Use the GST Portal’s public Search Taxpayer tool to check a GSTIN’s visible profile and status. If it is your registration, also sign in and review notices, communications and application status: a public profile that looks active does not prove that no proceeding is pending. Whether a registration is liable for cancellation depends on the legal ground and the process in the applicable notice—not on a rumour or status label alone.
How to check if a GST number is active or suspended
1. Search the GSTIN on the public portal
- Open the GST Portal and choose Search Taxpayer.
- Enter the GSTIN or UIN and submit the search. The lookup is available without signing in.
- Review the displayed profile and note the date you checked it.
The portal’s Search Taxpayer user manual says the result can include the GSTIN/UIN, legal and trade names, registration effective date, business constitution, principal place of business, cancellation date if applicable, and return-filing details. It is a useful profile and status check, not a prediction or decision on whether an officer considers the registration liable for cancellation. For someone else’s GSTIN, you can verify only the information the public profile exposes.
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2. Check notices and application tracking in your account
If the GSTIN is yours, sign in to the taxpayer account and check the dashboard for notices, communications, submissions and application status. The GST Portal’s cancellation user manual gives this tracking path: Services > Registration > Track Application Status. Enter the application reference number (ARN) and date range.
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For a notice or intimation, record its issue or service date, cited rule, alleged ground, required response form and reply deadline. Check the registered email and mobile details as well as portal messages; Rule 21A provides for electronic communication through the portal or, in the specified suspension process, the registered email. A taxpayer’s own cancellation application can be withdrawn only while it is pending for processing and before an authorised officer has taken action.
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How to check whether cancellation proceedings have a legal basis
Compare the ground stated in the notice with the applicable provision. Section 29 of the CGST Act sets out the cancellation and suspension framework; Rule 21 of the CGST Rules lists circumstances in which a registration is liable to cancellation. Those rules do not mean that every mismatch automatically cancels a registration: the relevant facts and prescribed procedure matter.
Examples of Rule 21 grounds in the CBIC Tax Information Portal’s CGST Rules text include:
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- No business is conducted from the declared place of business.
- An invoice or bill is issued without a corresponding supply, in breach of the Act or Rules.
- Specified rule requirements are contravened, including Rule 10A.
- Input tax credit is availed contrary to section 16 or the Rules.
- For one or more periods, GSTR-1 outward-supply details exceed the outward supplies in the valid section 39 return. The current rule text also refers to GSTR-1A amendments.
- Rule 86B is contravened.
Match the allegation and period in the communication against the records that relate to that ground. Depending on the allegation, this may mean checking filed returns, invoices and supply evidence, place-of-business records, Rule 10A or bank-account compliance, and the taxpayer’s books. Keep copies of submissions, the ARN, acknowledgements and delivery evidence.
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Suspension is an interim status, not the final cancellation order. Under Rule 21A, suspension can apply while cancellation proceedings are pending. If a taxpayer applies for cancellation under Rule 20, suspension is deemed to run from the later of the application date and the requested effective date while the application is pending. An officer may also suspend a registration in circumstances set out in Rule 21A.
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For specified discrepancies or a Rule 10A contravention under Rule 21A(2A), the taxpayer is intimated in FORM GST REG-31 electronically through the common portal or by communication to the registered email. The intimation identifies the issue and asks for an explanation within 30 days.
During a Rule 21A suspension, the registered person must not make taxable supplies—that is, issue a tax invoice or charge tax on supplies during the suspension period. Rule 21A also says the person is not required to furnish a section 39 return during that period. The rules provide for the suspension to be revoked when the officer completes the relevant proceedings.
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Open the actual intimation, note its cited provision and deadline, investigate the identified discrepancy or noncompliance, and submit an explanation with relevant records through the prescribed portal process. Do not choose a remedy from the word “suspended” alone; the required action depends on the issue stated in the communication.
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Where to check a GST cancellation notice and how to reply
An officer-initiated cancellation show-cause notice follows Rule 22 and is issued in FORM GST REG-17 when the officer has reasons to believe the registration is liable to cancellation. The taxpayer must respond in FORM GST REG-18 within the period specified in the notice; Rule 22 sets that period at seven working days from service.
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- Practical Design: Compact 8.3 x 6.2'' expense tracker notebook is easy to carry and features information pages, 2025 calendar, yearly financial goals page, and PVC pocket for storing important tickets and loose items
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If the reply is satisfactory, the officer drops the proceedings in FORM GST REG-20. If it is not, the officer may issue a cancellation order in FORM GST REG-19, specifying an effective date and directions concerning arrears as applicable.
| What you received or see | What it indicates | Response timing or next check |
|---|---|---|
| Public profile appears active | A snapshot of the profile and status fields exposed by Search Taxpayer; it does not establish that no notice or proceeding is pending. | For your own GSTIN, sign in and inspect portal communications and application status. |
| REG-31 suspension intimation under Rule 21A(2A) | A specified discrepancy or Rule 10A issue has prompted an intimation and suspension process. | Provide the explanation within 30 days, as requested by the intimation. |
| REG-17 show-cause notice under Rule 22 | An officer has initiated cancellation proceedings on the stated ground. | Reply in REG-18 within the period specified; Rule 22 states seven working days from service. |
| REG-19 cancellation order | The officer has made a cancellation order. | Check the order, cancellation date and any available route under current law, including revocation if eligible. |
REG-31 and REG-17 are different processes with different response periods. Follow the form and deadline in the communication actually served and check current portal instructions. A GST Council record discusses implementation of the REG-31 process and its response window.
If the registration has already been cancelled
Check the cancellation date and order in the portal, then identify which route is available under current law for the circumstances, including revocation where eligible. Cancellation does not erase tax dues or other obligations relating to periods before cancellation. Section 29 preserves those liabilities whether they are determined before or after the cancellation date; see the CBIC Tax Information Portal’s CGST Act text.
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