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September 8, 2025

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Basics of GST

Section 22 of the GST Act: Who Needs GST Registration?

Think the GST threshold doesn’t apply to you? Many small businesses do so until penalties prove otherwise. Section 22 of the GST Act sets the ground rules for who needs to register and who doesn’t. It’s the line that decides whether GST applies to you.

In this article, we’ll unpack the registration thresholds, how they vary across states, what counts as aggregate turnover, the exemptions covered under Section 23, and the compulsory cases under Section 24. By the end, you’ll know if you actually need a GST registration or if it doesn’t apply to you.

What does Section 22 of the GST Act say?

Section 22 spells out who must register under GST. Once you put the legal wording aside, Section 22 is pretty straightforward.

a. 22(1): Threshold-based registration: You’re required to register once your sales go past the set limit of ₹40 lakh for goods, ₹20 lakh for services, and ₹10lakh in the smaller North-Eastern states.

b. 22(2): Migration from old laws: Anyone registered under VAT, service tax, or excise before GST automatically needed to shift to GST on the appointed day.

c. 22(3): Business transfer or succession: If a business changes hands through succession, sale, or any transfer, the new owner must take GST registration from the date the handover happens.

d. 22(4): Amalgamation or demerger: When two companies merge or a business is split, the new company taking over has to register for GST. The effective date is the one on the Registrar certificate..

GST Registration threshold limits

The heart of Section 22 lies in its threshold limits. Once you exceed the limit, GST registration is no longer a choice; it becomes compulsory. The tricky part is that the limits aren’t uniform across all states.

Standard Thresholds

For most states, the rule is simple: ₹40 lakh if you’re supplying goods, and ₹ 20 lakh if you’re providing services. These limits exist to give smaller businesses some room to operate before GST rules apply.

Special Category States

Things tighten up in the North-East and a few hilly states. In Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Tripura, you need a GST registration once sales cross ₹10 lakh. Same rule for goods and for services. In states like Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Telangana, and Puducherry, the GST registration limit is ₹20 lakh. Assam and Himachal? They’ve shifted to the normal limits.

Notification-Based Exception

Not every goods supplier can enjoy the higher ₹40 lakh limit. If your business deals in items such as ice cream, pan masala, tobacco, fly ash bricks, roofing tiles, or building bricks, the higher threshold doesn’t apply; you fall back to the ₹20 lakh registration trigger.

State Type	Goods	Services
Normal	₹40L	₹20L
NE (4 states)	₹10L	₹10L
Other hilly/UT	₹20L	₹20L

What counts as aggregate turnover?

Section 22 ties registration to something called aggregate turnover, defined in Section 2(6) of the GST Act. Think of it as your total business volume across India under a single PAN, encompassing not just taxable sales.

What’s included:

1. Taxable supplies

2. Exempt supplies (like nil-rated goods)

3. Exports of goods or services

4. Inter-state supplies are made across branches

What’s excluded:

1. GST itself, like CGST, SGST, IGST, and cess, is kept out of the aggregate turnover

2. Inward supplies are taxed under reverse charge

A couple of quirks to note:

1. Supplies made by an agent are counted in the agent’s turnover.

2. Goods supplied directly from a registered job worker’s premises are counted in the principal’s turnover, not the job worker’s.

Who must register under Section 22?

Section 22 covers nearly every business setup, whether you’re a sole proprietor, part of a Hindu Undivided Family, running a company, an LLP, a partnership, or even a trust. Once your total turnover goes beyond the set threshold, GST registration becomes mandatory. But here’s the nuance: you register in the state or union territory from where you make the supply, not in every state where your customers are. Take this example: a Delhi trader imports goods at Mumbai port and sells them directly to a buyer there. Since the trader has no fixed establishment in Mumbai, registration in Maharashtra isn’t needed, only in Delhi

Compulsory registration cases ( Section 24 vs Section 22)

The threshold doesn’t matter in every situation. Section 24 lists cases where GST registration is compulsory, even if turnover is below ₹20 or ₹40 lakh.

This includes:

1. Inter-state suppliers of goods

2. E-commerce operators and their agents

3. Persons liable to pay tax under reverse charge (RCM)

4. Casual and non-resident taxable persons

5. Entities required to deduct or collect tax at source (TDS/TCS)

6. Suppliers of OIDAR services (online information database access and retrieval)

7. Providers of online money gaming from outside India

8. Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs): registration applies if aggregate turnover exceeds ₹20 lakh, and monthly maintenance per member crosses ₹7,500.

In short, Section 22 draws the line with turnover. Section 24 ignores limits and enforces registration based on the nature of the activity.

Key takeaways for businesses

It’s easy to think GST registration is just about turnover, but location, type of supply, and how you operate all play a role. Know the threshold that applies to your goods or services and the state you’re in. Look at your aggregate turnover, not just taxable sales, to judge liability. Even if you fall short of the limit, Section 24 can still pull you in for compulsory registration. Beyond compliance, registration also opens the door to claiming input tax credit and gives your business added credibility in the market.

Conclusion

You’ve now got the rulebook thresholds, exemptions, and compulsory cases without the legal clutter. Section 22 tells you exactly who needs to register under GST and when you can’t skip it.

1. Turnover limits matter: ₹40lakh for goods, ₹20lakh for services, with lower thresholds in certain states.

2. It’s about the big picture: your aggregate turnover includes taxable sales, exempt supplies, exports, and interstate transactions linked to one PAN.

3. Some cases ignore limits: interstate supply, e-commerce, and reverse charge liability require registration, no matter the turnover.

4. GST registration does more than keep you compliant. It opens the door to input tax credit and shows partners, vendors, and customers that your business is reliable.

Why lose hours to GST paperwork? With Swipe, handling filings, registrations, and returns, you get that time back to focus on running and growing the business.

FAQs

1. What is Section 22 of the GST Act?

Section 22 simply says who needs a GST registration. It ties this requirement to turnover limits and makes clear when a business must step into the GST system. It lays down the turnover limits, brings people already registered under old tax systems into GST, and applies when a business is transferred, merged, or taken over.

2. What is the GST registration threshold under Section 22?

In most states, GST registration kicks in once sales pass ₹40 lakh for goods or ₹20 lakh for services. In smaller states such as Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Tripura, the bar is lower at ₹10 lakh. Other hilly or union territory states usually follow the ₹20 lakh limit.

3. What does aggregate turnover mean under GST?

Aggregate turnover is the total value of all supplies made under the same PAN across India. It includes taxable sales, exempt supplies, exports, and interstate sales. It does not include GST taxes (CGST, SGST, IGST, cess) or inward supplies taxed under reverse charge.

4. Does a business need GST registration in every state where it supplies?

No, registration is required only in the state/UT from where the taxable supply is made. If you don’t have a fixed place of business in a state, registration there is not required.

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