Tomorrow's GST Watchlist: QRMP Taxpayers Must Generate the PMT-06 Challan by the 25th — The 35% Auto-Calculated Option Explained

For the small-business band on the Quarterly Return Monthly Payment (QRMP) scheme — taxpayers with aggregate turnover up to Rs 5 crore — the compliance watchlist for the week beginning 22 June 2026 has one hard line drawn through it: 25 June. That is the last date to generate and pay the Form PMT-06 challan for May 2026, the second month of the April-June quarter (Q1 of FY 2026-27). Pay the auto-calculated amount by the 25th and the interest clock never starts. Let it slip to the 26th and interest under Section 50 of the CGST Act, 2017 begins running at 18% per annum on the shortfall.

QRMP lets eligible registered persons file GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B once a quarter while still depositing tax every month through PMT-06. The headline option this article unpacks — the "35% auto-calculated" or Fixed Sum Method — is the portal's pre-filled shortcut that lets a business pay a system-computed amount and stay protected from interest, provided it clears by the 25th. Below is what to watch over the next few days, the mechanics of the 35% challan, and the broader compliance calendar that follows the quarter close on 30 June 2026.

Statutory Deadlines

The single live deadline on tomorrow's horizon is the 25 June 2026 PMT-06 challan for May. Under the QRMP framework, tax for months 1 and 2 of every quarter is paid by the 25th of the succeeding month; only the third month's liability is settled when the quarterly GSTR-3B is filed. For the current April-June quarter, the April challan was due by 25 May 2026 and the May challan is due by 25 June 2026.

The PMT-06 challan must be paid in cash through the electronic cash ledger; input tax credit cannot be used to discharge the monthly QRMP deposit under the Fixed Sum Method. A business that under-deposits in months 1 and 2 can still square up the difference in the quarterly GSTR-3B, but only the Fixed Sum (auto-calculated) route carries the explicit "no interest if paid by the 25th" protection.

The two-tier GSTR-3B due date is geography-driven. Group-A States and Union Territories — including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh — file by the 22nd of the month following the quarter. Group-B States and UTs — including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Odisha, Jharkhand and the North-Eastern States — file by the 24th. For Q1 FY 2026-27, that means 22 July and 24 July 2026 respectively.

The legal scaffolding for all of this sits in Rule 61A of the CGST Rules (which governs the quarterly-return option) and Section 39(7) read with Section 50 of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, the statute that fixes both the payment obligation and the 18% interest consequence of missing it.

The 35% Auto-Calculated Option Explained

The Fixed Sum Method — popularly called the 35% challan — is the GST portal's pre-filled PMT-06. The system generates the challan automatically so the taxpayer need not compute the month's exact liability. Two formulas decide the figure:

• If the preceding quarter's GSTR-3B was filed quarterly, the auto-populated amount equals 35% of the tax paid in cash in that preceding quarter.
• If the preceding quarter's GSTR-3B was filed monthly, the amount equals 100% of the tax paid in cash in the last month of the immediately preceding quarter.

The crucial protection: deposit the auto-calculated figure by the 25th and no interest is charged for months 1 and 2, even if the eventual self-assessed liability for the quarter turns out higher. The shortfall is simply paid with the quarterly GSTR-3B. The alternative — the Self-Assessment Method — lets a taxpayer pay the actual net liability after setting off available input tax credit, but it requires the business to compute the number itself and offers no equivalent interest shelter if the estimate is short.

A business whose May sales were unusually low may prefer the Self-Assessment Method to avoid over-depositing cash on the 35% formula; one with steady billing and tight bandwidth will usually take the auto-calculated route. You can sanity-check the indicative tax on a sale value using Oquilia's GST calculator before deciding which method ties up less working capital.

Market Events

There is no central-bank or regulator meeting confirmed for the watchlist window, so the "market event" that matters most this week is a cashflow event for roughly the entire QRMP base of small and medium enterprises. Every PMT-06 deposit on 25 June pulls cash out of the electronic cash ledger, and for businesses funding that deposit through a cash-credit line the cost of that money is anchored to the RBI repo rate, held at 5.25% at the Monetary Policy Committee meeting of 8 April 2026. External-benchmark-linked working-capital loans reset off that rate, so the carrying cost of bridging a GST payment is materially lower than it was through most of 2024.

The quarter itself closes on 30 June 2026, after which the GSTR-1 (13 July) and quarterly GSTR-3B (22 or 24 July) windows open. Businesses that also fall under the income-tax net should keep one eye further out: the second advance-tax instalment for FY 2026-27 is due 15 September 2026 under Section 211 of the Income-tax Act, by which 45% of the estimated annual liability must be paid. The schedule is published on the Income Tax Department portal, and our advance tax calculator helps map the four instalment dates against projected income.

Earnings

No major listed-company results are confirmed in the briefing for the watchlist window, and this routine does not publish unverified earnings calendars. The Q1 FY 2026-27 corporate results season for Indian listed companies conventionally begins in the second half of July, after the quarter closes on 30 June 2026, so the 22-25 June window carries no scheduled headline earnings.

For the QRMP cohort the relevant "earnings" question is internal rather than market-facing: whether May 2026 cash collections are sufficient to fund the 25 June PMT-06 deposit without drawing on a credit line costing repo-plus over the 5.25% base. Treating the monthly GST deposit as a fixed operating outflow — and reconciling it against the self-assessment number that will surface in the quarterly GSTR-3B — is the discipline that keeps the July filing free of interest and late fees.

Practical Takeaways

Three actions cover the next four days. First, log in to the GST portal before 25 June 2026 and check whether the pre-filled PMT-06 (the 35% figure) is lighter or heavier than your actual May liability; pay whichever method ties up less cash, but remember only the auto-calculated route shelters you from interest. Second, diarise 13 July (GSTR-1) and 22 or 24 July (GSTR-3B) depending on your State group. Third, if income tax also applies, mark 15 September 2026 for the second advance-tax instalment. Late GST payment attracts 18% per annum interest under Section 50, and late filing draws a fee of Rs 50 per day (Rs 20 per day for nil returns), so the cost of a missed 25th compounds quickly.

FAQ

What is the PMT-06 due date for QRMP taxpayers in June 2026?

The PMT-06 challan for May 2026 — the second month of the April-June quarter — is due by 25 June 2026. Under Rule 61A, tax for months 1 and 2 of each quarter is paid by the 25th of the following month, while the third month's liability is cleared with the quarterly GSTR-3B.

What is the 35% auto-calculated challan?

It is the Fixed Sum Method under QRMP. The GST portal pre-fills a PMT-06 equal to 35% of the cash tax paid in the preceding quarter (if that quarter's GSTR-3B was filed quarterly), or 100% of the last month's cash tax (if filed monthly). Pay this figure by the 25th and no interest applies for that month.

Will I be charged interest if I pay the PMT-06 late?

Yes. Interest under Section 50 of the CGST Act, 2017 runs at 18% per annum on the shortfall from the 26th onwards. The interest shelter applies only when the auto-calculated Fixed Sum amount is deposited by the 25th; under the Self-Assessment Method, any short payment carries interest.

Can I use input tax credit to pay the monthly QRMP deposit?

No. The monthly PMT-06 deposit under the Fixed Sum Method must be paid in cash through the electronic cash ledger. Input tax credit can be set off only when you file the quarterly GSTR-3B, where the final net liability is computed.

When are the quarterly GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B due for Q1 FY 2026-27?

For the April-June 2026 quarter, GSTR-1 is due on 13 July 2026. The quarterly GSTR-3B is due on 22 July 2026 for Group-A States and Union Territories and 24 July 2026 for Group-B States.

Who is eligible for the QRMP scheme?

Registered persons with an aggregate annual turnover of up to Rs 5 crore in the preceding financial year, who file GSTR-3B, can opt for QRMP. The option is exercised GSTIN-wise and continues until changed.

Does the QRMP deadline affect my income-tax advance-tax dates?

No, they are separate statutes. GST PMT-06 deposits follow the 25th-of-month rhythm, while advance tax under the Income-tax Act follows four instalments — 15 June, 15 September, 15 December and 15 March. The next advance-tax instalment is 15 September 2026 (45% cumulative).