricing starting at Rs.999 with no percentage cut on straightforward claims, and you pay only after the scope is agreed in writing. Call +91 - 9600 606 444 for a quote specific to your turnover and refund type.

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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GST Developments Worth Knowing — relevant to Uthandi businesses

A provisional attachment automatically lapses after one year and cannot be continued

CBIC answers on what counts as pre-packaged and labelled

The nil-rated goods list that sat alongside the rate schedule

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