Article · 15 min read

GST Compliance for Startups: ITC, IMS, Registration, Deadlines

Treelife Free Intermediate India

Most GST explainers stop at the 40 lakh / 20 lakh threshold. This one is written for founders who need to decide whether to register voluntarily before they are forced to, and it makes the B2B case concretely: a registered vendor can issue tax invoices so buyers claim input tax credit, and you recover GST paid on AWS, SaaS, and rent. It also covers the 2025 GSTR-2B mismatch reality, so you register with your eyes open on the filing burden.

  • Mandatory registration is 40 lakh turnover for goods and 20 lakh for services in most states, but interstate supply and e-commerce force registration regardless of turnover.
  • Register voluntarily early if you sell B2B: unregistered vendors force buyers to eat the tax, and you cannot reclaim input credit on tools, ads, or rent without registration.
  • GST is an ongoing filing commitment, not a one-time step: ITC now depends on GSTR-2B auto-matching, so supplier compliance directly affects the credit you can claim.
Open on treelife.in ↗

The question it answers

  1. What licenses, registrations, and tax IDs do I need right after incorporation to legally operate and pay people?

Read with it

  1. This is the one checklist that names the exact triggers, not just the list of registrations. It spells out EPF at 20+... MPVD & Associates (Chartered Accountants) Article · 12 min read Compliance Checklist After Company Registration in India MPVD & Associates
  2. For the US side of a two-entity setup, this is the canonical founder-facing reference on the EIN (your federal tax ID), federal... Stripe Article · 20 min read Business taxes: A Stripe Atlas Guide Stripe Atlas
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →