🎯 GSTR-9 and GSTR-9C for FY 2024-25: A Table-Wise Deep Dive into Simplifications and Compliance

 

The Annual Return (GSTR-9) and Reconciliation Statement (GSTR-9C) filing for Financial Year 2024-25 requires meticulous attention. While the filing thresholds remain, the government has continued to grant substantial relaxations, simplifying the reporting requirements for numerous tables.

This detailed breakdown focuses on the purpose of each critical table and the expected simplifications (often provided through annual CBIC notifications) for the FY 2024-25 filing cycle.

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Part A: Detailed Analysis of GSTR-9 (Annual Return)

GSTR-9 is the annual consolidation of all monthly/quarterly returns (GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B) filed during the financial year.

Table No.	Heading/Section	Purpose of the Table	Expected Simplification for FY 2024-25
Part II	Details of Outward and Inward Supplies declared during the financial year	Summarizes all outward supplies and inward supplies liable to Reverse Charge (RCM).
4	Details of advances, outward and inward supplies made during the financial year on which tax is payable.	To report the gross turnover and tax liability declared in GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B.	Consolidation Allowed (Major Relief): Taxpayers are usually allowed to report all details (e.g., zero-rated, exempted, non-GST supplies, and supplies to unregistered persons) under the single, most relevant column (e.g., Supplies on which tax is payable), eliminating the need for minute bifurcation.
5	Details of Outward Supplies made during the financial year on which tax is not payable.	To report non-taxable supplies, including exempted, nil-rated, non-GST supplies, and supplies where RCM applies to the recipient.	Consolidation Allowed: Similar to Table 4, taxpayers are often permitted to club various exempted/non-taxable supplies under the "Exempted" or "Nil Rated" heads, simplifying detailed breakup.
Part III	Details of ITC declared during the financial year	Focuses on the Input Tax Credit availed, reversed, and reconciled.
6	Details of ITC availed during the financial year.	Reports the total ITC claimed in GSTR-3B throughout the year, bifurcated by type (Inputs, Input Services, Capital Goods).	ITC Consolidation (Massive Relief): Taxpayers are typically allowed to report the entire eligible ITC under the “All Other ITC” head (other than RCM), removing the tedious requirement to bifurcate ITC into Inputs, Input Services, and Capital Goods.
7	Details of ITC Reversed and Ineligible ITC.	Discloses all ITC reversals mandated by Rules (e.g., Rule 42/43) and ineligible ITC (e.g., blocked credit u/s 17(5)).	Reversal Consolidation: Taxpayers are generally allowed to report the total ITC reversed in GSTR-3B under the “Other Reversals” head, eliminating the need for a rule-wise/section-wise breakup.
8	Other ITC Related Information.	Reconciles ITC as per GSTR-2A/2B (System generated) with ITC actually claimed in GSTR-3B.	Auto-Population & Critical Check: Table 8A is auto-populated from GSTR-2A/2B data. This table is a crucial audit point and is NOT simplified. Taxpayers must reconcile any difference (Table 8D).
Part V	Details of Amendments for the supplies of the previous financial year declared in returns of the current financial year	Reports transactions of FY 2024-25 that were declared/adjusted in returns of the subsequent year (April to October 2025).
10 & 11	Supplies/Tax reported in next financial year.	Reports outward supplies/tax paid pertaining to FY 2024-25 but declared in GSTR-1/GSTR-3B of April-Oct 2025.	No Simplification: These tables require accurate reporting as they are essential for reconciling the current year's turnover with subsequent returns.
12 & 13	ITC Reversals and ITC availed in the next financial year.	Reports ITC reversals (Table 12) and eligible ITC availed (Table 13) in the April-Oct 2025 period, pertaining to FY 2024-25.	No Simplification: These are critical reconciliation points and must be accurately reported based on the statutory cut-off dates.
17	HSN Wise Summary of Outward Supplies.	Requires detailed HSN summary of outward supplies.	Exemption/Relaxation based on Turnover: The requirement for detailed HSN reporting is usually made optional for taxpayers with AATO up to ₹5 crore or simplified for others (e.g., reporting only the top HSNs).

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Part B: Detailed Analysis of GSTR-9C (Reconciliation Statement)

GSTR-9C reconciles the data reported in GSTR-9 with the Audited Financial Statements, which is mandatory for turnover exceeding ₹5 Crore.

Table No.	Heading/Section	Purpose of the Table	Expected Simplification/Key Feature for FY 2024-25
Part A	Reconciliation of Turnover	Reconciles the total turnover as per the Annual Financial Statement with the turnover declared in GSTR-9.
5	Reconciliation of Gross Turnover.	Starting with the turnover from the Audited Financial Statement, adjustments are made for non-GST income, inter-State stock transfers, etc., to arrive at the GST-declared turnover.	No Simplification: This is the core reconciliation of the form. Every difference (Table 5B to 5N) must be accurately identified and justified with a reason.
Part B	Reconciliation of Tax Payable and Paid	Focuses on the tax liability differences arising from the turnover reconciliation.
9	Reconciliation of Tax Payable.	Reconciles the tax liability based on the reconciled turnover with the liability already declared in GSTR-9.	No Simplification: Any additional liability identified here must be paid through Form GST DRC-03.
Part C	Reconciliation of ITC	Reconciles the total ITC reported in GSTR-9 with the ITC recorded in the Audited Financial Statement (Books of Accounts).
12	Reconciliation of Net ITC.	Reconciles the total ITC claimed in GSTR-9 with the amount debited to the expense/asset accounts in the books.	No Simplification: This is a crucial check. Differences (e.g., ITC on blocked credit booked as expense) must be properly classified and justified.
14	Reconciliation of ITC availed on expenses.	Detailed reconciliation of ITC availed on various expenses (e.g., raw material, maintenance, utilities).	Optional Detail Breakup: Taxpayers are often permitted to report the entire difference in ITC reconciliation under the “All Other ITC” column, avoiding the detailed expense-head-wise breakup (Raw Material, Services, Capital Goods, etc.).
Certification	Verification by Taxpayer	Certification of the correctness of the statement and reconciliation.	Self-Certification (Major Policy Change): For FY 2024-25, GSTR-9C is required to be self-certified by the taxpayer (owner/director/partner). The mandatory requirement for a CA/CMA certificate has been done away with.

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💡 Strategic Takeaways for FY 2024-25 Filing

1. Embrace Consolidation: Utilize the relaxations in GSTR-9 (Tables 4, 5, 6, 7) to report aggregated data, but ensure that the aggregated figures still reconcile with the data in your GSTR-3B.
2. Focus on Adjustments (Part V): Since many compliance details (GSTR-1, GSTR-3B) are simplified, the focus of future scrutiny will shift heavily to Tables 10 to 13 of GSTR-9, which deal with the reconciliation of the current year's transactions reported in the succeeding year.
3. Self-Certification Responsibility: The removal of the CA/CMA audit for GSTR-9C places the entire responsibility of accuracy on the taxpayer. The self-certification in GSTR-9C is a legal declaration, making meticulous internal reconciliation more important than ever.
4. Prioritize Payment (DRC-03): Any undisclosed tax liability identified during the GSTR-9/9C process must be immediately paid through Form GST DRC-03 before the final submission of the annual returns.