E-Way Bill Under GST in Kerala: Documents Required & Validity

The Goods and Service Tax (GST) was introduced in 2017 as a digitalised form of Value Added Tax (VAT). It helps to track transactions and the movement of goods and services across India for government records. The government introduced the e-Way bill in Kerala to ensure that the transport of goods complies with the rules of GST.

Do you wish to get a better understanding of Kerala GST e-way bill login? This article will give you a complete overview.

The electronic way bill or e-way bill under GST is an electronic document which helps to keep a record of the movement and transport of goods on the GST portal. The e-way bill system in Kerala comprises two components:

• The first part includes the details of the GSTIN, place of delivery, the value of goods, HSN code, transport document number, reasons for transport, etc.
• The second part simply includes details of the transporter, such as vehicle number.

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There are various ways to generate e-way bills in Kerala. If you are planning to do so, the following step-by-step guide will be helpful.

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Steps for Online E-Way Bill Login in Kerala

Step 1: Visit the official website of the e-way bill system. Log in with your username and password.

Step 2: Bring your cursor to “e-Waybill” on the left panel. Click on “Generate new” from the drop-down list.

Step 3: Fill up this form which will appear on your screen. Enter your transaction details, document type and number, date, item and transport details, format, etc.

Step 4: Click on "Submit". The next screen will display Form EWB-01 with a unique 12-digit number. Download this form and get a printout.

Steps for SMS Registration for E-Way Bill Login in Kerala

Step 1: Visit the official website of the e-way bill system. Log in with your username and password.

Step 2: Click on “Registration”. Select “For SMS” from the drop-down list.

Step 3: Click on “Send OTP”. Enter the OTP you received on your registered mobile.

Step 4: Click on “Verify OTP”. Select a desired username and click on “Submit”.

Before starting the login process of e-way bill in Kerala, it is important to know the documents required. Here are a few documents you need to keep handy during this process:

• Invoice or bill of supply or challan of the consignment of goods
• Transporter ID or the vehicle number if goods are transported by road
• Document number of the transport, Transporter ID, and date if goods are transported by railway, airway or ship

The validity of the e-way bill in GST varies from one case to another. It depends on the distance to be travelled for transporting the goods. For instance, if this distance is less than 200 km, this bill will only be valid for a day from the transport date. 

With every additional 200 km, the validity will increase for one day. Here, "relevant date" means the date on which this bill was generated, and it will be valid for 24 hours from the particular time.

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A taxpayer has the option to reject an e-way bill if other parties generate it with their GSTIN as recipients or suppliers. For instance, if a goods consignment never reached its destination due to cancellation during the process, it can be rejected. 

It is important to know the date of generating this bill and its number before starting this process. Here are the steps you can follow to reject an e-way bill:

Step 1: Visit the official website of the e-way bill system. Log in with your username and password.

Step 2: Click on “Reject” from the left panel. It will redirect to a new page.

Step 3: Select the date of generating the concerned e-way bill. Click on “Submit”.

Step 4: A list of e-way bills that were generated on that date will appear on your screen. Check the box against the bill that you wish to reject.

You will see a confirmation message on your screen once the selected bill is rejected.

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Taxpayers also have the option of cancelling e-way bills. If the goods were not transported as per the details of the bill, then the one who generated this bill can cancel it. It is important to note that only generators of this bill can cancel it within 24 hours of its generation. One cannot cancel it if any empowered officer verifies it. Here are the steps to cancel an e-way bill:

Step 1: Visit the official website of the e-way bill system. Log in with your username and password.

Step 2: Bring your cursor to “e-Waybill” or “Consolidated EWB”. Choose “Cancel” from the drop-down list.

Step 3: Enter your 12-digit e-way bill number. Click on “Go”.

Step 4: Provide a reason for this cancellation. You will find a confirmation once the portal cancels this bill.

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The validity of e-way bills can be extended if you feel that the consignment can take longer than initially planned. This bill’s generator can do this eight hours before the expiry of the original validity of this bill. Here are the steps to do so:

Step 1: Visit the official website of the e-way bill system. Log in with your username and password.

Step 2: Bring your cursor to “e-Waybill” or “Consolidated EWB”. Click on “Extend validity” from the drop-down list.

Step 3: Enter the concerned bill number. Click on "Yes" in the question box.

Step 4: Provide a reason for the extension. Enter the distance, place of dispatch and place of delivery. You will receive a new e-way bill number after this process.

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If the total value of goods for transport amounts to ₹50000 or more, one needs to generate an e-way bill for transporting these within Kerala. A casual taxable person transporting handicraft goods is usually exempted from raising such a bill.

However, the exempted population shall also have to generate an e-way bill when transporting their goods from one state or UT to another, irrespective of the total value of these goods.

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In this case, when goods are transported from Kerala to other states or UTs, the generation of an e-way bill will depend on the limits set by each state. For instance, Maharashtra or Rajasthan do not ask for an e-way bill if the consignment value is under ₹1 lakh.

On the other hand, some states like Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Haryana, Gujarat, MP, UP, Daman and Diu, Chandigarh, etc., require an e-way bill if the consignment value is above ₹50000.

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The commercial tax department of Kerala introduced the e-way bill system in 2018. This is when the government developed the NIC portal for generating such bills for keeping track of the movement of goods. People must register on the e-way portal for transporting goods within the state under the value of ₹50000. For moving goods outside the state, it is mandatory to generate an e-way bill in Kerala.

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Even though the e-way bill system has been existing for a long time, it is far from being perfect. Dealers and industries often face various kinds of issues when generating an e-way bill. Here are a few common issues and errors that might occur while generating e-way bills in Kerala:

• Incorrect GSTIN: E-way bill generation can lead to incorrect GSTIN, as users often log in with different usernames whenever they need to generate this bill. Single users also end up using different IDs interchangeably.
• Incorrect Format: Entering the vehicle number in an incorrect format makes it challenging to generate an e-way bill. Most people enter the number on their registration certificates, but the actual format should be according to the number plate.
• Multiple Invoices: The e-way bill system does not allow multiple invoices for generating a single bill. The portal considers one invoice for a single consignment. It is, therefore, mandatory to generate a new e-way bill for every invoice. If a taxpayer generates an e-way bill for multiple invoices, the entire system will be incorrect.
• Validity Period Tracking: The tracking mechanism on the e-way bill portal is not efficient. As a result, dealers are unable to utilise the option of extending the validity of a bill. They can do this before eight months of its expiry.
• Third-party Generation: If any third party is registering and generating the e-way bill, there is a high chance that they will enter an incorrect GSTIN and other details. As a result, there will be complications with this bill.

That was all about the Kerala GST e-way bill login. As this article pointed out, it is mandatory to generate this bill for the government to keep track of the movement of goods and services both within and outside Kerala. However, whether you need to generate this bill depends on the value of the consignment and overall requirements.