Compliance KPIs for Traders & Retailers

Traders and retailers sit at the centre of India's GST data trail. Every purchase you make is reported by your supplier, every sale you make is reported by your customer, and the AIS sees both ends through SFT-013 (cash deposits) and SFT-014 (credit-card spend). The portal sees you twice on every rupee.

The single biggest shift for traders has been the 194Q vs 206C(1H) interplay on goods worth more than Rs 50 lakh from one party. Get the deduction direction wrong and your purchase gets disallowed. The KPIs below are written so a shop owner can tick them off month by month.

1. Income Tax KPIs

The Income Tax Act 1961 — and the new Income Tax Act 2025 effective 1 April 2026 — keep the same pillars: pay advance tax on time, file an accurate return, and stay clean on cash. The KPIs below are the ones an audit officer pulls up first if your file lands on a scrutiny desk.

KPI / Compliance Item	Threshold & Action	Due Date	Source
Presumptive scheme u/s 44AD	Available if turnover is below Rs 3 crore and cash receipts are under 5%. Profit deemed at 8% (cash) or 6% (digital). Opt out and you are locked out for 5 years.	ITR by 31 Jul 2027	Sec 44AD
Tax audit u/s 44AB	If turnover above Rs 1 crore (Rs 10 crore if cash below 5%). Also kicks in if you opted out of 44AD inside the lock-in.	30 Sep 2027	Sec 44AB
Advance tax	Pay 15 / 45 / 75 / 100 percent of liability by the four instalment dates. 44AD assessees can pay 100% by 15 March.	Quarterly	Sec 208–211
Loans and deposits (269SS / 269T)	You cannot accept or repay loans, deposits or advances above Rs 20,000 in cash. Penalty equals the amount transacted.	Continuous	Sec 269SS / 269T
Cash sale cap (269ST)	You cannot accept more than Rs 2 lakh in cash from one person — per day, per transaction or per event. 100% penalty on the recipient.	Continuous	Sec 269ST
ITR filing	ITR-3 for proprietors, ITR-4 SUGAM under 44AD, ITR-5 for firms, ITR-6 for companies.	31 Jul / 31 Oct 2027	Sec 139(1)

2. TDS KPIs

TDS payments are due by the 7th of the next month (March is 30 April), and quarterly Form 26Q or 27EQ returns drive Form 16 / 16A on TRACES. Late filing of the return alone costs Rs 200 per day under Sec 234E.

KPI / Compliance Item	Threshold & Action	Due Date	Source
194Q — Purchase of goods	0.1% on purchases above Rs 50 lakh from a single seller in the FY. Applies only if your turnover in the previous FY crossed Rs 10 crore.	7th of next month	Sec 194Q
206C(1H) — Sale of goods (TCS)	0.1% on sale receipts above Rs 50 lakh from a single buyer (your turnover above Rs 10 crore last FY). Does not apply if the buyer is liable under 194Q.	7th of next month	Sec 206C(1H)
194C — Transport, packaging, job-work	1% or 2% on payments above Rs 30,000 single bill or Rs 1 lakh aggregate.	7th of next month	Sec 194C
194I — Shop and godown rent	10% on rent above Rs 2.4 lakh in the FY.	7th of next month	Sec 194I
194J — Auditor and consultant fees	10% on professional fees above Rs 30,000 in the FY.	7th of next month	Sec 194J
Quarterly returns (Form 26Q + 27EQ)	26Q for TDS, 27EQ for TCS. File on time or face Rs 200 per day under 234E.	31 Jul, 31 Oct, 31 Jan, 31 May	Rule 31A / 31AA

3. GST KPIs

GST is the most data-rich compliance regime — every invoice you raise and every invoice you receive sits on the network. Use GSTR-2B, not 2A, as your reconciliation base from FY 2022-23 onwards.

KPI / Compliance Item	Threshold & Action	Due Date	Source
Composition scheme — goods	Optional if turnover below Rs 1.5 crore. You pay 1% (manufacturer or trader). Inter-state supply, e-commerce and notified goods are out of bounds.	Opt by 31 Mar of preceding FY	Sec 10 CGST
QRMP scheme	Quarterly returns and monthly tax for taxpayers with turnover at or below Rs 5 crore.	Per quarter	Notification 84/2020
GSTR-1 / IFF	Monthly: 11th of next month. QRMP: 13th of month after quarter, with optional IFF for B2B in months 1 and 2.	11th / 13th	Sec 37
GSTR-3B	Monthly: 20th. QRMP: 22nd or 24th of month after quarter, by state.	20th / 22nd / 24th	Sec 39
GSTR-2B → 3B reconciliation	Match purchase invoices with GSTR-2B before claiming ITC. Mismatched ITC is blocked under Sec 16(2)(aa).	Monthly	Sec 16(2)(aa)
E-invoicing	Mandatory if aggregate turnover above Rs 5 crore in any FY since 2017-18. B2B and exports only.	Every applicable invoice	Rule 48(4)
E-way bill	Required for movement above Rs 50,000 inter-state and intra-state (Maharashtra: Rs 1 lakh intra-state from 1 July 2018, with exceptions).	Before each movement	Rule 138
GSTR-9 / 9C	Annual return if turnover above Rs 2 crore. Reconciliation if above Rs 5 crore.	31 Dec 2027	Sec 44

4. Profession tax (Maharashtra)

Profession Tax is a state levy run by the Maharashtra Goods & Services Tax Department. There are two registrations and most businesses need both — one for the owner, one for the staff.

Registration	Who needs it / what you pay	Due date	Source
PTEC (Enrolment)	For the proprietor, partner, director, LLP or company. Flat Rs 2,500 per year for most non-salaried professions and businesses.	30 June	MahaGST PT Act 1975
PTRC (Registration)	For employers paying salary above Rs 7,500 p.m. (male) or Rs 25,000 p.m. (female). Slabs: Rs 175 p.m. for Rs 7,501–10,000 (male); Rs 200 p.m. plus Rs 300 in February if salary exceeds Rs 10,000. Annual ceiling Rs 2,500 per employee.	Last day of the next month	MahaGST PT Rules

5. Bookkeeping and the filing system

Section 44AA of the Income Tax Act and Section 35 (read with Rule 56) of the CGST Act set the bookkeeping baseline. For most non-professional businesses, books are required if income is above Rs 2.5 lakh or turnover above Rs 25 lakh in any of the three preceding years.

Minimum books to keep

• Cash book, bank book, journal and ledger — daily, on accrual basis (Sec 145 read with ICDS).
• Sales register and purchase register — invoice-wise, with HSN/SAC and GST.
• Stock register — opening, receipts, issues, closing. Mandatory under CGST Rule 56(2).
• Bills, vouchers, e-way bills and delivery challans behind every entry.
• Fixed asset register, block-wise, with the date the asset was put to use.
• TDS / TCS certificates downloaded from TRACES.
• Daily stock register (day-book) with opening, receipts, sales and closing for each SKU. Mandatory under CGST Rule 56(2).
• Audit-trail-enabled accounting software. Companies (Accounts) Rules made this compulsory from 1 April 2023.
• Cash deposit log, bank-wise and date-wise, that matches the SFT-013 line in your AIS.

How long to keep them

• Income Tax: 6 years from the end of the relevant Assessment Year (Sec 149). For reopened or search cases, up to 10 years.
• GST: 72 months from the due date of the annual return for the year (CGST Sec 36).
• Companies and LLPs: 8 financial years (Sec 128 Companies Act 2013 / corresponding LLP rules).

6. Sector-specific compliance traps

The four mistakes our team sees most often when we take over books from another firm:

7. Annual compliance calendar (FY 2026-27)

Month	Compliance milestones
April	TDS payment for March (30 Apr); GSTR-1 / 3B for March; PT employee deduction.
May	Q4 TDS return Form 26Q (31 May); Form 16A; SFT-005 / 61A (31 May).
June	Form 16 to employees (15 Jun); Q1 advance tax (15 Jun); PTEC payment (30 Jun).
July	Q1 TDS return (31 Jul); ITR for non-audit cases (31 Jul); QRMP option last month.
August	Routine GSTR-1 / 3B; e-invoice review.
September	Tax audit report u/s 44AB (30 Sep); Form 10B / 10BB (30 Sep) for trusts; Q2 advance tax (15 Sep).
October	Q2 TDS return (31 Oct); ITR for audit cases (31 Oct); GSTR-9 prep starts.
November	ITR for transfer-pricing cases (30 Nov).
December	Q3 advance tax (15 Dec); GSTR-9 / 9C filing (31 Dec).
January	Q3 TDS return (31 Jan); books reconciliation for FY closing.
February	Stock-take preparation; PT special slab (Rs 300 in Feb).
March	Q4 advance tax (15 Mar); Annexure V for GTAs (31 Mar); books closure; year-end TDS.