This is what will be your identity under the GST Act

GST or Goods and Services Act has created a lot of reforms since its introduction. It has not only made the whole tax system efficient but also simplified the tax process. It brought different taxes under one umbrella. Under the previous law, there were various registrations and identities needed. GST was able to remove that and bring taxpayers and companies under one GST number – GSTIN. GSTIN or the Goods and Services Tax Identification Number is your identity as a taxpayer. To register and check GST number, you can log in to the GST portal. GST portal provides with different needs for a taxpayer. Paying taxes, filing returns, knowing about CGST act, the new amendments, or any other information.

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GSTIN the new tax identity

Under the GST regime, all the taxpayers have been consolidated into one single platform for administration and compliance purposes and have assigned registration under a single authority. Earlier, there were different identification numbers required for indirect tax purposes from a business. There were several places a business needed to get different identification numbers from to get registered. One of them was the Taxpayer Identification number TIN, which was provided by State Tax Authorities for suppliers, dealers, and other businesses. Under the GST regime government removed all indirect taxes and brought everyone under one tax system. With that, there was no need to get different identifications. GSTIN became the new taxpayer identity.

GSTIN is a unique 15 digit number.

This is a replacement for the previously used Tax Identification Number (TIN), which was assigned to different businesses by the respective state tax authorities for registering under VAT.

How GSTIN is unique

The unique identification number is allocated to each taxpayer, which is state-wise and PAN-based. The format of GSTIN is to identify the taxpayer.

• The first two digits in GSTIN represent the state code. Every union territory and state has a unique code. For example: 37 is the tax code of Telangana. 07 stands for Delhi. 24 is for Gujarat.
• The next ten digits in GSTIN are the PAN number of the individual or a business.
• The 13th digit of GSTIN indicates the number of registrations in a particular state for the same individual or company. This is an alpha-numeric number.
• The 14th number is an alphabet by default.
• The last digit is a code to detect errors. This is an alpha-numeric number.

There is often some confusion among general people that GSTIN and GSTN are the same. There is a difference in this. GSTIN stands for Goods and services tax identification number, whereas GSTN is an organization that manages the entire IT system of the GST portal. The GSTIN is used in many different ways, and it is only about the individual or the company it is assigned for. GSTN comes under the government of India, and the portal under GSTN is used for various needs of taxpayers and the government.

How to get your GSTIN

To get GSTIN, you will need to register yourself under GST. You can register for GST through the GST portal or GST Seva Kendra.

Before you go to the GST portal, you should keep scanned copies of a few documents ready as they will be needed later.

Documents needed for individuals and sole proprietorship

• Copy of your PAN card.
• Copy of Aadhaar card.
• Your photograph.
• Proof of address.
• Bank account details.

Documents needed for partnerships and LLPs

• Partnership deed of the partners involved.
• PAN card of all the partners involved.
• Proof of address of all the partners involved.
• Copy of Aadhaar card of any authorized signatory.
• Proof of appointment of the signatory.
• Proof of registration of LLP
• Address proof of business principal
• All the bank details.