GST Return Filing Charges: What a CA Costs and What You Should Get

A CA's fee for GST returns depends on the work, not on a fixed tariff. One published range for monthly GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B is Rs 500 to Rs 2,500 per GSTIN. More invoices, B2B sales, extra GSTINs and reconciliation push it up. Before you agree, get the scope in writing. AprilTax's fixed fee is Rs 499 a month.

Why do two CAs quote such different fees?

Have you been quoted Rs 600 by one office and Rs 3,000 by another for what sounds like the same job? It is rarely the same job. A fee is a guess at hours and at risk. These six things move it.

City matters too. The CA institute publishes a recommended minimum scale of fees that differs by class of city. It is a recommendation, not a rate card, and your CA is free to charge above it.

What should the fee include?

Use this as a checklist. Tick each line with your CA before the first month.

• GSTR-1, including the HSN summary, documents issued and, for marketplace sellers, the e-commerce table.
• GSTR-3B, with the input tax credit worked out from your purchase bills.
• Returns and credit notes deducted from sales.
• A check of purchases against GSTR-2B before credit is claimed.
• Accepting the TCS your marketplaces reported, so it reaches your cash ledger.
• The challan amount told to you at least two days before the due date.
• A copy of each filed return and its acknowledgement.
• A clear line on what is extra: the annual return, amendments, notice replies, a second GSTIN.

If you sell online, the first, third and fifth lines are where the work is. A fee that leaves them to you is cheap for a reason. The tables are explained in Table 14 and Table 15 for marketplace sellers.

What should you ask before hiring?

1. Is the fee per GSTIN, per return or per month?
2. Is there a limit on invoices or marketplaces, and what happens above it?
3. By which date must I send my data, and by which date will you file?
4. If the return is late because of your office, who pays the late fee?
5. Are notice replies and amendments included? If not, how are they priced?
6. Who will actually prepare my return, and whom do I call?
7. Will I see the numbers before you file?

None of these questions is rude. A good professional answers them in two minutes.

A worked example

Imran sells phone covers on Amazon and Flipkart from one GSTIN, about 900 orders a month, nearly all to consumers. He files monthly.

Quote A is Rs 700 a month for "GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B". Quote B is Rs 1,800 a month and lists returns, TCS and GSTR-2B matching. Over a year that is Rs 8,400 against Rs 21,600, a gap of Rs 13,200.

Is A the better deal? Only if it covers the same work. Say A does not deduct returns, and Imran has Rs 40,000 of returned orders a month at 18% GST. He overpays Rs 7,200 a month, which is Rs 86,400 a year. The cheaper quote costs him far more. If A does cover returns, he should take A. The fee tells you little until you know the scope.

At AprilTax's fixed fee the same year costs Rs 5,988 (Rs 499 for 12 months).

The mistake people usually make

They agree on a number over the phone and never write down what it covers. Six months later a notice arrives, or the annual return falls due, and a second bill follows. The other half of the mistake is sending data late. A CA who gets your reports on the 10th cannot file well by the 11th, and the Rs 50 a day late fee lands on you. Fix the scope and the data date together.

When can you do without a CA?

If you have one GSTIN, sell only to consumers and buy from a handful of suppliers, you can prepare GSTR-1 yourself with a tool and learn GSTR-3B in a month or two. The three routes are compared in GST filing cost for online sellers. Pay for a person when the credit is large, the GSTINs multiply or a notice comes.

Frequently asked questions

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