GST: How to Apply for GSTN?

In India, the Goods and Services Tax is imposed on companies that supply commodities or services to the consumers. However, there are some parameters on which a profit-making organisation is considered eligible for paying GST. A company has to go through GST registration after which it gets a GSTIN (Goods and Services Tax Index Number). The GSTIN is a unique number that represents a specific company on the GSTN (Goods and Services Tax Network).

The GSTN tracks the timely clearances made by a business organisation and contains vital financial information regarding it. There are multiple GST slabs in India set in percentages ranging from 5% to 28%. The rate of GST for every service or product is set during the annual Union Finance Budget.

Here we present the procedure of online GST registration in detail along with the list of the documents required.

GST application Process

As per the taxation laws in India after 1st July 2017, every seller must have a GST enrolment irrespective of the commodities or services they deal with.  However, no GST enrolment is made compulsory for the ones who deal with services that come under the exempt categories.

A seller can execute new GST registration from the GST site easily as it is a lucid and paperless procedure. Now, let us go through the vital steps that you will have to follow to successfully enrol your business for GST and get the index number.

PART A- GST Application: Form Generation

The initial step to apply for a GST profile is to get a Temporary Registration Number (TRN). The GST site will ask for the email address, active Indian mobile number, and PAN number of your business. On having all these documents, you can follow the method given below.

1. Visit the Indian GST Portal and search for New Registration

The official GST portal of India is  https://www.gst.gov.in/. You can find the Services tab on the page and look for Registration under it. The New Registration option is present under the Registration tab, and you have to click on it.

2. Enter document details

As you click on New Registration, you land on a registration page where you have to enter the document details that are mentioned above. After entering all the data correctly, click on Proceed.

At this stage, the portal verifies your phone number and email ID with the help of two OTPs. In case of failures, OTP regeneration takes place after 10 minutes.

3. TRN generation

The portal sends you the Temporary Reference Number instantly after phone number and email verification. Once the TRN is generated, you have to enter it at the right place on the New Registration page.

4. Final OTP verification

A final OTP verification takes place before the GST site shows you the “My Saved Application” page. You must proceed with the application process within 15 days to avoid the deletion of the TRN.

PART B- Filling the application form

On the GST site, you will get 10 tabs to fill to complete the application form. Go through the following table to know about the documents needed to fill the form:

Process of filling up the form

Firstly, you have to fill all the tabs correctly and save them. Then, input all mandatory fields related to the type of business. Next, enter all information about the Authorised Signatory and wait till the portal verifies it thoroughly. Finally, you can follow all the further instructions shown on the webpage.

PART C- Registering Digital Signature

You must sign the application form digitally before submitting it on the GST site. No matter if you are enrolling for a company or LLP, digital signature registration is a must. You can use DSC software to generate your digital signature or choose to upload an e-signature.

However, make sure you are submitting the e-signature in the correct file format as demanded by the portal. You can also do a thorough recap of all data entered so far on the GST site before submission.

PART D- Submission of GST application

There are three ways by which you can finally verify the GST application before submission. They are DSC supported verification, EVC supported verification and e-signature verification.

You can select the most convenient way to verify your application before the final submission. However, an ARN is generated on the completion of final verification. The ARN helps you to track your application after it is submitted.

If the portal can take your application successfully, you will get an approval email and the application status will show “Approved”. You will also receive a GSTIN and your GST profile will automatically get a position on the GSTN.

You will also get the Login details that will help you to access the GST profile of your business. After logging in for the first time, you can change both usernames and passwords. After the application process is complete, you can get the registration certificate within 3 to 5 working days.

Conclusion

Several state and centre levied taxes were done away with the introduction of GST. The businessmen, traders as well as the manufacturers no longer needed to make multiple registrations with tax bodies, which led to a rather streamlined process of indirect taxation in the country.

To run a business in India and to expand it smoothly, you must always make a GST profile and file the payment on a timely basis. Never run a business without GST registration as it leads to heavy penalties. Deliberately evading taxes could even lead to paying the whole tax amount as a penalty. Businesses now have to go through some simple steps to complete the GSTN registration process only once to get the GSTIN. Timely GST filing helps you to enjoy the beneficiaries of GST services.

Also read:
GST: Types of GST in detail
GST: Amendment Act GST

FAQs

Q. What is the minimum turnover for a business to register for GST?

A. If a business in India exceeds Rs. 40 Lakhs mark in its annual turnover, it needs to register for GST. However, for hill states, the turnover threshold limit is Rs. 10 lakhs.

Q. Does a business need multiple GST registration?

A. Yes, a business needs multiple registrations if it operates in more than one state in India. The same law applies for the business vertices no matter if they operate in the same state or multiple states.

Q. Do I get any benefit from GST registration?

A. Yes, there are different benefits of GST registration like:

• Minimised Tax liability
• Restriction free interstate sale
• Easy registration on leading eCommerce websites

Q. How much time does the GSTN registration process take?

A. Once all the necessary documents are ready, then it does not require much time to register. One can get himself going at the online portal as it does not demand elaborate procedural requirements.