The press release dated 09 October 2020 provides important clarifications regarding the filing of the Annual Return (FORM GSTR-9) and Reconciliation Statement (FORM GSTR-9C) for the financial year 2018-19. It notes that, vide Notification No. 69/2020–Central Tax dated 30 September 2020, the due date for filing the annual return for FY 2018-19 has been extended up to 31 October 2020. The release addresses concerns raised by taxpayers that the auto-populated GSTR-9 for FY 2018-19 includes certain data relating to FY 2017-18 in Tables 4, 5, 6, and 7, even though such information had already been reported in the annual return for FY 2017-18 and there is no system-provided mechanism to segregate the figures year-wise. In this context, it is clarified that taxpayers should report only the figures pertaining to FY 2018-19 and ignore the values relating to FY 2017-18. It is further assured that no adverse view will be taken in cases where taxpayers have already filed GSTR-9 for FY 2018-19 by including supplies or input tax credit relating to FY 2017-18. Taxpayers are advised to make use of the extended timeline and file their returns at the earliest to avoid last-minute congestion. The release also reiterates that filing of GSTR-9 is mandatory only for taxpayers with aggregate annual turnover exceeding ₹2 crore, while FORM GSTR-9C is required only for registered persons having turnover above ₹5 crore.