GST · 26 June 2026
Electronic Credit Ledger vs Cash Ledger: What Is the Difference?
Every GST registration carries two ledgers on the portal under Section 49 of the CGST Act. The electronic credit ledger holds input tax credit (ITC) earned on purchases and can be used only to pay output tax. The electronic cash ledger holds money deposited through a challan (Form PMT-06) and can pay anything: tax, interest, penalty, late fee, and reverse-charge liability. A third record, the electronic liability register, shows what is owed. Input tax credit is set off in a fixed order under Sections 49A and 49B with Rule 88A: IGST credit must be used first and exhausted before CGST or SGST credit. Because reverse-charge tax is a liability rather than output tax, it can never be paid from the credit ledger and must be paid in cash.
By Mrs. Swapna Patel
Last reviewed
26 June 2026
In this section
Answers
- Electronic Credit Ledger vs Cash Ledger: What Is the Difference?
- What Is GSTR-1, the GST Return of Outward Supplies?
- What Is GSTR-3B, the Monthly GST Summary Return?
- What Is the Time of Supply Under GST, and When Does Tax Become Due?
- Advance Receipt Under GST: When Do You Issue a Receipt Voucher?
- Credit Note vs Debit Note Under GST: When Do You Issue Each?
- What Is GSTR-2B, and Why Does It Now Decide Your Input Tax Credit?
- What Is the Value of Supply Under Section 15 of the CGST Act?
- What Are the GST Rate Slabs in India After the GST 2.0 Reform?
- Exempt vs Nil-Rated vs Zero-Rated Supply: What Is the Difference?
The input tax credit sitting in your GST account can pay any GST due, including interest and penalties.
Under Section 49 of the CGST Act, the electronic credit ledger can pay only output tax; interest, penalty and late fee must come from the electronic cash ledger.
What are the electronic credit and cash ledgers?
Short answer
They are the two payment accounts every GST registration holds under Section 49 of the CGST Act: the credit ledger holds input tax credit, the cash ledger holds money you deposit.
Think of two wallets on the GST portal. One fills automatically with credit for the GST you paid on purchases. The other fills only when you transfer money in through a challan. A third record, the electronic liability register, shows the total you owe. Knowing which wallet can pay which due is what stops a return from rejecting at the last step.
What can each ledger pay for?
Short answer
The credit ledger can pay output tax only; the cash ledger can pay tax, interest, penalty, late fee and reverse-charge liability.
| Liability | Credit ledger (ITC) | Cash ledger |
|---|---|---|
| Output tax | Yes | Yes |
| Interest | No | Yes |
| Penalty | No | Yes |
| Late fee | No | Yes |
| Reverse-charge (RCM) tax | No | Yes |
In what order is input tax credit used?
Short answer
IGST credit must be used first and fully, before CGST or SGST credit, under Sections 49A and 49B read with Rule 88A.
- IGST credit is set off first against IGST, then against CGST and SGST in any order, until it is exhausted.
- Only after IGST credit runs out may CGST credit pay CGST and IGST, and SGST credit pay SGST and IGST.
- CGST credit can never pay SGST, and SGST credit can never pay CGST, so cross-using them is blocked.
Why must reverse-charge tax be paid in cash?
Short answer
Because reverse-charge liability is treated as fresh output tax you owe, not as credit, so it cannot be set off from the credit ledger and must be paid from cash.
- You pay the reverse-charge amount in cash first, and only then may you claim it back as input tax credit if eligible.
- This matters for cash flow: a large RCM liability needs real money on the date it falls due, even if your credit ledger is full.
- Keeping accurate tax invoices is what lets you reclaim that cash as credit in the next cycle without dispute.
References & related
Primary sources
- Section 49, Central Goods and Services Tax Act 2017 — CBICPayment of tax, interest, penalty and other amounts; the cash and credit ledgers.
- Section 49A and 49B, Central Goods and Services Tax Act 2017 — CBICOrder and manner of utilisation of input tax credit.
- Rule 88A, Central Goods and Services Tax Rules 2017 — CBICOrder of utilisation of input tax credit: IGST credit first.
- Payments and electronic ledgers — GST portalHow the cash ledger is funded by challan PMT-06 and how the credit ledger is populated.
Last reviewed: 26 June 2026