GST Advance Ruling at a Glance
📌 TL;DR - GST Advance Ruling Services at a Glance
Section 97 CGST allows a registered or to-be-registered person to seek a binding ruling on classification, notification applicability, time/value of supply, ITC admissibility, tax liability, registration requirement, or whether an activity is supply. File Form GST ARA-01 with the State AAR plus INR 10,000 fee. Ruling within 90 days. Appeal to AAAR in 30 days via Form ARA-02 with INR 20,000 fee. AAAR pronounces within 90 days. A ruling binds only the applicant and jurisdictional officer (Section 103). Void ab initio if obtained by fraud (Section 104). No second appeal - only writ. Patron Accounting end-to-end engagement starts from INR 49,999.
Advance Ruling under Chapter XVII of the CGST Act, 2017 is the only mechanism that gives a taxpayer a binding GST answer before the transaction occurs. Section 95 defines the framework; Section 97 prescribes seven question categories where an applicant can seek a ruling; Section 98 lays down the 90-day procedure; Section 99 constitutes the Appellate Authority for Advance Ruling (AAAR); Section 100 gives a 30-day appeal window; and Sections 101 to 106 cover orders, rectification, applicability, void ab initio orders, and powers.
Sections 101A to 101C, inserted by the Finance Act 2019, constitute a National Appellate Authority for divergent State AAAR rulings, but the body has not yet been operationalised. Beyond AAAR, the only forum is writ jurisdiction under Article 226 (High Court) or Article 32 / 136 (Supreme Court). Patron Accounting LLP handles end-to-end AAR engagements: question framing, statement of facts, applicant submissions in Form GST ARA-01, fee payment under Rule 104, jurisdictional officer coordination, personal hearing representation, and ruling implementation - and where the AAR is adverse, Form GST ARA-02 appeal to the AAAR within 30 days.
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