CGST Rule 7 — Rate of tax of the composition levy
Reviewed by CA Nikhil Gupta and Kajri Singh · Last reviewed 30 August 2026
Official sources
Use the official source for the controlling wording, footnotes, effective date and amendment history.
Source review date: 2026-07-28. Historical-period questions require the version applicable to the transaction date.
Finin2min Summary - Rule in 2 Minutes
Paragraph / test Plain-language meaning Manufacturer CGST component is 0.5%; the corresponding SGST/UTGST component must be checked separately. Restaurant/catering supplier CGST component is 2.5%; the corresponding State/UT component normally creates a combined 5% intra-State composition rate. Other goods-scheme supplier CGST component is 0.5% on turnover of taxable supplies of goods and services, read with section 10 and the corresponding State/UT rate. Section 10(2A) supplier CGST component is 3%; with the corresponding State/UT component the combined intra-State rate is ordinarily 6%.
official statutory reference
Paragraph-wise decode
Paragraph / test Plain-language meaning Manufacturer CGST component is 0.5%; the corresponding SGST/UTGST component must be checked separately. Restaurant/catering supplier CGST component is 2.5%; the corresponding State/UT component normally creates a combined 5% intra-State composition rate. Other goods-scheme supplier CGST component is 0.5% on turnover of taxable supplies of goods and services, read with section 10 and the corresponding State/UT rate. Section 10(2A) supplier CGST component is 3%; with the corresponding State/UT component the combined intra-State rate is ordinarily 6%.
Section-Rule-Form-Notification bridge
The mapping is a legal concordance, not a round-robin related-link list. It is limited to instruments listed in this repository.
Practical example
Rule 7 prescribes 2.5% CGST; the corresponding SGST/UTGST component must be added under the relevant State/UT rules, ordinarily producing a combined 5% rate.
Professional alert
• Rule 7 prescribes the Central tax component. Do not present it as the total tax without the corresponding SGST/UTGST layer. • Eligibility, turnover base and notified threshold must be tested before applying the rate. • A composition taxpayer cannot make a disqualifying inter-State outward supply and cannot collect tax separately.
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 rule 7 regulate?
- It regulates rate of tax of the composition levy. Read the exact text, conditions, exceptions and transaction date together.
- Which subordinate law should be checked?
- No direct CGST Rule has been listed in this repository. 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.
Repository module professional rule control
Why Rule 7 matters
Rate of tax of the composition levy should be read with its enabling CGST Act provision, prescribed forms, amendment notification, transaction date and the live portal workflow. The operative-text block already released on this page remains the legal core; Repository module adds application controls without altering that block.
Rule → Form → evidence bridge
- Confirm the Rule version that was operative on the relevant date.
- Check every proviso, explanation, inserted/omitted sub-rule and commencement notification.
- Use the current prescribed form/portal utility rather than a saved legacy template.
- Preserve the Rule source, filing/approval evidence, computation and decision-maker trail.
Finin2min decision path
- Trigger: What transaction, registration event, return, credit, valuation, refund, appeal or enforcement event activates this Rule?
- Date: Which Rule version and amendment notification applied on that date?
- Conditions: Have every mandatory condition and exception been tested?
- Form/portal: Is the prescribed form or electronic workflow the correct current version?
- Evidence: Can the conclusion be reconstructed from books, invoices, portal records and official sources?
Practical cases
Transaction test
Fix the tax period, legal trigger and effective version of the Rule.
Portal execution
Reconcile portal fields to the legal rule and retain the generated acknowledgement/order.
Dispute readiness
Preserve source version, computation and evidence so the position can be defended later.
Accounting, ERP and portal controls
- Do not let an ERP default or portal auto-population override the legal Rule.
- Map the Rule trigger to the correct tax period and retain before/after reconciliation where values change.
- Archive ARN, acknowledgements, generated PDFs, payment/ledger records, notices and orders where applicable.
Notice and litigation risk
- Separate a portal mismatch from a statutory breach; they are not automatically the same issue.
- Identify whether a circular/instruction is clarificatory or whether an amendment changed the Rule itself.
- Apply judicial hierarchy: Supreme Court → jurisdictional High Court → other High Courts → GSTAT; AAR/AAAR is not universal precedent.
Common mistakes
- Using today's Rule for an older transaction without an effective-date test.
- Reading a form instruction as if it overrides the Act or Rule.
- Ignoring State/UT procedural overlays where the Rule requires a local notification or officer action.
- Treating a source-gated local reproduction as cleared statutory text.
Finin2min Q&A
- What does CGST Rule 7 deal with?
- Rate of tax of the composition levy. Start with the operative Rule version and then test the connected Act provision, forms and amendments.
- Which GST form is connected to Rule 7?
- No single prescribed form is the primary trigger. The Rule and live portal workflow control.
- Can I rely only on the GST portal?
- No. Portal functionality is execution infrastructure; legal eligibility and consequences come from the Act, Rules and valid instruments.
- What should I keep on file?
- The official Rule version used, amendment/effective-date evidence, underlying transaction records, computation, portal submission and resulting acknowledgement/order.