Everything You Need To Know About Your GST Number

If you’re in the dark about what the Goods and Services Tax entails, then you’re in luck. Here’s all you need to know about GST identification number (GSTIN).

You must have heard about numerous cases where business owners faked GST numbers just for the sake of making a few extra bucks. Basically, they don’t pay these charges to the government like they are supposed to. Before we go any further, we need to start with the basics.

Additional Reading: Buying A Property? Know The GST Rates First

What’s GST Identification Number (GSTIN)?

Before the government started implementing GST (Goods and Services Tax), they used to register all dealers under the state VAT (Value Added Tax) law. As a part of this process, they were all assigned a unique TIN number. Also, the Central Board of Excise and Custom (CBEC) assigned the service providers a service tax registration number.

As a part of the GST scheme, all registered taxpayers are going to be consolidated onto one single platform for compliance and administration purposes. Moreover, they will also be assigned registration under a single authority. An approximate number of eight million taxpayers are supposed to get migrated from various platforms into GST.

GSTIN, also known as Goods and Services Tax Identification Number, will be assigned to all of these businesses.

Additional Reading: How GST Will Affect Your Restaurant Bill

What’s The Structure Of GSTIN?

Here’s how the format break-down of GSTIN looks like:

• The first two digits represent the state code as per Indian Census 2011. Every state has a unique code.
• The next ten digits are the PAN number of the taxpayer.
• The thirteenth digit is assigned based on the number of registrations within a state.
• The fourteenth digit is Z by default.
• The last digit is the check code. It may be an alphabet or a number.

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How To Apply For GSTIN

All you need to do is—register for GST. Once that’s done and approved by a GST officer, they’ll assign a GSTIN to you. In order to register for GST, you have to take either of the following routes:

• Use GST Online Portal or
• Use GST Seva Kendra set up by Government of India

Additional Reading: Reality Check: How Much Would You Pay On Credit Card Post GST?

What Does One Require To Apply For GST?

To get yourself registered for GST, here’s a list of things you’ll need:

• Permanent Account Number (PAN)
• Jurisdiction details
• Valid Indian mobile number
• Valid email ID
• Valid Indian bank account
• IFSC details of the same bank and branch
• Place of business
• All prescribed documents and information on all mandatory fields of the application
• At least one Proprietor/Partner/Director/Trustee/Karta/Member with their corresponding PAN
• An authorised Indian signatory with valid details, including PAN

The best thing is that you can get registered for GST free of cost.

How To Verify The GST Number On The Bill

In order to verify the GST number on the bill, here’s a list of steps you need to follow:

• Look for an identification number on the bill that begins with ‘GST’.
• Note it down and go here.
• Enter the number in the box.
• Enter the captcha and submit.
• You’ll be able to see the registered name of the business under ‘Legal Name of Business’.

In case you’ve recently registered your business, you may not have been assigned a GSTIN. In that case, you’ll be given a provisional ID for some time.

How To Report A Fake GST Number

To report a fake GST number, here’s what you need to do:

• Once registered, the business entity has to print their GSTIN or Provisional ID on the bill.
• They can’t be charged GST without it.
• You can use email to report any fake registration. GST complain e-mail ID: helpdesk@gst.gov.in
• You can also call the dedicated GST helplines for any queries. GST Helpline Number: 0124-4688999 or 0120-4888999

While there are no ways to avoid paying some taxes, you can surely save income tax by investing in the right places. What are you waiting for?