The government extended the due dates for filing the annual return (GSTR-9) and the reconciliation statement (GSTR-9C) for fiscal year 2019 from October 31, 2020 to December 31, 2020 on Saturday.
A decision was made because “the normal operation of companies has not yet been possible in various parts of the country” due to Covid-19, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs said on Twitter.
Representations have been made on the grounds that due to the shutdown and restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, normal business operations have not yet been possible in various parts of the country, he said.
The statement indicated that the expiration dates have been requested to be extended beyond October 31, 2020 to allow companies and auditors to comply in this regard.
“In view of the same, following the recommendations of the GST Council, it was decided to extend the deadline for the presentation of the Annual Declaration (form GSTR-9 / GSTR-9A) and the Reconciliation Declaration (FORM GSTR-9C) to the 2018-19 Financial Year from October 31, 2020 to December 31, 2020, “said the CBIC.
GSTR-9 is an annual return that must be filed annually by taxpayers registered under the goods and services tax (GST). It consists of details about the outbound and inbound deliveries made or received in different tax categories.
GSTR-9C is a reconciliation statement between GSTR-9 and the audited annual financial statement.
The filing of the annual return is mandatory only for taxpayers with a higher aggregate annual turnover ₹2 crore, while the reconciliation statement should be provided only by registered persons who have an aggregate turnover above ₹5 crore.
Last month, the government extended the deadline for submitting the annual GST statement and audit report for the 2018-19 financial year by one month until October 31.
In order to allow more time for taxpayers to file income tax returns, the government has also decided to further extend the due date for filing income tax returns as indicated in:
(A) The due date for the filing of income tax returns for taxpayers (including their partners) who must audit their accounts. [for whom the due date (i.e. before the extension by the said notification) as per the Act is 31 October, 2020] has been extended until January 31, 2021.
(B) The due date for filing income tax returns for taxpayers who are required to file a report with respect to specified international / domestic transactions. [for whom the due date (i.e. before the extension by the said notification) as per the Act is 30 November, 2020] has been extended until January 31, 2021.
(C) The due date for the filing of Income Tax Returns for other taxpayers [for whom the due date (i.e. before the extension by the said notification) as per the Act was 31 July, 2020] It has been extended until December 31, 2020.
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