GST notices arrive by email and portal, often unseen until a deadline is gone — and in GST, missed deadlines convert explainable mismatches into confirmed demands with bank-attachment powers behind them. The system is form-coded: the notice's form number tells you exactly what proceeding you face, your deadline, and your options. Here is the field guide, and the reply discipline that resolves most notices at the first stage.
The notices you are most likely to meet
| Form | What it means | Typical response window |
|---|---|---|
| ASMT-10 | Scrutiny: discrepancies found in your returns | 30 days — explain or pay |
| DRC-01A | Pre-show-cause intimation of tax ascertained | Opportunity to pay/respond before SCN |
| DRC-01 | Show cause notice — formal demand proceedings (S.73/74) | As stated; reply + hearing rights |
| REG-17 | Why should your registration not be cancelled | 7 working days — act immediately |
| REG-03 | Clarification sought on registration application | 7 working days |
| GSTR-3A | You have not filed returns | 15 days — file or face best-judgment assessment |
| DRC-13 | Garnishee: your debtor/bank told to pay department | Already past demand stage — urgent professional help |
| RFD-08 | Why should your refund not be rejected | 15 days |
Two habits prevent most disasters: check the GST portal's notices tab weekly (email filters eat department mail), and diarise the deadline the day any notice arrives.
Decode before you draft
Every notice contains: the legal provision invoked, the period, the alleged discrepancy, the amount (if quantified), and the officer and response mode. Match the allegation against your own data first — GSTR-1 vs 3B vs books, ITC vs 2B, e-way bills vs invoices. A large share of notices are data-triggered and half-right: the mismatch exists, but with an innocent explanation (timing differences, credit notes, amendments, supplier's late filing). Your reply's job is to bridge the officer's data to your records, line by line.
The anatomy of a good reply
- Reference the notice precisely: form, DIN/reference number, date, period
- Reconcile in tables: their figure, your figure, the difference, the explanation — item by item
- Attach proof for every claim: invoices, ledgers, challans, e-way bills, amendment acknowledgments
- Cite the provision or circular where law supports you — briefly, without lecture
- Concede what is genuinely payable and pay it (DRC-03) within the reply — partial candour buys credibility for the contested part
- Close with a request for a personal hearing (it is your right in demand proceedings, and cases often resolve there)
Ignore a notice (ex-parte orders follow); reply orally or by walking into the office without a written record; miss the deadline and reply late without seeking time; or let an aggressive draft accuse the officer — the file outlives the mood.
Section 73 vs 74: know the stakes
Demand proceedings travel under Section 73 (non-fraud: shorter limitation, modest penalties, and full penalty waiver if paid with interest within 30 days of SCN in many cases) or Section 74 (fraud/suppression: five-year reach, steep penalties). Officers sometimes invoke 74 mechanically; pushing an honest-error case back into 73's framework — with evidence of disclosure and conduct — is often the single most valuable move in the reply. This is where professional drafting earns its fee.
If the order still goes against you
An adverse order (DRC-07) is not the end: rectification for apparent errors, appeal to the first appellate authority within three months (with 10% pre-deposit of disputed tax), and onwards to the Tribunal. Appeal deadlines are harsh and condonation is limited — calendar them the day the order arrives. Meanwhile, recovery can begin after three months (earlier in some cases), so weigh stay applications and payment-under-protest strategically rather than discovering a frozen bank account mid-appeal.
How Aidwish helps
Aidwish monitors client portals, decodes notices the day they land, drafts reconciliation-grade replies with your CA, and manages hearings and appeals — converting the majority of notices into first-stage closures rather than multi-year disputes.