Tomorrow's GST Watchlist: The 31 December Deadline for GSTR-9 and GSTR-9C Annual Return for FY 2024-25 — New Late-Fee Table 17
GSTR-9 and GSTR-9C annual returns for FY 2024-25 are due 31 December 2025. Here is the turnover-wise filing matrix, the 30 November ITC cut-off, and the new Table 17 late-fee field.
The single most important compliance clock ticking in the goods-and-services-tax world right now is the GSTR-9 and GSTR-9C annual return for FY 2024-25, which carries a statutory due date of 31 December 2025 under the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017. The GST Network's own Frequently Asked Questions document, dated 15 October 2025, confirms this date and flags two structural changes that every registered taxpayer with an aggregate turnover above Rs 2 crore needs to plan around well before the cut-off.
The first change is a hard outer limit on input tax credit: the specified time period for availing FY 2024-25 input tax credit closed on 30 November 2025, meaning any eligible credit not claimed in a return filed up to that date cannot be resurrected through the annual return. The second is the arrival of a brand-new Table 17, "Late Fee Payable and Paid", which for the first time captures the late fee on a delayed GSTR-9C reconciliation statement separately, following Circular 246/03/2025-GST. This watchlist breaks down what to file, by when, and what the new table means for your working capital.
The annual return is not a fresh assessment; it is a consolidation of the twelve monthly or four quarterly returns already filed during FY 2024-25, reconciled against the audited books. That distinction matters because the 31 December 2025 deadline is a single, hard line for a year's worth of data, and the new Table 17, introduced under Section 47(2), means the cost of missing it is now itemised in the form itself rather than buried in a later demand notice.
Statutory Deadlines
The headline deadline is unambiguous. For the financial year 2024-25, the GSTR-9 annual return and, where applicable, the GSTR-9C reconciliation statement are both due on 31 December 2025. Section 44 of the CGST Act, 2017 makes the annual return mandatory for every registered person, while Rule 80 of the CGST Rules sets the turnover-based thresholds that decide which form you actually file.
The table below summarises the filing matrix that applies to the FY 2024-25 cycle, with all turnover figures measured on an aggregate, all-India PAN basis.
| Aggregate turnover (FY 2024-25) | GSTR-9 (annual return) | GSTR-9C (reconciliation) | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to Rs 2 crore | Optional (exempt) | Not required | 31 December 2025 |
| Above Rs 2 crore up to Rs 5 crore | Mandatory | Not required | 31 December 2025 |
| Above Rs 5 crore | Mandatory | Mandatory (self-certified) | 31 December 2025 |
Two related dates frame the same window. The cut-off for claiming any pending FY 2024-25 input tax credit was 30 November 2025, as confirmed by the GSTN FAQ of 15 October 2025, so the annual return cannot be used as a back-door to recover missed credit. Separately, businesses managing instalment cash-flows should keep the standard advance-tax calendar in view: under the Income-tax Act, the four instalments fall on 15 June, 15 September, 15 December and 15 March, and a quick run through our advance-tax calculator shows how a December GST outflow can collide with the third advance-tax instalment due the same month. Readers unsure of the difference between the reporting period and the year of assessment can consult our note on assessment year.
A practical sequencing point follows from those dates. Because the 30 November 2025 ITC cut-off precedes the 31 December 2025 filing deadline by exactly one month, the safest workflow is to finalise all credit claims first, lock the reconciliation, and only then file GSTR-9, leaving the four-week buffer to resolve any mismatch the audited accounts throw up. The CGST Act, 2017, hosted on indiacode.nic.in, anchors both Section 44 (the annual-return obligation) and Section 47 (the late fee), and it is the primary text to verify before filing.
Market Events
The dominant regulatory event on the calendar is not a central-bank meeting but the closure of the GST annual-return window on 31 December 2025, an event that touches the cash position of every business above the Rs 2 crore line. The new Table 17 is the change worth watching most closely. Inserted into the GSTR-9 format under the authority of Section 47(2) of the CGST Act, it records the late fee payable and paid on the annual return, and Circular 246/03/2025-GST clarified that a delayed GSTR-9C now attracts its own late fee that is captured here rather than being waived by default.
Section 47(2) of the CGST Act, 2017 fixes the late fee for failure to furnish the annual return at Rs 100 per day under the central law plus Rs 100 per day under the matching state law, a combined Rs 200 per day, subject to a ceiling of 0.25 per cent plus 0.25 per cent, that is 0.5 per cent of turnover in the state or union territory. The table below illustrates how that meter runs against a notional Rs 10 crore-turnover business that files thirty days late.
| Parameter | Value | Statutory basis |
|---|---|---|
| Late fee per day (CGST + SGST) | Rs 200 | Section 47(2), CGST Act 2017 |
| Maximum late fee | 0.5% of state turnover | Section 47(2), CGST Act 2017 |
| Illustrative delay | 30 days | Worked example |
| Illustrative fee (30 days) | Rs 6,000 | Rs 200 x 30 |
| GSTR-9C late fee | Captured in Table 17 | Circular 246/03/2025-GST |
On the broader macro backdrop, the Reserve Bank of India's repo rate stands at 5.25 per cent following the Monetary Policy Committee decision of 8 April 2026, a level that keeps short-term borrowing costs steady for businesses arranging working capital to clear December GST and late-fee liabilities. With the policy rate on hold, the compliance calendar rather than the rate cycle is the variable that taxpayers can actually control this quarter.
The significance of Circular 246/03/2025-GST is that it removes ambiguity. Before the circular, many taxpayers treated a delayed GSTR-9C as fee-free because the form historically lacked a dedicated late-fee field; with Table 17 now formally capturing that liability under Section 47(2), the reconciliation statement carries the same Rs 200-per-day exposure as the main return, and the only safe assumption is that both forms must clear the system by 31 December 2025.
Earnings
No corporate quarterly results are confirmed in the editorial calendar for the immediate watch window, so this section carries no scheduled earnings; inventing an earnings calendar would breach our zero-hallucination standard. Investors tracking results should verify dates directly against exchange filings rather than rely on a deadline-focused watchlist.
What does sit on the corporate ledger is the GSTR-9C reconciliation itself, which for businesses above Rs 5 crore in turnover effectively functions as a self-certified audit of the year's books against the GST returns. Reconciling the annual financial statements with the GSTR-9 figures before 31 December 2025 is the single most consequential "results" exercise many mid-sized companies will run this quarter, because every mismatch above the materiality line invites a notice. For promoters parking surplus working capital while they wait out the filing season, even a short holding period in a liquid instrument compounds, as our SIP calculator illustrates for a disciplined monthly outflow.
FAQ
What is the GSTR-9 due date for FY 2024-25?
The GSTR-9 annual return for FY 2024-25 is due on 31 December 2025, as confirmed by the GST Network FAQ dated 15 October 2025 and mandated under Section 44 of the CGST Act, 2017. The same date applies to the GSTR-9C reconciliation statement where it is required.
Who must file GSTR-9C for FY 2024-25?
Every registered person with an aggregate turnover above Rs 5 crore in FY 2024-25 must file the self-certified GSTR-9C reconciliation statement alongside GSTR-9, under Rule 80 of the CGST Rules. Taxpayers above Rs 2 crore but up to Rs 5 crore file GSTR-9 only, and those up to Rs 2 crore are exempt from GSTR-9.
What is the new Table 17 in GSTR-9?
Table 17, "Late Fee Payable and Paid", is a new field in the GSTR-9 format that records the late fee on the annual return under Section 47(2). Following Circular 246/03/2025-GST, it also captures the late fee on a delayed GSTR-9C, which is no longer treated as automatically waived.
What is the late fee for filing GSTR-9 after 31 December 2025?
Under Section 47(2) of the CGST Act, the late fee is Rs 200 per day combined (Rs 100 CGST plus Rs 100 SGST), capped at 0.5 per cent of turnover in the state or union territory. A thirty-day delay on a return therefore accrues Rs 6,000 before the cap is tested.
Can I still claim FY 2024-25 input tax credit in the annual return?
No. The specified time period for availing FY 2024-25 input tax credit ended on 30 November 2025, per the GSTN FAQ of 15 October 2025. The annual return reconciles credit already claimed; it cannot be used to claim credit missed after that cut-off.
Does the December GST deadline clash with advance tax?
It can. The third advance-tax instalment under the Income-tax Act falls on 15 December, two weeks before the 31 December GST annual-return deadline, so businesses face two cash outflows in the same month. Our advance-tax calculator helps you size the December instalment in advance.
Where can I verify these GST deadlines officially?
The statutory provisions sit in the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, hosted on indiacode.nic.in, while the dated FY 2024-25 clarifications are in the GST Network FAQ of 15 October 2025. Always cross-check the current circulars before filing, as cut-offs can be extended by notification.
Sources & Citations
- The Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 — Section 44 (Annual Return) — indiacode.nic.in
- The Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 — Section 47 (Levy of Late Fee) — indiacode.nic.in
- FAQ on GSTR-9 for FY 2024-25 (dated 15 October 2025) — Government of India - GST Network
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the GSTR-9 due date for FY 2024-25?
The GSTR-9 annual return for FY 2024-25 is due on 31 December 2025, as confirmed by the GST Network FAQ dated 15 October 2025 and mandated under Section 44 of the CGST Act, 2017. The same date applies to the GSTR-9C reconciliation statement where it is required.
Who must file GSTR-9C for FY 2024-25?
Every registered person with an aggregate turnover above Rs 5 crore in FY 2024-25 must file the self-certified GSTR-9C reconciliation statement alongside GSTR-9, under Rule 80 of the CGST Rules. Taxpayers above Rs 2 crore but up to Rs 5 crore file GSTR-9 only, and those up to Rs 2 crore are exempt from GSTR-9.
What is the new Table 17 in GSTR-9?
Table 17, 'Late Fee Payable and Paid', is a new field in the GSTR-9 format that records the late fee on the annual return under Section 47(2). Following Circular 246/03/2025-GST, it also captures the late fee on a delayed GSTR-9C, which is no longer treated as automatically waived.
What is the late fee for filing GSTR-9 after 31 December 2025?
Under Section 47(2) of the CGST Act, the late fee is Rs 200 per day combined (Rs 100 CGST plus Rs 100 SGST), capped at 0.5 per cent of turnover in the state or union territory. A thirty-day delay on a return therefore accrues Rs 6,000 before the cap is tested.
Can I still claim FY 2024-25 input tax credit in the annual return?
No. The specified time period for availing FY 2024-25 input tax credit ended on 30 November 2025, per the GSTN FAQ of 15 October 2025. The annual return reconciles credit already claimed; it cannot be used to claim credit missed after that cut-off.
Does the December GST deadline clash with advance tax?
It can. The third advance-tax instalment under the Income-tax Act falls on 15 December, two weeks before the 31 December GST annual-return deadline, so businesses face two cash outflows in the same month. Use an advance-tax calculator to size the December instalment in advance.
Where can I verify these GST deadlines officially?
The statutory provisions sit in the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, hosted on indiacode.nic.in, while the dated FY 2024-25 clarifications are in the GST Network FAQ of 15 October 2025. Always cross-check the current circulars before filing, as cut-offs can be extended by notification.