Checking GST registration status answers one question: is this registration live right now? It is the first thing to look at in any GSTIN result, and the thing most worth re-checking before a payment.
How to check
- Open GST status check or GST number search.
- Enter the 15-character GSTIN.
- Read the status field in the result.
- Use Re-check if you need a fresh reading rather than a cached one.
The status values you will see
Active. The registration is live as at the time of the lookup. The taxpayer is registered and, if a regular taxpayer, may charge GST on invoices.
Cancelled. The registration has been cancelled — either by the department or on the taxpayer's own application. A cancelled registration should not be used to charge GST on new invoices.
Suspended. The registration is suspended, which typically happens while cancellation proceedings are under way. The registration has not been finally cancelled, but it is not in normal standing either.
Provisional or Inactive. Occasionally a record shows a transitional state rather than one of the three above. Treat anything other than Active as a reason to ask the supplier a question.
Status is a snapshot, not a property
This is the point that causes the most trouble in practice. A status describes the moment the lookup ran. A registration that was Active when you onboarded a vendor last year may be Cancelled today, and nothing will have told you.
Two consequences:
- For a decision with money attached, re-check on the day rather than relying on a stored result.
- For an ongoing vendor relationship, sweep your vendor list periodically rather than trusting the onboarding check indefinitely.
Every result on CheckYourGST shows when the details were last retrieved, so you can judge for yourself whether the copy is fresh enough for what you are doing.
Status tells you less than people assume
Registration status confirms that a registration exists and is live. It does not tell you:
- whether the supplier has filed their GST returns
- whether tax they collected has actually been paid
- whether an input tax credit claim of yours will be supported
- anything at all about solvency, delivery or quality
Treat status as a necessary check, not a sufficient one.
What to do for each result
Active — proceed, having also compared the legal name, state and taxpayer type against your documents.
Suspended — pause. Ask the supplier what is happening and get an explanation in writing before accepting new GST-bearing invoices.
Cancelled — do not accept new invoices charging GST under that number. Ask whether the business has re-registered under a different GSTIN, and verify that new number properly.
No record — re-read the number for typing errors, then ask the supplier for their registration certificate.
Lookup failed — this is not the same as "not registered". Try again shortly; a temporary upstream failure should never be reported to you as an absence of registration.
Checking many registrations
If you maintain a vendor master, checking one number at a time does not scale. Bulk verification lets you submit a list and get statuses and names back together, so you only investigate the rows that need attention.
Where to go next
- Read what does an active GSTIN mean.
- Read what does a cancelled GSTIN mean.
- Read what does a suspended GSTIN mean.
- Check a number now with GST status check.