GSTR-9C

Who files it

GSTR-9C applies once aggregate turnover for the financial year crosses ₹5 crore. It is filed together with GSTR-9 rather than as a separate exercise, so a business above the threshold files two documents at the same time: the annual return and the reconciliation that supports it.

What it reconciles

The statement works from the turnover in the audited accounts down to the turnover declared under GST, listing each adjustment — credit notes, exempt supplies, items that are not supplies at all, and timing differences where an invoice and its accounting entry fall in different periods. A second part does the same for input tax credit: credit available per the books against credit actually claimed in the returns.

Self-certification

For years ending from 2020-21 onwards the position has been that the taxpayer self-certifies GSTR-9C, replacing the earlier requirement for certification by a chartered accountant or cost accountant. Self-certified does not mean lightly prepared — the signature and the exposure both sit with the business. Older guidance describing a CA certification requirement still circulates, so confirm the current position before filing.

Why the differences matter more than the form

A reconciliation that cannot name its differences is the single most common source of departmental queries years later. Each line should trace back to something in the ledgers: a credit note number, an exempt sale, a reversal computed on a stated basis. Preparing it is easier when the monthly returns were reconciled through the year rather than reconstructed in December.