GST: the monthly loop
| Due by | Return | Who |
|---|---|---|
| 11th of next month | GSTR-1 (outward supplies) | Monthly filers |
| 13th of next month | IFF / GSTR-1 quarterly window | QRMP taxpayers |
| 20th of next month | GSTR-3B with payment | Monthly filers (QRMP: 22nd/24th by state, quarterly) |
| Annually, 31 December | GSTR-9 / 9C annual return and reconciliation | Registered taxpayers above thresholds |
Note: Dates reflect the commonly notified schedule; the portal notifies changes and staggered dates from time to time. Confirm current notifications each season, and map each client to monthly or QRMP explicitly — mixed books are where dates slip.
TDS and advance tax
- TDS deposited by the 7th of the following month (30 April for March).
- Quarterly returns: 24Q and 26Q due 31 July, 31 October, 31 January and 31 May.
- TDS certificates issued after each return; Form 16 to employees by 15 June.
- Advance tax instalments: 15% by 15 June, 45% by 15 September, 75% by 15 December, 100% by 15 March.
Income-tax returns by category
| Category | ITR due date |
|---|---|
| Individuals and non-audit cases | 31 July |
| Audit cases (tax audit report by 30 September) | 31 October |
| Transfer-pricing cases | 30 November |
| Belated / revised returns | 31 December |
ROC annual filings for company clients
- AOC-4 (financial statements) within 30 days of the AGM.
- MGT-7/7A (annual return) within 60 days of the AGM.
- DIR-3 KYC for directors by 30 September.
- ADT-1 auditor appointment within 15 days of the AGM.
- LLPs: Form 11 by 30 May, Form 8 by 30 October.
Making it run across two hundred clients
The checklist above is stable; the hard part is the multiplication. Each client needs a profile — entity type, GST scheme, audit applicability, states — that decides which dates apply, and each date needs an owner, a document trail and a status the partner can see. That is the shape of CA & Tax Firm Suite: the calendar derived per client, work assigned across the team, and nothing living in one person's memory.
Common questions
Which GST dates apply to a small client under QRMP?
QRMP taxpayers file GSTR-1 quarterly (with the optional monthly IFF window by the 13th) and GSTR-3B quarterly by the 22nd or 24th depending on state, while paying tax monthly by challan. Map each client's scheme explicitly rather than assuming monthly.
When is Form 16 due to employees?
By 15 June following the financial year, generated after the Q4 Form 24Q return is processed.
What happens if an ROC filing slips?
MCA late fees accrue per day of delay and compound quickly, and prolonged default risks director-level consequences. ROC dates deserve the same tracking discipline as tax dates.
How do firms avoid missing dates as the client list grows?
By deriving each client's calendar from a structured profile and tracking every filing to a status, instead of keeping a master spreadsheet one person maintains. Practice-management software exists precisely for this multiplication problem.