The Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) has introduced several enhancements to address-related fields in the GST registration functionalities. These changes aim to improve the GST registration process for taxpayers by incorporating user feedback and analyzing tickets. Here are the details of these enhancements:
1. Update in Validations for Address Fields
a. Address is in India:
- PIN Code, State, District, and City/Town/Village: These fields are now interlinked, so taxpayers must select them from the autosuggestions provided.
- Other Fields: Taxpayers can enter alphanumeric values and limited special characters such as Hyphen (-), Forward Slash (/), Ampersand (&), Comma (,), Apostrophes (‘), Hash (#), Period (.), Small Brackets (), Inverted Commas (“”), Colon (:), Semi Colon (;), Underscore (_), and Space. Other special characters are not allowed, and special characters cannot be the first character of the entry.
Example: “123 Main St. #4, Apt (5A)” is acceptable, but “#123 Main St.” is not, as the hash (#) cannot be at the beginning.
b. Address is outside India:
- Zip Code, State, District: All values can be entered except for special characters
{}. - Other Fields: Similar to the address in India, taxpayers can enter alphanumeric values and specific special characters mentioned above. The same restriction on the placement of special characters applies.
2. Instructions for Address Fields
GST Portal added proper instructions to address fields. Taxpayers can view these instructions by hovering over the information icon. The instructions detail allowed and disallowed characters and editable fields.
3. Impact on Existing Data
These changes will not affect data already saved in the system, even if it contains characters that are no longer allowed. However, during the amendment application process, the system will validate the address based on the new rules.
4. User Feedback Implementation
These changes address issues raised by users who were unclear about allowed characters or editable fields. For instance, users were previously inserting a hash (#) at the beginning of the Building Number field. The help desk now guides users to remove the hash (#) before submission.
5. Applicability
These enhancements apply to all categories of taxpayers, including Normal Taxpayers, SEZ Units, SEZ Developers, Composition Taxpayers, Input Service Distributors, and Casual Taxpayers.
6. Locality/Sub-Locality Field
- Not Mandatory: The Locality/Sub-locality field is not mandatory.
- Warning Messages: If the Locality/Sub-locality field is left blank or does not match the Pin Code, the system will display warning messages such as “Locality/Sub-locality does not match the Pin Code. Do you want to save the details?” or “You have not filled in Locality/Sub-locality. Do you want to save the details and proceed further?”
Example: If you enter Pin Code 123456 but leave the Locality/Sub-locality field blank, you will see the message: “You have not filled in Locality/Sub-locality. Do you want to save the details and proceed further?” To continue with the registration, click “YES” to proceed. The system will allow you to move forward.
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This article is only a knowledge-sharing initiative and is based on the Relevant Provisions as applicable and as per the information existing at the time of the preparation. In no event, RMPS & Co. or the Author or any other persons be liable for any direct and indirect result from this Article or any inadvertent omission of the provisions, update, etc if any.
