GST registration in India: when you must, and how

Most founders ask the same first question: do I even need GST registration yet? The honest answer depends on three things — your turnover, what you sell, and where your customers are.

The turnover thresholds

For a business supplying goods, registration is mandatory once aggregate turnover crosses ₹40 lakh in a financial year (₹20 lakh for special-category states). For services, the threshold is ₹20 lakh.

"Aggregate turnover" is all-India, PAN-level — every branch and vertical counts together, not each GSTIN separately.

When you must register regardless

Some situations force registration from rupee one:

• You make inter-state taxable supplies of goods.
• You sell through an e-commerce operator that collects TCS.
• You're liable to pay tax under reverse charge.
• You're a casual or non-resident taxable person.

Documents you'll need

• PAN of the business and the authorised signatory
• Proof of business address — a rent agreement plus a recent utility bill
• Bank account proof — a cancelled cheque or statement
• Photographs and Aadhaar of the promoters

Registering late isn't just a penalty risk — you can't claim input tax credit on purchases made before your effective date of registration.

How long it takes

With clean documents and Aadhaar authentication, a GSTIN typically comes through in 3–7 working days. The usual delay is a mismatch between the address proof and the electricity bill — get those aligned before you file.

If you'd rather not track any of this yourself, that's exactly what Taxlabs does — we watch the threshold, file the registration, and keep the returns on time.