GST AUDIT & CERTIFICATION
NOW TIME FOR GST AUDIT, RECONCILIATION & CERTIFICATION FOR FY 2017-18
DUE DATES:
GSTR-9C is the GST reconciliation Statement for a particular FY to be filed by taxpayers on or before 31st December after being certified by CAs. It must be filed along with the GSTR-9 (Annual Returns) and the Audited Financial Statements on the GST Portal or be filed through the facilitation centre.
Different Types of Annual Returns
GSTR 9 – Annual Return by Regular Tax Payer
GSTR 9A – Annual Return by the Composition Tax Payer
GSTR 9B – Annual Return by the E Commerce Operator
GSTR 9C – Annual Return by the Tax Payer whose annual turnover exceeds 2 Crore in a financial Year
Who must prepare & submit GSTR-9C
GSTR-9C must be prepared and certified by the Chartered Accountant or Cost Accountant. It must be filed on the GST portal or through facilitation centre by the taxpayer along with other documents such as the copy of the Audited Accounts and Annual returns in GSTR-9.This statement is applicable to all those taxpayers who must get their Annual Accounts audited under the GST laws. Audit applies to those registered persons whose Annual aggregate turnover exceeds Rs 2 crores in that FY, here being FY 2017-18.
What’s the importance of GSTR-9C
A Chartered accountant must prepare this GST Reconciliation statement. Any differences between the details reported in all the GST returns and the Audited Accounts must be reported by the CA therein with the reasons for the differences. Also, this statement acts as a base for the GST authorities to verify the correctness of the GST returns filed by the taxpayers. This is because the CA has to certify any additional liability arising out of the reconciliation exercise and GST audit in GSTR-9C
The GSTR-9C consists of two main parts:
Part-A: Reconciliation Statement
Part-I: Basic details: Consists of FY, GSTIN, Legal Name and Trade Name. The taxpayer must also mention if he is subject to audit under any other law
Part-II: Reconciliation of turnover declared in the Audited Annual Financial Statement with turnover declared in Annual Return (GSTR-9)-This involves reporting the gross and taxable turnover declared in the Annual return with the Audited Financial Statements. One must note that mostly the Audited Financial statement is at a PAN level. This might require the break up of the audited financial statement at GSTIN level for reporting in GSTR-9C.
Part-III: Reconciliation of tax paid-This section requires GST rate-wise reporting of the tax liability that arose in FY 2017-18 as per the accounts and paid as reported in the GSTR-9 respectively with the differences thereof. Further, it requires the taxpayers to state the additional liability due to unreconciled differences noticed upon reconciliation.
Part-IV: Reconciliation of Input Tax Credit (ITC)-This part consists the reconciliation of input tax credit availed and utilised by taxpayers as reported in GSTR-9 and as reported in the Audited Financial Statement. Further, it needs a reporting of Expenses booked as per the Audited Accounts, with a breakup of eligible and ineligible ITC and reconciliation of the eligible ITC with that amount claimed as per GSTR-9. This declaration will be after considering the reversals of ITC claimed, if any.
Part-V: Auditor’s recommendation on additional Liability due to non-reconciliation-Here, the Auditor must report any tax liability identified through the reconciliation exercise and GST audit, pending for payment by the taxpayer. This can be non-reconciliation of turnover or ITC on account of :Amount paid for supplies not included in the Annual Returns(GSTR-9)Erroneous Refund to be paid backOther Outstanding demands to be settledLastly, the instructions to the format of GSTR-9C specifies that an option will be given to taxpayers to settle taxes as recommended by the auditor at the end of the reconciliation statement.
Part-B: Certification
The GSTR-9C can be certified by the same CA who conducted the GST audit or it can be also certified by any other CA who did not conduct the GST Audit for that particular GSTIN.The difference between both is that in case the CA certifying the GSTR-9C did not conduct the GST audit, he must have based an opinion on the Books of Accounts audited by another CA in the reconciliation statement. The format for certification report will vary depending on who the certifier is.
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CA HARSHAD VAGHELA
+91 81401 86390
caharshadvaghela@gmail.com
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