GST Payment Status: Track a Challan by CPIN or CIN

Paying GST is a two-part job: the money leaves your bank, and the GST portal records it against your GSTIN. Checking your GST payment status tells you whether the second part has happened. This guide covers the three identifiers on a challan, how to track a payment before and after logging in, how to download the paid challan, what to do when the bank has debited you but the portal shows nothing, and when payment is due. To create a challan in the first place, see GST challan payment in PMT-06.

CPIN, CIN and BRN: what each number means

Every GST payment carries up to three reference numbers, generated at different stages. Knowing which one you have tells you how far the payment got.

The rule of thumb: a CPIN with no CIN means the portal has not been told the money arrived. A CIN means it has, and the amount should be in the cash ledger.

Tracking payment status without logging in

The GST portal lets anyone with the GSTIN and CPIN check a challan without logging in. This is useful for an accountant or a bank employee checking on behalf of the taxpayer.

1. Go to the GST portal and open Services → Payments, then the option to track payment status.
2. Enter the GSTIN and the CPIN, and complete the captcha.
3. The result shows the challan’s status — paid, not paid, or expired — along with the amount and, if paid, the CIN and date.

The pre-login tracker needs the CPIN. If you do not have it, log in instead; the challan history lists every CPIN created for the GSTIN.

Checking challan history after logging in

After logging in, Services → Payments → Challan History lists the challans created for the GSTIN, with the CPIN, creation date, amount, payment mode and status. You can search by CPIN or by date range. Challans that were created but never paid show as unpaid or expired; they have no effect and can be ignored.

The more reliable check is the electronic cash ledger. Every successful deposit appears there as a credit under the right head — IGST, CGST, SGST/UTGST or cess — and within each head against tax, interest, penalty, fee or others. If the challan is paid but the amount sits under the wrong head, that is a separate problem, covered in electronic credit and cash ledgers.

Downloading the paid challan receipt

Once a challan is paid, the portal generates a receipt showing the CPIN, CIN, BRN, bank, date of deposit and the amount under each head. To download it:

1. Log in and open the challan history.
2. Click the CPIN of the paid challan.
3. Download the challan as a PDF.

Keep the PDF with the return it relates to. It is the evidence of payment if the ledger is ever questioned, and the auditor will usually ask for it. The same receipt is what you rely on for a voluntary payment in DRC-03, where the challan is linked to the form.

Payment debited but not reflecting on the portal

Sometimes the bank account is debited but the challan still shows as unpaid. The usual cause is that the bank has not yet reported the payment to GSTN, so no CIN has been generated. Work through it in order:

1. Wait and recheck. Net banking and card payments are normally reported quickly. Over-the-counter and NEFT/RTGS payments depend on the bank’s processing and can take longer.
2. Check the cash ledger, not just the challan. If the credit is there, the payment has gone through.
3. Contact the bank with the CPIN, the BRN or UTR, the date and the amount. The bank can confirm whether it has sent the details to GSTN.
4. Raise a grievance on the GST portal if the bank confirms the debit and the portal still shows nothing. Payment grievances are filed in Form GST PMT-07, with the challan and bank details; the portal routes it to the bank and the relevant authorities.

Do not simply pay again to be safe. A second payment will land in the cash ledger, and while an excess balance can be refunded or used later, getting it back is slower than resolving the first payment.

GST payment due dates

For taxpayers filing GSTR-3B monthly, tax for the month is paid by the due date of that return, which is the 20th of the following month. For example, tax for September is due by 20 October.

Taxpayers under the QRMP scheme file GSTR-3B quarterly but pay tax monthly. For the first two months of the quarter they deposit tax through a PMT-06 challan by the 25th of the following month, using either a fixed sum or the tax actually due. The quarterly GSTR-3B is due on the 22nd or 24th of the month after the quarter, depending on the state. The scheme is explained in the QRMP scheme, and the full calendar, including extensions, is in GST return due dates.

Due dates are extended from time to time by notification, sometimes for particular states. Check the portal or the current calendar rather than relying on the standard dates alone.

Frequently asked questions