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Microlesson · 5-min read

Special Category States & GST Common Portal

## Special Category States and GST Portal

### Special Category States (SCS) under GST

Under Article 279A(4)(g), the GST Council recommends special provisions (like lower threshold for registration) for 'Special Category States'.

For GST purposes, the 11 Special Category States are:

#StateMnemonic Letter
1Arunachal PradeshAR
2AssamA
3MIzoramMI
4MAnipurMa
5MEghalayaME
6NagalandN
7TripuraT
8SikkimS
9Jammu & KashmirKA
10Himachal PradeshH
11UttarakhandU

Mnemonic: "AMI SHE TUMAAR MENKA" — captures Arunachal, Mizoram, Sikkim, Himachal, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Assam, Nagaland, J&K.

### Why It Matters

  • Different threshold limits for registration (₹10 lakh / ₹20 lakh in some, instead of standard ₹20 lakh / ₹40 lakh).
  • Different threshold for composition scheme.
  • Note: For threshold limits under GST, only some of these (Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh) are treated as 'special category'. Detailed in Registration chapter.

### GST Common Portal

  • Established by the Government for all GST-related services.
  • URL: www.gst.gov.in
  • Managed by GSTN (Goods and Services Tax Network).
  • Services include: Registration, Return filing, Payment, Refund, e-Way Bill linkage, Notice/Order interface.
  • Single portal nationwide — eliminates need to deal with multiple State portals.

Worked example

### Example 1

Example – Threshold benefit illustration

Mr. A operates a small trading business with turnover ₹15 lakh.

(a) If he operates in Maharashtra (normal State, threshold ₹40 lakh for goods) → Not required to register.

(b) If he operates in Mizoram (Special Category State, threshold ₹10 lakh for goods) → Required to register because turnover exceeds ₹10 lakh.

⚠️ Common exam mistakes

  • Listing only 7 sister States — there are 11 SCS for GST purposes including J&K, Himachal, Uttarakhand and Sikkim.
  • Confusing Special Category States under GST with the Finance Commission's classification of SCS — they overlap but are not identical.
  • Believing the URL is gst.in or gstindia.gov.in — it is www.gst.gov.in.
  • Forgetting that the portal is run by GSTN, a not-for-profit Section 8 company.
Reference:
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