OIDAR, Online Gaming Companies to face Penal Action if unregistered Recipient not recorded on Tax Invoice: GST Clarification

Circular Number 242/36/2024-GST dated 31-Dec-2024

Section 12 of the IGST Act provides that except in cases specified in sub-sections (3) to (14) of the said section, when the services are supplied to a registered person, the place of supply of services shall be the location of the recipient and when the services are supplied to an unregistered person, the place of supply of the said services shall be the location of the recipient, if his address is available on record, and shall be the location of the supplier, if the address is not available on record.

Section 31(2) of the CGST Act provides that a registered person providing taxable services must issue a tax invoice with details like the service description, value, tax charged, and such other particulars as may be prescribed.

Rule 46 of CGST Rules provides the particulars required to be mentioned on the tax invoice. Clause (f) of the said rule provides for mentioning some details on the invoice in case of supplies made to unregistered recipients. Further, proviso to clause (f) of rule 46 of the CGST Rules provides that in cases involving the supply of online money gaming or involving supply of any taxable services by or through an electronic commerce operator or by a supplier of online information and database access or retrieval services, to an unregistered recipient, irrespective of the value of the said supply, the tax invoice issued by the registered supplier must contain the recipient’s State name. It has also been provided in the said proviso that such State name shall be deemed to be the address on record of the recipient.

A Conjoint reading of clause (b) of sub-section (2) of Section 12 of the IGST Act, sub-section (2) of Section 31 of the CGST Act and proviso to rule 46(f) of CGST Rules leads to a conclusion that in respect of supply of services made to unregistered persons, irrespective of the value of the said supply, the supplier is required to mandatorily record the name of the State of the unregistered recipient on the tax invoice, in cases involving supply of online money gaming or supply of taxable services by or through an electronic commerce operator or supply of online information and database access or retrieval (OIDAR) services.

Recording of the name of State of the unregistered recipient on the tax invoice in respect of such supply of services shall be deemed as the address on record of the recipient for the purpose of determination of place of supply of the said services under section 12(2)(b) of IGST Act. Accordingly, in such cases, the place of supply of such services shall be considered as the location of the recipient of the services as per provisions of clause (i) of section 12(2)(b) of IGST Act.

It is also observed that a combined reading of the definitions of ‘electronic commerce’ and ‘electronic commerce operator’ as per section 2(44) and section 2(45) of CGST Act, along with rule 46(f) of CGST Rules, leads to an understanding that all services supplied to unregistered recipients over digital or electronic network, either by the supplier using his own digital or electronic facility/platform or through any other electronic or digital platform owned and operated by an independent electronic commerce operator, will be covered under proviso to rule 46(f) of CGST Rules.

It is, accordingly, clarified that provisions of the proviso to rule 46(f) of CGST Rules shall be applicable in respect of all the online supplies of services supplied to an unregistered recipient, in addition to the supply of online money gaming and OIDAR services. Some of the examples of such services are subscription of e-newspapers and e-magazines, online subscription of entertainment services (e.g. OTT platforms), online telecom services, digital services through mobile applications etc. Therefore, in respect of supply of any such online/ digital services, OIDAR services and online money gaming to unregistered recipients, the suppliers are mandatorily required to record the name of the State of the recipient on the tax invoice, irrespective of the value of supply of such services, and to declare place of supply of the said services as the location of the recipient (based on the name of State of the recipient) in their details of outward supplies in FORM GSTR-1/1A.

Penal Action

It is also mentioned that if the supplier fails to issue invoice in accordance with the said provisions by not recording correct mandatory particulars, including recording of name of State of unregistered recipient in respect of such supplies, he may be liable to penal action under the provisions of section 122(3)(e) of CGST Act.

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