GST: Tax Professionals Encounter Issues Due to Errors on GSTN Portal
It is disappointing to note that the GST portal has once again gone into hibernation. As per the official message, The portal filing returns and generating invoices is down —until 06:00 PM today, which before mentioned that the portal will resume operating at 03:00 PM IST.
As per the official notification, "Scheduled Downtime! We are enhancing the services on the site. The services will not be available from 10th Jan’25 12:00 AM to 10th Jan’25 03:00 PM. Kindly come back later! In case of any queries, please call us at 1800-103-4786. We appreciate your cooperation and patience."
Indeed, one could merely imagine the sign of relief from the compliance-weary accountants who have more time to think about questions of life such as whether coffee or tea is the correct fuel for an all-nighter).
Tax practitioners who are scheduled for their workload are excited to find that they have been gifted bonus hours of anticipation. Thereafter having your entire compliance schedule hinge on the facilitated operation of a single portal is the dream of every professional that comes true what can go wrong?
The Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) that handles the portal has ensured that everyone that this downtime is crucial for the system upgrades and performance improvements. As per the founder, the tech team at Infosys can be working 70 hours a week on distinct fixes, all to make the platform faster, more reliable, more user-friendly, and in working condition after all.
Their devotion is respected there is no sarcasm as we do consider that making a stronger online platform for millions of the users in no cakewalk.
The taxpayers were aggrieved as he waited till the last minute to submit their returns or file their dues, and they were liable to get paid. Many people are under the due dates and finding the “Scheduled Downtime” notice at midnight is merely the cherry on top of their compliance sundae.
The GSTN is on its scheduled maintenance plan, citing that the downtime was declared in advance and if the person has an important task then they may wish to turn back and plan as per that.
If you need help quickly, like when you’re trying to get a last-minute e-invoice, there’s a support line you can call for assistance.
1800-103-4786. "Those with urgent needs are encouraged to monitor the portal closely for any updates or early restoration of services," reads the official advisory.
It is suggested to tax professionals to relish these fleeting hours of forced downtime by compiling documents and executing additional offline tasks that inevitably stack up. Thereafter when the portal comes back online then people anxiously run in a race to log in at once.
Suppose there’s any silver lining in this cyclical spectacle of portal downtime. In that case, the hope is that this maintenance will lead to a much smoother and more enjoyable experience for everyone using the portal. Ideally, we’d like it to be as fast and graceful as a gazelle running through a field, rather than slow and sluggish like a snail crawling up a muddy hill.
Read Also: GST Portal Introduces New IMS Feature to Fix Errors in Invoices
Attention all accountants, taxpayers, and business owners: it's almost time! The clock is ticking down to 3:00 PM, so get ready. Compliance odds are ever in your favor.
Also, the pain of professionals who devoted their time and effort to file in time is respected and for the same consideration, the Ministry of Finance in this situation should think about extending the deadline.