In India, every citizen has to pay one centralised taxation charge levied against the services or products availed by them. Known as the Goods and Services Tax or GST, this pivotal tool of government revenue generation can play a crucial role in funding the public welfare of the country.

However, if you are a taxpayer looking to opt for a one-time cancellation of your GST registration, learning about what is GSTR 10 becomes a fundamental measure.

In simpler terms, GSTR 10 is a form also referred to as the Final Return. To elaborate, if you are a registered taxpayer who has opted for this registration to be cancelled or surrendered, the government of India makes it mandatory that you will need to submit this form to the adequate authorities.

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If you are a regular taxpayer, you do not come under the purview of this form’s judicial parameters. So, you do not have to submit this form if you are a:

• Under the functions of tax deduction at source as per Section 51 of the Income Tax Act
• A non-residential individual who is not taxable
• Composition taxpayer
• TCS collector
• Input Service Distributor

Please note that you must turn in this return filing on the date of the cancellation order, or before three months till the exact date of cancellation – whichever is taking place beforehand. The primary purpose of this filing is aimed towards making sure the proper details about the input tax credit regarding closing a stock can be recorded. So, for instance, if you are shutting down your business for certain reasons, you are legally obligated to provide necessary GSTR 10 details.

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In order to file a GSTR 10 return, you will have to meet certain eligibility parameters. These include the following:

• There should be a valid user ID and password designated to you in the Goods and Services tax portal.
• You must have applied for the cancellation of your GST registration beforehand.
• The order of this cancellation for registration has to be issued previously.
• A cancellation order will also need to be issued if the tax authorities have cancelled your registration on their own.

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Detailed process of how to file GSTR 10 online has been described below. You will just need to follow these few simple steps to get the job done in minimal turn-around time.

Step 1: Log in to the official portal of the Indian government regarding the Goods and Services Tax. 

Step 2: Open the page for GSTR 10.

Step 3: Click on ‘Services’.

Step 4: Select the option of ‘Returns.’

Step 5: Click on ‘Final Return.’

Step 6: Click on the link with the words ‘Prepare Online.’ 

Step 7: Provide your address as a point of contact down the line. 

Step 8: Click on the ‘Save’ button.

Step 9: A message stating “request has been accepted successfully” will be displayed on your screen.

Step 10: Then, you will have the option for updating your Chartered Accountant or Cost Accountant details. So, provide the necessary information under ‘Particulars of Certifying Chartered Accountant or Cost Accountant'. These include:

• Name of the accounting firm that is doing the certification
• Membership number of the firm
• Name of the accountant working as a representative of this firm
• The date on which this firm had issued a certificate

Step 11: Upload a scanned digital copy of this aforementioned certificate. 

Step 12: Click on the button with the words ‘Save CA details’. 

Step 13: As per the requirements, provide the necessary details for:

• Goods Details with Invoices
• Goods Details without Invoices
• Amount of Tax Payable and Paid 

Step 14: Click on “Preview draft GSTR 10.”

Step 15: Click on the ‘Proceed to File’ button. 

Step 16: Tick the declaration checkbox. 

Step 17: Choose the option of “File GSTR 10” to complete the task.

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Some of the documents you will have to attach with your return fillings include:

• Certificate from the Chartered Accounting firm.
• Invoice of entry number.
• Invoice of entry date.

Additionally, you will need any of these documents to verify your identity when authorising the documents and data you are providing in the form:

• Digital Signature Certificate [DSC].
• Your Aadhaar card for authenticating online signatures.

Moreover, once you have filed the GSTR 10 form, you must also keep certain records within your reach. These are:

• A register of goods which has been produced.
• The register of purchase.
• Stock and sales registers.
• Substantiating documents about the amount of income tax credit availed.
• The output tax you have paid
• Your output tax liability. 

Moreover, you will have to provide several crucial details such as:

• The name of your business or trade.
• Reference number of the order of cancellation.
• Minutes about the closing stock at the time of your business shutting down.
• Payable and paid amount of tax.

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The due date for filing GSTR 10 is within three months from either the date of GST cancellation or the date on which the cancellation was issued. For instance, if the date of cancellation of GSTR 10 is 1st March 2023, then the due date will be on 30th May 2023.

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When you are filing for a GSTR 10 return, please make a note of the following points:

• You must have a 15-digit Goods and Services Tax Identification Number (GSTIN) as per the details available on your PAN card.
• Your business has to have an aggregate turnover of less than ₹20 lakh to be eligible to apply for a GST registration cancellation. However, this threshold is considered to be at ₹10 lakh and below for north-eastern India.

Nevertheless, if you still fail to submit your returns on time, interest and penalty charges will be levied on you. Therefore, you will have to pay ₹200 per day - ₹100 for CGST and ₹100 for SGST – till the date on which you make the final payment. As there is no upper-level limitation for this penalty, kindly ensure you settle your accounts as soon as possible.

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Some of the benefits of filing a GST return include the following:

• With GSTR 10 deposition, you can mitigate the scope of facing the cascading effects of taxation.
• No matter whether your business was operating on a national or an international level, this filing ensures the enterprise ceasing mechanism can be comparatively seamless.
• Even if you are part of the unorganised sectors of this country, such as the textile or construction business, GST regulations allow the government to implement proper monitoring measures to iron out any possible obstacles.
• Comparatively straightforward compliance policies make sure that your return submission does not remain tangled in the red tape.
• Due to the uniform tax brackets, you do not need to worry about meeting the parameters of different sub-categories of requirements.
• By submitting your GST return on time, you can avoid being at the receiving end of any notice of default.
• Late fees and additional penalty charges will also be avoided by depositing the return as per the set deadline.
• The system allows this country’s federal government to place adequate regulatory measures to minimise any scope of fraudulent activity.

Please try to submit this GST return on its due date so that this whole procedure can be completed without any additional hassle. However, if you fail to meet the deadline, you will be notified by the concerned authorities about the same. Additionally, an extension period of 15 more days will be offered to you for the return filing.

As it can be understood from this discussion above, knowing all the crucial aspects regarding what is GSTR 10 is quintessential if your business enterprise is closing down for any reason. Therefore, please ensure you have all your crucial documents handy and have maintained adequate bookkeeping practices so that there is no unwarranted delay.