Question 1

How long does GST refund RFD-01 take in Pallavaram?

Accepted Answer

Application filed in 3-5 working days; sanction typically within 60 days. 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 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 3

I charged CGST and SGST on an invoice that should have carried IGST. How do I fix it?

Accepted Answer

The law provides a clean remedy without interest. Under Section 77 of the CGST Act and Section 19 of the IGST Act, where a supply was wrongly treated as intra-state instead of inter-state or vice versa, you pay the tax under the correct head and claim refund of the tax paid under the wrong head; no interest is charged on the correct payment. Rule 89(1A) allows the refund application within two years from the date the correct tax is paid. Issue a credit note and corrected invoice, amend GSTR-1, and file RFD-01 under the appropriate category. Our Pallavaram team handles these head-swap corrections regularly; call +91 - 9600 606 444 before the limitation runs.

Question 4

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 5

I export under LUT without charging tax. Can I get a refund of my input tax credit?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Exports made under a Letter of Undertaking are zero-rated, so the input tax credit accumulated on your purchases can be claimed as a refund by filing RFD-01 under the category refund of unutilised ITC on export without payment of tax. The refund is computed proportionately using the formula in Rule 89(4), based on your export turnover versus total turnover. You must upload a statement of export invoices along with shipping bills or, for services, FIRC or BRC evidencing foreign exchange receipt. Exporters in Pallavaram can call +91 - 9600 606 444 for end-to-end filing support.

Question 6

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 7

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 8

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 9

What GST rates apply at my hardware and paint shop in Pallavaram now?

Accepted Answer

The core hardware basket now sits at 18%. Cement, long the costliest line at 28%, came down to 18% from 22 September 2025, joining paints and varnishes, putty, iron and steel products, pipes, sanitaryware and hardware fittings, all at 18%. Marble and granite blocks attract 5%, while finished slabs are at 18%. For a hardware dealer in Pallavaram, this means a largely single-rate counter with a few exceptions to flag in the billing master. Cement stock bought at 28% before the change retains full input credit while being sold at 18%. Call +91 - 9600 606 444 for an HSN-wise review of your inventory.

Question 10

My workshop bills customers for spare parts and labour together. How should GST be charged?

Accepted Answer

The accepted practice, supported by CBIC's clarification on servicing, is that where the invoice separately shows the value of parts and the value of labour, each takes its own treatment: parts as a supply of goods and repair labour as a service at 18%. Since auto components also moved to 18% from September 2025, both lines of a typical job card now carry the same rate, which removes the old temptation to shift value between parts and labour. Still keep the split, because HSN and SAC reporting in GSTR-1 differ for goods and services. Workshops can call +91 - 9600 606 444 for invoice-format templates.

Question 11

We hire security guards from an agency. Should they charge GST or should we pay it ourselves?

Accepted Answer

Check the agency's constitution. Since 1 January 2019, security services by way of supply of security personnel provided by any person other than a body corporate to a registered person fall under reverse charge, so your business pays the 18 percent directly and claims credit. If the agency is a body corporate, such as a private limited company, it charges GST under forward charge on its invoice. Recipients registered under the composition scheme are excluded from this reverse charge entry. Businesses in Pallavaram commonly pay agencies' forward-charge invoices while also missing their own RCM cases, so an annual review of security and manpower bills is worthwhile.

Question 12

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 Pallavaram 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 13

How much time do I get to raise an invoice for services?

Accepted Answer

A tax invoice for services must be issued within thirty days from the date of supply of the service. For banks, insurers, financial institutions and NBFCs, the limit is forty-five days. Where services are supplied continuously, the invoice follows the contract: if the due date of payment is ascertainable, invoice on or before that date; if not, invoice when payment is received; and if payment is linked to completion of an event or milestone, invoice on or before its completion. Consultants and agencies that bill quarterly should check their contracts against these rules, since late invoicing defers nothing legally.

Question 14

My GST status shows suspended. What does that mean for my business in Pallavaram?

Accepted Answer

Suspension is an intermediate state that occurs when you apply for cancellation, or when the officer initiates cancellation proceedings, commonly for return defaults or data mismatches. While suspended, you cannot make taxable supplies, meaning you should not issue tax invoices or charge GST, and e-way bill generation is blocked. The fix depends on the cause: if you triggered it by applying for cancellation, await the order; if the department triggered it, reply to the show cause notice in REG-18 within seven working days and clear pending returns. Acting within the notice window usually gets the suspension lifted; call +91 - 9600 606 444 if you have received one.

Question 15

Do I have to issue an invoice for every small cash sale in my shop?

Accepted Answer

Not necessarily. Where the value of a supply is less than Rs.200, the buyer is unregistered, and the buyer does not ask for an invoice, you may skip issuing an individual tax invoice. Instead, you must prepare one consolidated tax invoice at the close of each day covering all such small sales. The moment a customer demands an invoice, or the sale is Rs.200 or more, a proper invoice is required. Retail counters typically issue system receipts to every customer anyway, which is cleaner practice, but the daily consolidated invoice is the legal minimum for petty sales.

Question 16

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

Accepted Answer

The recurring ones we see across Pallavaram 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 17

How many digits of the HSN code must I print on my tax invoices?

Accepted Answer

Under Notification 78/2020 Central Tax, taxpayers with aggregate turnover up to Rs.5 crore in the preceding financial year must mention a 4-digit HSN code on all B2B tax invoices, though it is optional on B2C invoices. Taxpayers with turnover above Rs.5 crore must mention 6-digit HSN codes on every invoice, including B2C. Eight digits are required for specified goods such as certain chemicals and for export documentation. Services follow the same rule using SAC codes, which begin with 99. Printing truncated or wrong codes on invoices creates mismatches later, so set the codes correctly in your billing software once.

Question 18

Which educational services are actually exempt from GST?

Accepted Answer

The exemption is confined to an educational institution as defined, meaning one providing pre-school education, education up to higher secondary school or equivalent, education as part of a curriculum for obtaining a qualification recognised by Indian law, or an approved vocational education course. Services by such institutions to their students, and specified input services to schools such as transport, catering and security, are exempt. Everything outside this boundary is taxable: private tuition, test preparation, hobby classes, skill courses without recognised certification, and training by ed-tech companies. The recognition of the qualification under Indian law is the decisive test, not the subject taught.

Question 19

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 Pallavaram 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.

Question 20

Is there a GST consultant near Pallavaram for gst refund application?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We serve Pallavaram and the surrounding areas from our office at Porur, Chennai - 600 116, Tamil Nadu, and most GST refund work is completed online — you send documents on WhatsApp and we handle the portal work. If you prefer in-person help, we offer doorstep document pickup across Pallavaram and you are welcome to visit our office. Reach us on +91 - 9600 606 444 between 9 AM and 8 PM, Monday to Saturday.

Question 21

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

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.

Aspect	With ChennaiGST	DIY / Unattended
Time cost	Roughly an hour a month to send data and approve drafts; the portal work, reconciliation and follow-up are ours.	Hours every month lost to portal errors, JSON files, OTP failures and reworking figures — usually on the due date itself.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

Local GST Refund RFD-01 Support near Abdul Faruk Sahip Main Road, Pallavaram

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Trade Profile and GST Jurisdiction for Abdul Faruk Sahip Main Road, Pallavaram

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GST Support on Abdul Faruk Sahip Main Road, Pallavaram

Recent GST Law You Should Know — relevant to Pallavaram businesses

Carbonated fruit drinks classified as carbonated beverages, not fruit juice drinks

ewaybillgst.gov.in notified as the official e-way bill portal

Single-agenda meeting on GST compensation offers states two borrowing options

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