Question 1

What is the process for GST refund RFD-01?

Accepted Answer

The process runs in clear stages: Eligibility and computation; Document compilation; RFD-01 filing; Departmental 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 2

Do you provide GST refund RFD-01 for businesses on Canalpuram road?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We serve businesses on and around Canalpuram road in Palavakkam — shops, offices, godowns and home-run businesses alike. Document pickup can be arranged at your premises, or you can send everything on WhatsApp and complete GST refund without leaving your counter. Call +91 - 9600 606 444 and mention your location; a consultant will confirm the fee and timeline immediately.

Question 3

Can I include ITC on input services in my inverted duty refund claim?

Accepted Answer

No. Under Rule 89(5) of the CGST Rules, the refund formula for inverted duty structure considers only the net input tax credit availed on inputs, meaning goods used in making the outward supply. ITC on input services and capital goods is excluded from the computation, a position upheld by the Supreme Court in the VKC Footsteps case. That excluded credit is not lost; it remains in your electronic credit ledger for set-off against future output tax. A proper working of eligible versus ineligible credit prevents deficiency memos and partial rejections.

Question 4

What is an inverted duty structure refund and does my business qualify?

Accepted Answer

An inverted duty structure arises when the GST rate on your inputs is higher than the rate on your outward supplies, causing input tax credit to accumulate. For example, a manufacturer buying raw material at 18 percent and selling finished goods at 5 percent will qualify. Refund of the accumulated ITC is claimed through RFD-01 using the formula prescribed in Rule 89(5), filed within two years of the due date of the relevant return. Certain notified goods are excluded from this refund, so eligibility should be checked against current CBIC notifications before applying.

Question 5

I deposited extra money in my GST cash ledger by mistake. Can I get it back?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Excess balance lying in the electronic cash ledger can be claimed back by filing RFD-01 under the category refund of excess balance in electronic cash ledger. This is one of the simplest refund types because no invoice statements are required; the portal auto-populates the ledger balance and you simply select the amount and the bank account for credit. This commonly happens when tax is deposited under the wrong head, for example CGST instead of IGST. Businesses in Palavakkam facing this issue can call +91 - 9600 606 444 and the claim can usually be filed the same day.

Question 6

My GST refund was rejected by the officer. Do I have any remedy?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Before rejection, the officer must issue a notice in RFD-08 and consider your reply in RFD-09, so a rejection without hearing you is itself challengeable. Against a rejection order in RFD-06, you can file an appeal in Form APL-01 before the appellate authority within three months of the order. The ITC debited for the rejected claim is re-credited through PMT-03 where applicable. Appeals on refund matters frequently succeed where the rejection was for curable documentation gaps, so preserve every acknowledgement and reply. Professional drafting of the appeal grounds materially improves outcomes.

Question 7

What is the time limit for filing a GST refund application?

Accepted Answer

Form RFD-01 must be filed within two years from the relevant date defined in Section 54 of the CGST Act. For export of goods, the relevant date is the date the ship or aircraft leaves India; for export of services, it is the date of receipt of foreign exchange or the invoice date, whichever is later; for inverted duty structure, it is the due date of the return for the period in which the claim arises. Missing the two-year window makes the refund time-barred, so track pending claims carefully and file early.

Question 8

What are deemed exports and who claims the refund, the supplier or the buyer?

Accepted Answer

Deemed exports are notified domestic supplies treated like exports even though goods do not leave India, such as supplies to Export Oriented Units, supplies against Advance Authorisation, and supplies of capital goods against EPCG authorisation. Tax is paid on these supplies, and the refund of that tax can be claimed through RFD-01 by either the recipient or, where the recipient furnishes an undertaking that it will not claim the refund and will not avail ITC, by the supplier. The claim must be filed within two years and supported by the prescribed acknowledgements and undertakings.

Question 9

My supplier is delivering one order in several instalments. When can I claim the ITC?

Accepted Answer

Where goods against a single invoice are received in lots or instalments, the first proviso to Section 16(2) permits the credit only upon receipt of the last lot. So if machinery invoiced in March arrives in four consignments ending in May, the entire ITC is claimable only in May, even though the invoice is dated March. Claiming it earlier is a premature availment that can be flagged in scrutiny. Track part deliveries against invoices in your inward register, and defer the credit in your reconciliation working until the final consignment is booked. This timing point is routinely missed by businesses in Palavakkam handling bulk orders.

Question 10

How are B2B and B2C invoices reported differently in GST returns?

Accepted Answer

B2B invoices, meaning supplies to registered buyers, are reported invoice by invoice in Table 4 of GSTR-1 with the buyer's GSTIN, so each one flows into that buyer's GSTR-2B for credit. B2C supplies are split into two streams: large inter-state invoices above the threshold are reported invoice-wise in Table 5, while all remaining B2C sales are reported as consolidated, rate-wise totals per state in Table 7. This is why capturing the buyer's GSTIN correctly at billing matters so much; an invoice keyed as B2C by a cashier gives the registered buyer no credit and triggers correction requests later.

Question 11

My SaaS startup in Palavakkam bills both US and Indian customers. Is everything zero-rated?

Accepted Answer

No. Only the supplies satisfying the export conditions are zero-rated under your LUT. Subscriptions billed to customers located in India are ordinary taxable supplies at 18 percent, with the place of supply being the registered customer's location, or the address on record for unregistered users. Your GSTR-1 must therefore separate export invoices from domestic B2B and B2C supplies, and your accumulated ITC refund is computed only in proportion to export turnover. Many Palavakkam SaaS founders wrongly treat all revenue as export because billing runs through one gateway; a revenue-wise mapping avoids demands later. Call +91 - 9600 606 444 for a review.

Question 12

What are the rules for numbering GST invoices?

Accepted Answer

The invoice serial number must be consecutive, must not exceed sixteen characters, and may contain alphabets, numerals and the special characters hyphen and slash, in one or multiple series. Each number must be unique for a financial year, so most businesses restart their series every April with a year prefix such as 2026-27/001. Gaps in a series invite questions during audit because officers may suspect unreported invoices, and cancelled invoice numbers should be retained in records with the cancelled copy. The document series you use must also be declared in Table 13 of GSTR-1 each period.

Question 13

Can one invoice contain items taxed at different GST rates?

Accepted Answer

Yes, there is no requirement to issue separate invoices per rate. A single tax invoice can carry multiple line items, each with its own HSN code, taxable value, rate and tax amount, and the totals section simply aggregates the tax rate-wise. A hardware store in Palavakkam can bill cement at 18 percent and certain tools at 5 percent on one document. What matters is that each line is classified and taxed correctly, and that mixed baskets are not collapsed into one rate. Be careful with genuine composite supplies, where one principal supply drives a single rate; that is a classification question, not an invoicing one.

Question 14

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 Palavakkam health check.

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

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 17

We pay for foreign software subscriptions and overseas consultants. Is GST payable in India?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Import of services, meaning services from a supplier located outside India received by a person in India for business, attracts IGST under reverse charge in the recipient's hands, payable in cash and claimable as ITC if eligible. This catches cloud software, foreign professional fees, overseas advertising and licence fees. Two nuances matter: services from a related foreign party, such as your parent company, are taxable even without consideration under Schedule I, and OIDAR services supplied to unregistered consumers are taxed in the foreign supplier's own hands, not under RCM. Startups and IT firms in Palavakkam paying by card frequently miss these entries; reconcile foreign remittances against RCM paid annually.

Question 18

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 19

What documents are required for GST refund RFD-01 in Palavakkam?

Accepted Answer

For GST refund RFD-01 you will generally need: Export invoices and shipping bills, for export refund claims, FIRC or bank realisation certificates for export proceeds, Copy of LUT filed in RFD-11, for exports without payment of tax, GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B filed copies for the claim period, GSTR-2B and purchase invoices supporting input tax credit. The exact list depends on your constitution — proprietorship, partnership, LLP or company — and on the specifics of your case. Send what you have on WhatsApp to +91 - 9600 606 444 and we will confirm within the same working day exactly what else is needed, so nothing is rejected later for a missing paper.

Question 20

Are there any hidden charges for GST refund RFD-01?

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 21

Can I get GST refund RFD-01 done online without visiting the office?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the entire process can be handled online. You share scanned documents on WhatsApp or email, we prepare and file everything on the GST portal, and you receive the acknowledgement and filed copies digitally. Businesses in Palavakkam regularly complete GST refund with us without a single office visit. If a physical verification or personal hearing is required by the department, we guide you through it.

Aspect	With ChennaiGST	DIY / Unattended
Goods in transit	E-way bills generated correctly and matched to invoices, so consignments pass roadside inspections without detention or penalty.	A defective or missing e-way bill can mean detention at a checkpoint, with penalties that dwarf the tax on the consignment.
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.
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.
Late fees and interest	Filings go in ahead of statutory dates, so the Rs.50-per-day late fee and 18 percent interest never arise.	Late fees accumulate silently every delayed day, and interest on unpaid tax runs at 18 percent per annum.
Keeping up with changes	Rate changes, portal updates and new thresholds such as the Rs.5 crore e-invoice limit are tracked by us and applied to your case proactively.	Changes are discovered after the fact — often through a rejected filing, a blocked e-way bill or a departmental letter.
Supplier defaults	Suppliers who stop uploading invoices are identified within the period and pursued before their default becomes your blocked credit.	Missing supplier invoices surface only when credit is denied, by which time recovering the amount from the vendor is difficult.

GST Refund RFD-01 on Canalpuram road, Palavakkam

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Trade Profile and GST Jurisdiction for Canalpuram road, Palavakkam

Why Canalpuram road, Palavakkam Businesses Choose ChennaiGST

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Our GST Refund Process

Eligibility and computation

Document compilation

RFD-01 filing

Departmental follow-up

Sanction and credit

Documents Required for GST Refund RFD-01

What GST Refund RFD-01 Costs in Palavakkam

What You Get

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With ChennaiGST vs Doing It Yourself

GST Support on Canalpuram road, Palavakkam

What the Department and the Courts Have Said — relevant to Palavakkam businesses

Extruded savoury snacks at 12 per cent, car seats and railway air conditioners clarified

CBIC answers on what counts as pre-packaged and labelled

The nil-rate list narrowed to goods that are not pre-packaged and labelled

Frequently Asked Questions

Related GST Services & Nearby Areas

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