Section 35(5) of CGST Act,2017 provides that every registered person whose turnover in a financial year exceeds the amount of Rs. 2 crores, is required to get his accounts audited by a CA or CMA. He shall submit following with the GST Annual Return filed by him.
The term 'turnover' is not defined under the GST Act. However, aggregate turnover is defined under section 2(6) of CGST Act. Accordingly, aggregate turnover refers to the value of all outward supplies (taxable + exempt + exports + inter-state) of a person with the same PAN. It excludes any taxes levied under the GST Act itself. Also, inward supplies on which RCM is applicable is not taken into account for calculating aggregate turnover.
In case auditor discovers any mismatch in the accounts and records, he shall add comments on such a mismatch in the reconciliation statement in Form GSTR-9C.
An auditor shall report the following things:
Whether records and transactions correctly kept and maintained
Whether Financial Statements prepared, conform with the books of accounts
To confirm the authenticity of the information in GSTR-9C.
To mention any observations or comments in report there of.
GST Act does not specify a specific penalty for not submitting GST audit report. However, as per general provisions, a general penalty of Rs 25,000 is applicable.