GST for Apartment Associations and Housing Societies – Clarifications
In a recent circular, the Department of Revenue has brought more clarity into the GST Calculation of Resident Welfare Associations(RWA). We have put together a comprehensive guide on how this may impact your Society and how ApnaComplex can help your Society adhere to GST regulations effortlessly.
Q: Is our RWA required to collect GST on Monthly maintenance collected from our members?
A: Your RWA is required to pay GST only if both of these conditions are met:
- Aggregate Turnover of your RWA > Rs.20 lakh per year
- Maintenance charged per member per month > Rs. 7500
Your RWA is exempt from GST even if one of these conditions is not met.
To auto-calculate GST for your RWA, just spend a few minutes and update the tax structure for your Society in ApnaComplex. ApnaComplex automatically generates GST Computation Report which exactly specifies how much GST your Society has to pay for a particular time period.
Q: Can our RWA take an input tax credit of GST for payment of Capital goods and Services towards our vendors?
A: Yes, RWA can claim an input tax credit of GST paid on capital goods (generators, water pumps, lawn furniture, etc.), goods (taps, pipes, other sanitary/hardware fillings, etc.) and input services such as repair and maintenance services.
In the ApnaComplex expenditure module, while entering the bills, you can capture the GST levied by the vendors. ApnaComplex’s GSTR 3B report automatically shows the GST inflow credits on payment made towards your vendors for Goods and Services. This report will exactly indicate how much GST credits can be claimed by your RWA.
Q: If a member owns two or more flats in the housing society or residential complex, will the ceiling of Rs. 7500/- per month per member on the maintenance be applied per residential apartment or per person?
A: As per the general business sense, a person who owns two or more residential apartments in a housing society or a residential complex shall normally be a member of the RWA for each residential apartment owned by him separately. The ceiling of Rs. 7500/- per month per member shall be applied separately for each residential apartment owned by him. For example, if a person owns two residential apartments in a residential complex and pays Rs. 15000/- per month as maintenance charges towards the maintenance of each apartment to the RWA (Rs. 6000/- per month for one apartment and Rs. 9000/- for the other apartment), the exemption from GST shall be applicable on the apartment whose maintenance is Rs. 6000/-.
ApnaComplex’s 100% automated invoicing lets you set up recurring against all or select flats based on formulae or fixed value or both. Our intuitive interface lets you configure maintenance charge calculation methodology yourself without the need to get in touch with our Support. Visit ApnaComplex Portal > Income > Member Income > Recurring Invoice to set up a recurring invoice to your members.
Q: How should the RWA calculate GST payable where the maintenance charges exceed Rs. 7500/- per month per member? Is the GST payable only on the amount exceeding Rs. 7500/- or on the entire amount of maintenance charges?
A: In case the charges exceed Rs. 7500/- per month per member, the entire amount is taxable. For example, if the maintenance charges are Rs. 9000/- per month per member, GST @18% shall be payable on the entire amount of Rs. 9000/- and not on [Rs. 9000 – Rs. 7500] = Rs. 1500/-.
ApnaComplex enables you to easily define the GST calculation methodology in accordance with the above rule. Just select ‘No’ for “Apply Tax on the excess amount” field in your GST tax structure on ApnaComplex.
For your reference: GST-circular-No-cgst-109
If you need any assistance in harnessing the full capabilities of ApnaComplex’s accounting module, schedule a demo here. We would be happy to help.
