Levy and collection
IGST s.5, IGST Act
Straight from CBIC
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Amendment history
See what changed, and when
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In one line
The charging section: IGST is levied on every inter-State supply of goods or services, on the value fixed by section 15 of the CGST Act, at rates up to 40 per cent, and on imported goods at the point of customs clearance. It also carries the reverse charge and the section 9(5) e-commerce liability. Alcoholic liquor for human consumption stays outside the levy.
What this means in practice
The parts that actually decide cases — the things a practitioner checks first.
The ceiling was raised to forty per cent by the Finance (No.2) Act 2025, which supports the 40 per cent demerit slab notified on 22-09-2025.
IGST on imported goods is collected under the Customs Tariff Act at the point of clearance, not through the GST return – so the credit comes from the bill of entry, not from GSTR-2B.
Reverse charge on import of services sits here read with Notification 10/2017-Integrated Tax (Rate); ocean freight under that notification was struck down in Mohit Minerals (SC, 19-05-2022).
Questions people actually ask
Real questions we get on this provision, answered straight.
Do we pay IGST twice on a CIF import – once on the goods and once on the freight?+
No. Mohit Minerals (SC, 19-05-2022) struck down the reverse charge on ocean freight in a CIF import, because the freight is already part of the value on which IGST is paid at import. Refunds of such tax paid earlier were claimable; check limitation before filing.
The exact words of the law
3,360 characters, uneditedReproduced from the CBIC text. We explain it above — but you should always be able to read it yourself.
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What changed, and when
The amendment trail, newest first — because the version that applies to your case depends on the period.
2024-08-16 · Insertedbyse
Inserted by section 151 of The Finance Act (No. 2) Act, 2024 No. 15 of 2024 dated 16.08.2024.
2019-02-01 · Substitutedfo
Substituted for "(4) The integrated tax in respect of the supply of taxable goods or services or both by a supplier, who is not registered, to a registered person shall be paid by such person on reverse charge basis as the recipient and all the provisions of this Act shall apply to such recipient as
date not stated · Insertedbys
Inserted by s. 3 of the Integrated Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Act, 2023 (No. 31 of 2023) – Brought into force w.e.f. yet to be notified.
Read this with
A provision rarely works alone. These are the ones it points to.
Where this comes from
Text reproduced from the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, as available on 2026-09-05. The explanation and practice notes above are GSTZone’s own, written for this hub. If you spot anything out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it — this hub is checked daily against CBIC.
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