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- Input tax credit on invoices dated April 2025 to March 2026 must be claimed by 30 November 2026, or by the date you file the annual return if that is earlier.
- For monthly filers, the GSTR-3B for October, due 20 November, is the last regular return before the cut-off.
- You can claim only what appears in your GSTR-2B, so chase suppliers who have not reported your invoices.
- Credit notes and corrections for FY 2025-26 close on the same date.
If a purchase invoice dated between April 2025 and March 2026 is still sitting unclaimed in your files, you have until 30 November 2026 to take its input tax credit (ITC). After that date the credit lapses, and the GST you paid on that purchase becomes a cost.
Most businesses do not lose credit because they forget the rule. They lose it because one supplier filed late, one bill was booked in the wrong month, or nobody matched the purchase register with the portal. October is the month to fix that.
What the Law Says
Section 16(4) of the CGST Act sets the time limit. You cannot take ITC on an invoice or debit note after the 30th of November following the end of the financial year it belongs to, or after you file the annual return for that year, whichever comes first.
For financial year 2025-26, that date is 30 November 2026.
- 31 Mar 2026Financial year 2025-26 endsEvery purchase invoice dated up to this day falls under the deadline.
- 14 Nov 2026GSTR-2B for October is generatedYour last statement of available credit before the cut-off.
- 20 Nov 2026GSTR-3B for October is dueFor monthly filers, the last regular return in which to claim FY 2025-26 credit.
- 30 Nov 2026Credit for FY 2025-26 lapsesUnclaimed credit cannot be taken after this date.
Four Conditions Before You Can Claim
Having the bill is not enough. All four of these must be true:
- You hold a valid tax invoice or debit note in your business’s name and GSTIN.
- You have received the goods or services.
- The supplier has reported the invoice in their GSTR-1 or IFF, so it appears in your GSTR-2B.
- You claim the credit in your own GSTR-3B.
- Supplier bills youA tax invoice with your GSTIN
- Supplier files GSTR-1Your invoice is reported
- It shows in GSTR-2BGenerated on the 14th
- You claim in GSTR-3BCredit reaches your ledger
There is a fifth condition that works in reverse. If you do not pay the supplier within 180 days of the invoice date, you must reverse the credit with interest, and you can take it again only after you pay.
Why Credit Gets Missed
- The supplier filed late or used the wrong GSTIN. The invoice never reaches your GSTR-2B.
- The bill was never entered. It is in a drawer or on someone’s phone, and not in the purchase register.
- The bill was entered in the wrong period. It is in your books but was left out of that month’s return.
- The credit was held back. Goods arrived in parts, or there was a dispute, and nobody went back to it.
A Reconciliation Routine for October
Set aside two or three working days and go supplier by supplier.
Before you file the next GSTR-3B
- Download GSTR-2B for every month from April 2025 to March 2026, and for the months since.
- Match each line with your purchase register by supplier GSTIN, invoice number, taxable value and tax.
- List the invoices that are in your books but not in GSTR-2B, and ask each supplier to report them.
- List the invoices that are in GSTR-2B but not in your books, then enter them or confirm they are not yours.
- Check for purchase bills unpaid for more than 180 days.
- Leave out blocked credits such as food, personal expenses and most passenger vehicles.
- Claim the matched, eligible credit in your next GSTR-3B and keep the working papers.
Start with your largest suppliers. A few accounts usually hold most of the missing credit.
What Else Closes on 30 November
The same date applies to two other things for FY 2025-26:
- Credit notes. A credit note issued against a FY 2025-26 sale must be declared by 30 November 2026 if you want it to reduce your tax liability.
- Corrections. Mistakes in the GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B of FY 2025-26 can be corrected in returns filed up to the same date.
Make Next Year Easier
The reconciliation is painful when purchases are entered late and in batches. It is routine when every purchase bill is entered once, with the supplier’s GSTIN, HSN code and tax split, on the day it arrives.
That is how Saniiro GST accounting works: a purchase entry updates stock, the supplier’s account and your GST records together, and GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B-ready reports come from the same data. Your purchase register is then ready to compare with GSTR-2B every month, instead of once a year in November.
This article is general information as of 10 October 2026, not tax or legal advice. GST rules, limits and due dates change by notification, so check the GST portal or ask your chartered accountant before you act on it.