Question 1

How long does ITC reconciliation 2B vs books take in Sembium?

Accepted Answer

Monthly, completed before GSTR-3B filing on the 20th. That assumes your documents are complete and there is no departmental query. We start the same day we receive your papers and tell you the realistic completion date upfront rather than an optimistic one. Where the GST portal or the officer causes delay — clarifications, physical verification or system issues — we track it daily and keep you informed on WhatsApp.

Question 2

Are there any hidden charges for ITC reconciliation 2B vs books?

Accepted Answer

No. The fee quoted before we start is the fee you pay. Government fees, portal charges or statutory late fees, where they apply, are separate and disclosed to you in advance with the exact amount. We issue a proper GST invoice for our professional fee. If the scope of work changes — for example, an unexpected notice or additional periods — we tell you the revised fee before doing anything further.

Question 3

What is the difference between GSTR-2A and GSTR-2B, and which one should I follow?

Accepted Answer

GSTR-2A is a dynamic statement that keeps changing as suppliers file or amend their returns, so the same month's data can look different on different dates. GSTR-2B is a static statement generated on the 14th of each month, capturing supplier filings between cut-off dates, and it never changes afterwards. The law ties your ITC eligibility to GSTR-2B, and GSTR-3B auto-populates from it, so 2B is the statement to reconcile against for monthly claims. GSTR-2A remains useful for tracing when an invoice was actually uploaded, which helps in replying to departmental queries about earlier periods.

Question 4

I received a debit note from a supplier for an old invoice. Which year's ITC deadline applies?

Accepted Answer

The deadline is counted from the date of the debit note, not the original invoice. After the Finance Act 2020 delinked debit notes from their underlying invoices, ITC on a debit note can be claimed up to 30 November following the end of the financial year in which the debit note itself was issued. So a debit note dated June 2025 against an invoice of January 2024 remains claimable until 30 November 2026. This delinking rescues many price-escalation and rate-difference credits that would otherwise appear time-barred, and it is worth checking before writing off any debit note credit as lost.

Question 5

Is ITC available on food, catering and canteen expenses for our factory staff?

Accepted Answer

Section 17(5)(b) blocks credit on food, beverages and outdoor catering, but with two useful exceptions. First, where you use catering as an input for making an outward supply of the same category, such as a caterer subcontracting another caterer, credit is allowed. Second, where providing the facility is obligatory for the employer under any law, credit is allowed; the classic case is a statutory canteen required under the Factories Act for factories employing more than 250 workers. Even then, credit is typically restricted to the cost borne by the employer, not amounts recovered from employees. Factories around Sembium should keep the statutory obligation documented in their credit file.

Question 6

Can my company claim ITC on a car purchased for business use, and what about its insurance and repairs?

Accepted Answer

Generally no. Section 17(5)(a) blocks credit on motor vehicles for transporting persons with approved seating up to thirteen including the driver, even when used for business, unless you are in the business of further supplying such vehicles, transporting passengers, or imparting driver training. Section 17(5)(ab) extends the block to insurance, servicing and repairs of such vehicles. However, ITC is fully available on goods transport vehicles like trucks and delivery vans, and on vehicles with seating above thirteen such as staff buses. A Sembium trading company buying a delivery van claims full credit; the director's sedan gets none. Classify each vehicle before claiming.

Question 7

Do I get ITC on machinery purchase in one shot or in instalments over years?

Accepted Answer

In one shot. Unlike the old VAT regime, GST allows the entire input tax credit on capital goods in the month of receipt, provided the machinery is used for taxable supplies and the invoice appears in your GSTR-2B. The one critical condition sits in Section 16(3): if you claim income tax depreciation on the GST component of the asset's cost, the credit is denied. So capitalise the machine at its value excluding GST, claim the GST as credit, and depreciate only the net cost. We regularly find fixed asset registers in Sembium where the accountant capitalised the gross amount, silently forfeiting the entire credit.

Question 8

What counts as exempt supply when calculating my ITC reversal ratio?

Accepted Answer

Exempt supplies for Rules 42 and 43 include nil-rated and wholly exempted supplies, and by virtue of Section 17(3) also cover outward supplies on which your recipient pays tax under reverse charge, transactions in securities valued at one percent of sale value, and sale of land or completed buildings valued at stamp duty value. Importantly, interest earned on deposits, loans or advances is excluded from the exempt turnover for this computation for everyone except banking companies and financial institutions. Many businesses in Sembium inflate their reversal by wrongly including fixed deposit interest, handing over credit the law never asked them to reverse.

Question 9

How do I handle GST when expired medicines are returned to the distributor?

Accepted Answer

CBIC Circular 72/46/2018 gives two routes for time-expired drugs. The return can be treated as a fresh supply by the person returning them, with a tax invoice if that person is registered, or the original supplier can issue a credit note under Section 34; the tax adjustment on a credit note is available only if it is reported within the statutory window, now 30 November following the financial year of supply. Where the manufacturer ultimately destroys the expired stock, input tax credit relating to the destroyed goods must be reversed under Section 17(5)(h). Pharmacies should reconcile expiry returns quarterly; call +91 - 9600 606 444 for help.

Question 10

How many days do I get to reply to an ASMT-10 notice?

Accepted Answer

The reply in Form ASMT-11 must be filed within thirty days of being informed of the discrepancies, or within such further time as the officer permits. If you need more time to gather reconciliations, write to the officer seeking an extension before the deadline instead of staying silent. The thirty days pass quickly because a proper reply needs invoice-level matching of GSTR-1, GSTR-3B, GSTR-2B and your books, so start compiling data the day the notice arrives. ChennaiGST typically completes the reconciliation and files the ASMT-11 well within the window for Sembium clients; call +91 - 9600 606 444 if your deadline is close.

Question 11

Swiggy and Zomato pay the GST on my restaurant orders. How do I show these sales in my returns?

Accepted Answer

Since 1 January 2022, tax on restaurant services supplied through e-commerce operators is payable by the operator under Section 9(5), so you do not charge GST on app orders and no TCS is collected on them either. You must still report these supplies: show them in GSTR-3B Table 3.1.1(ii) as supplies on which the operator pays tax, and disclose them in GSTR-1, without paying tax on them again. Direct dine-in and takeaway billing remains taxable in your hands at 5%. Mixing up these tables is a common error we correct for restaurants in Sembium; call +91 - 9600 606 444 for help.

Question 12

What falls under the 18 percent standard rate of GST now?

Accepted Answer

The 18 percent slab is the standard rate for most services and for goods that are neither essentials nor demerit items. Notably, several products that earlier suffered 28 percent moved down to 18 percent from 22 September 2025: air conditioners, televisions of all sizes, dishwashers, cement, small cars and motorcycles up to 350cc, and most auto parts. Apparel and footwear priced above Rs.2,500 per piece also fall at 18 percent. Most professional, business support and repair services billed by professional firms continue at 18 percent with full input tax credit.

Question 13

What are the most common mistakes Chennai businesses make with GST refunds and ITC?

Accepted Answer

The recurring ones we see across Sembium are: missing the two-year limitation for RFD-01, mismatches between GSTR-1, GSTR-3B and shipping bill data that stall export refunds, forgetting the April LUT renewal, claiming ITC on invoices absent from GSTR-2B, ignoring blocked credits under Section 17(5), breaching the 180-day supplier payment rule, and treating deficiency memos as rejections instead of refiling within limitation. Each of these is preventable with a simple monthly checklist and a year-end reconciliation. ChennaiGST builds exactly this discipline into its retainer engagements; call +91 - 9600 606 444 if any of these sounds familiar.

Question 14

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 Sembium never face this complaint.

Question 15

What is the difference between a GST credit note and a commercial credit note?

Accepted Answer

A GST credit note is issued under Section 34, is reported in GSTR-1, and reduces your output tax, with the buyer reversing equivalent input credit. A commercial or financial credit note adjusts only the money owed between the parties; it carries no GST, is not reported in returns, and leaves everyone's tax position untouched. Businesses use commercial credit notes when the 30 November deadline has passed, or for post-supply discounts that do not satisfy the statutory conditions for a tax adjustment. Choosing the wrong instrument is a frequent audit finding, so decide the type before the note is issued.

Question 16

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

Question 17

I returned an advance because the deal was cancelled. What document do I issue?

Accepted Answer

It depends on how far the paperwork went. If you had issued only a receipt voucher and no tax invoice, you issue a refund voucher under Rule 51 when returning the advance, and the tax paid on that advance can be adjusted. If a tax invoice had already been issued, the cancellation is handled through a credit note under Section 34 instead. The refund voucher records the original receipt voucher reference, the amount refunded and the tax involved. Event managers and contractors see cancellations regularly, and using the wrong document between these two is a common reconciliation error.

Question 18

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 19

What is the process for ITC reconciliation 2B vs books?

Accepted Answer

The process runs in clear stages: Data intake; Invoice-level matching; Mismatch analysis; Supplier follow-up. A senior consultant reviews your file at each stage rather than passing it to a data-entry desk, and you receive a confirmation with the filed documents once it is complete. You always know which stage your work is at — we update you on WhatsApp instead of leaving you to follow up.

Question 20

How much does ITC reconciliation 2B vs books cost in Sembium?

Accepted Answer

Our fee for ITC reconciliation 2B vs books in Sembium starts at Rs.1,499/month and is quoted in full before we begin — there are no hidden charges added later. The fee covers professional work end to end: document review, preparation, filing and follow-up until completion. Government fees or portal charges, where applicable, are separate and always shown to you upfront. For an exact quote based on your turnover and business type, call +91 - 9600 606 444 and a consultant will confirm it on the call.

Question 21

Do you provide itc reconciliation for small businesses and proprietorships in Sembium?

Accepted Answer

Yes. A large share of our clients in Sembium are proprietors, small traders, shop owners, freelancers and family businesses rather than large companies. The fee of Rs.1,499/month and the process are the same regardless of size, and we explain the compliance position in plain language — in Tamil or English — so you understand what is being filed on your behalf and why.

Aspect	With ChennaiGST	DIY / Unattended
Portal credentials and data	Logins handled by a small engaged team under strict confidentiality, with credentials stored securely and never passed onward.	Passwords circulating on chats with freelancers and part-timers, and no accountability for who has accessed your business data.
Record keeping	Every return, challan, acknowledgement and working paper archived in an organised folder, retrievable in minutes years later.	Documents scattered across email, downloads and old phones; assembling records for a bank or an audit takes days.
When a notice arrives	A professional drafts the reply in the department's format and files it within the statutory window, such as thirty days for ASMT-11.	You face departmental language alone, and a missed reply deadline can convert a simple query into a demand with penalty.
Registration and amendments	Query-resistant applications prepared correctly the first time, with supporting documents matched to what proper officers actually verify.	Repeated clarification memos and resubmissions, with weeks lost because a rent agreement or premises photograph did not meet expectations.
Due-date tracking	A maintained compliance calendar with internal cut-offs days before the 11th and the 20th; we chase you for data, not the other way around.	Deadlines remembered from memory or phone alarms; one busy week and the return slips past the due date.
Input tax credit	Purchase register matched against GSTR-2B each period, with defaulting suppliers chased so eligible credit is actually captured.	Credit claimed from books alone; mismatches with GSTR-2B mean lost credit or excess claims that invite departmental queries.

ITC Reconciliation 2B vs Books in Sembium - Fast and Affordable

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Trade Profile and GST Jurisdiction for Sembium

Why Sembium Businesses Choose ChennaiGST

WhatsApp Updates at Every Stage

A Real Local Office You Can Walk Into

Notice Support Does Not Stop at Filing

Proactive Alerts Before Problems Become Notices

Ledger Housekeeping on the Portal

Deadline Tracking Done for You

Our ITC Reconciliation Process

Data intake

Invoice-level matching

Mismatch analysis

Supplier follow-up

Eligible credit certification

Documents Required for ITC Reconciliation 2B vs Books

What ITC Reconciliation 2B vs Books Costs in Sembium

What You Get

No Money Idling in the Cash Ledger

Credit Notes That Actually Reduce Your Tax

Export Benefits Fully Utilised

The Lowest Tax Position the Law Allows

Advances Treated Correctly

Better Cash Flow Planning

With ChennaiGST vs Doing It Yourself

GST Developments Worth Knowing — relevant to Sembium businesses

Supreme Court applies the section notes to classify parts by their end use

Credit available on ex-works purchases when goods are handed to the transporter

Credit allowed on brokerage paid to let out commercial property

Frequently Asked Questions

Related GST Services & Nearby Areas

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