What do you need to show your status as a GST taxpayer?

Goods and Service Tax Act, the new indirect tax regime in the country has come with major changes as regards the way the indirect taxes are governed in the country. Earlier, where there were four different laws governing the levy and collection of taxes relating to the provision and supply of goods and services in the country, GST came as a blow to all those laws.

Now all those laws stand repealed and the complete regime is governed by this single unitary law. So, with the new, a lot of new has come such as the new GST registrations, new GST annual return, new GST certificates, and new compliances. And to follow all of this, you need to show your status as a taxpayer under the Act. And how do you do that? You simply need to get a GST registration and have your registration certificate. And here you can find a complete guide on how to get your GST registration and how to download the GST certificate.

However, before we come to that, let us have a small overview of the need for such registration and GST certificate.

Why Do You Need GST Registration?

For any tax law, registration comes as the foremost requirement. This is what helps the government identify that you are a taxpayer under the law. Basically, a GST registration and a GST certificate will show up your status as a GST taxpayer. Moreover, it is only through this registration that you can avail of the benefits offered by the GST Act to the taxpayer. Here is what you get.

Authority to Issue GST Compliant Invoices and Collect GSTFor issuing GST compliant invoices and collecting GST on your transactions, you essentially need a GST identification number because that forms an important part of the GST bill format. And to have the GST identification number, you need to get the GST registration.

Eligibility to Claim Input Tax CreditInput Tax Credit is the refund of tax you get for the transactions on which you have already paid the tax. So, to get that refund, you need to prove that you have actually paid the tax. And you can provide that proof by showing GST compliant invoices that you can issue only when you have a GST registration. Moreover, you need to get yourself identified as a GST taxpayer to claim Input Tax Credit. And that identity is also provided by the GST registration.

So, it is for these two important reasons that you need to have a GST registration because both these things are highly important for your business. GST compliant invoices make it easier for you to file your GST annual return. Also, input tax credit comprises huge amounts and the rejection on part of the government to release that amount to you shall come as a huge loss for your business. So, to save yourself from such a situation, it is a must that you get a GST registration and download your GST certificate. And here is how you can do it. 

How to Get GST Registration?

This is a two-part process. In the first part, you have to fill in the details and generate an application request for the registration. And in the second part, you need to upload the necessary documents, authenticate the application and have your registration confirmed. Here is a detailed guide for you.

The registration process is online so you need to log in to the GST portal. Log in with your username and password and enter the CAPTCHA code for the two-factor authentication. In case you do not have a user account on the GST portal, create one and then proceed with the steps.

After you have logged in, go to the “Services” tab, navigate to “Registration” and then click on “New Registration.” A registration form will open on your screen. Fill in the details carefully and ensure that every information you are filling in is true and correct to the best of your knowledge. By no chance, enter any false registration lest your registration will be rejected or canceled subsequently. Click on “Proceed” after filling the form. This will generate an OTP for verification. Verify by entering the OTP and generate your temporary reference number to move on to the next part of the registration.

In the next part of the registration, you need to simply upload the required documents authenticate the application with your digital signature and then click on the “Save and Proceed” button. This will generate an Application Reference Number which is a confirmation that you have got registered under the GST Act. Now you can download your GST certificate. The steps for the same are below.

How to Download GST Certificate?

This is a very simple two-step procedure. You are already on your GST portal. If not, log in to the portal in the same manner you did for registration. After logging in, go to the “Services” tab and then click on the “View/Download Certificate” from the “User Services” option. This will take you to a link of your certificate with a button displaying “Download”. Click on that button and wait for the download to complete.

After the download is complete you can see your two-page GST certificate with the first page containing all the important details of your business and the second page is an annexure for any additional places of business you have.

Conclusion

So, this was all about the things you need to show your status as a GST Taxpayer. I hope this guide on how to take GST registration and how to download GST certificate helps you. These are important compliances that you need to complete so that you can move to the next steps of filing GST annual return and making GST payments, which are yet other important compliances in the Act. So, get your GST taxpayer status with this simple registration and equip yourself in keeping up with the necessary GST compliances