CGST Act Section 16: Eligibility and conditions for taking input tax credit | Finin2min
Section 16 - Eligibility and conditions for taking input tax credit
Chapter V - Input Tax Credit
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Finin2min Summary - Section in 2 Minutes
Creates the ITC entitlement subject to
cumulative conditions, supplier reporting,
receipt, tax payment, return filing, 180-day
payment and time limits.
Business use and registered-person status
are threshold conditions.
Document plus supplier reporting/
communication is required.
Goods/services must be received; bill-to/
ship-to deeming rules may apply.
Tax must be paid to Government and
recipient return furnished.
180-day non-payment requires reversal/
payment with interest, followed by re-
availment on payment.
Normal outer limit is 30 November
following the financial year or annual
return, whichever earlier.
Sub-sections (5) and (6) provide specific
retrospective/restoration relief.
Exact operative text
16. Eligibility and conditions for taking input tax credit.-(1) Every registered person shall, subject to such conditions and
restrictions as may be prescribed and in the manner specified in section 49, be entitled to take credit of input tax charged on
any supply of goods or services or both to him which are used or intended to be used in the course or furtherance of his
business and the said amount shall be credited to the electronic credit ledger of such person.
(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in this section, no registered person shall be entitled to the credit of any input tax in
respect of any supply of goods or services or both to him unless,-
(a) he is in possession of a tax invoice or debit note issued by a supplier registered under this Act, or such other tax paying
documents as may be prescribed;
(aa) the details of the invoice or debit note referred to in clause
(a) has been furnished by the supplier in the statement of outward supplies and such details have been communicated to the
recipient of such invoice or debit note in the manner specified under section 37;
(b) he has received the goods or services or both.
Explanation.-For the purposes of this clause, it shall be deemed that the registered person has received the goods or, as the
case may be, services-
(i) where the goods are delivered by the supplier to a recipient or any other person on the direction of such registered person,
whether acting as an agent or otherwise, before or during movement of goods, either by way of transfer of documents of title to
goods or otherwise;
(ii) where the services are provided by the supplier to any person on the direction of and on account of such registered person.
(ba) the details of input tax credit in respect of the said supply communicated to such registered person under section 38 has
not been restricted;
(c) subject to the provisions of section 41 Omitted, the tax charged in respect of such supply has been actually paid to the
Government, either in cash or through utilisation of input tax credit admissible in respect of the said supply; and
(d) he has furnished the return under section 39:
Provided that where the goods against an invoice are received in lots or instalments, the registered person shall be entitled to
take credit upon receipt of the last lot or instalment:
Provided further that where a recipient fails to pay to the supplier of goods or services or both, other than the supplies on which
tax is payable on reverse charge basis, the amount towards the value of supply along with tax payable thereon within a period
of one hundred and eighty days from the date of issue of invoice by the supplier, an amount equal to the input tax credit availed
by the recipient shall be paid by him along with interest payable under section 50, in such manner as may be prescribed:
Provided also that the recipient shall be entitled to avail of the credit of input tax on payment made by him to the supplier of
the amount towards the value of supply of goods or services or both along with tax payable thereon.
(3) Where the registered person has claimed depreciation on the tax component of the cost of capital goods and plant and
machinery under the provisions of the Income-tax Act, 1961(43 of 1961), the input tax credit on the said tax component shall
not be allowed.
(4) A registered person shall not be entitled to take input tax credit in respect of any invoice or debit note for supply of goods or
services or both after the thirtieth day of November following the end of financial year to which such invoice or debit note
pertains or furnishing of the relevant annual return, whichever is earlier.
Provided that the registered person shall be entitled to take input tax credit after the due date of furnishing of the return under
section 39 for the month of September, 2018 till the due date of furnishing of the return under the said section for the month of
March, 2019 in respect of any invoice or invoice relating to such debit note for supply of goods or services or both made
during the financial year 2017-18, the details of which have been uploaded by the supplier under sub-section
(1) of section 37 till the due date for furnishing the details under sub-section
(1) of said section for the month of March, 2019.
(5) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section
(4), in respect of an invoice or debit note for supply of goods or services or both pertaining to the Financial Years 2017-18,
2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21, the registered person shall be entitled to take input tax credit in any return under section 39
which is filed up to the thirtieth day of November, 2021.
(6) Where registration of a registered person is cancelled under section 29 and subsequently the cancellation of registration is
revoked by any order, either under section 30 or pursuant to any order made by the Appellate Authority or the Appellate
Tribunal or court and where availment of input tax credit in respect of an invoice or debit note was not restricted under sub-
section
(4) on the date of order of cancellation of registration, the said person shall be entitled to take the input tax credit in respect of
such invoice or debit note for supply of goods or services or both, in a return under section 39,-
(i) filed up to thirtieth day of November following the financial year to which such invoice or debit note pertains or furnishing
of the relevant annual return, whichever is earlier; or
(ii) for the period from the date of cancellation of registration or the effective date of cancellation of registration, as the case
may be, till the date of order of revocation of cancellation of registration, where such return is filed within thirty days from the
date of order of revocation of cancellation of registration, whichever is later.
Paragraph-wise decode
Creates the ITC entitlement subject to cumulative conditions, supplier reporting, receipt, tax payment, return filing, 180-day payment and time limits. Business use and registered-person status are threshold conditions. Document plus supplier reporting/ communication is required. Goods/services must be received; bill-to/ ship-to deeming rules may apply. Tax must be paid to Government and recipient return furnished. 180-day non-payment requires reversal/ payment with interest, followed by re- availment on payment. Normal outer limit is 30 November following the financial year or annual return, whichever earlier. Sub-sections (5) and (6) provide specific retrospective/restoration relief.
Section-Rule-Form-Notification bridge
The mapping is a legal concordance, not a round-robin related-link list. It is limited to instruments certified in this phase.
Practical example
An invoice appears in GSTR-2B and goods are received, but the recipient never pays the supplier within 180 days. Credit must be reversed proportionately with interest and may be re- availed after payment. PROFESSIONAL ALERT GSTR-2B visibility is necessary for many invoices but does not cure blocked credit, non- business use or fake receipt.
Professional alert
Confirm the transaction-date amendment and commencement position before reliance.
Implementation checklist
- Fix the transaction, taxable period and jurisdiction.
- Read every subsection, proviso, explanation and omission marker.
- Open the mapped Rule, form, notification and circular.
- Test State/UT variation and portal version.
- Preserve evidence, approvals, working papers and acknowledgements.
- Record the conclusion, assumptions, source date and reviewer.
Evidence and retention checklist
- Contract, purchase order, invoice or underlying transaction document.
- Registration, return, ledger, challan and portal acknowledgement.
- Official Act/Rule/notification version used and effective date.
- Internal tax position paper, computation and management approval.
- Correspondence, notices, replies, orders and appeal papers where applicable.
Practical Q&A
- What does section 16 regulate?
- It regulates eligibility and conditions for taking input tax credit. Read the exact text, conditions, exceptions and transaction date together.
- Which subordinate law should be checked?
- Rule 36, Rule 37, Rule 37A, Rule 38. Notifications, circulars, forms and the corresponding SGST/UTGST layer may also apply.
- What evidence should be retained?
- Preserve the contract or transaction record, invoice or form, portal acknowledgement, payment/ledger evidence, correspondence, legal working and the official source version used.
- Can portal behaviour override the statute?
- No. Portal functionality is operational evidence; legal entitlement and liability remain controlled by the Act, Rules, notifications and binding decisions.