GlossaryGST & Tax
Nil Return
Also called: nil filing
What is Nil Return?
A nil return is a GST return filed for a tax period in which there were no outward supplies, no credit claimed and no tax payable. It still has to be filed, because the obligation follows registration rather than activity.
Why Nil Return matters
Owners who close for a season or pause a business routinely skip filing, and late fees accrue per return per day regardless. Restoring a lapsed registration costs far more than the two minutes filing would have taken.
How Nil Return works in practice
File nil returns on time even during a shutdown, and if you genuinely intend to stop trading, cancel the registration rather than leaving it dormant.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. As long as the registration is active, the return is due whether or not there were transactions.