Provisional finance-ministry data released on 1 October 2026 put September's gross GST collection at ₹2,03,521 crore, up 14.7% on a year earlier. Business Standard, Mint and the Economic Times, the last carrying IANS, reported the figures that day. Outlets round the gross number to about ₹2.04 lakh crore. Neutral Politics is using those reports. The ministry release itself was not opened. This note was posted at 5:21 pm IST on 1 October.
Gross and net are different totals. Gross is all GST collected in the month. Net is what remains after refunds to businesses, such as exporters, are paid. Mixing the two makes the month look like one number when the reports print two.
Net GST was ₹1,76,520 crore, which the outlets also give as about ₹1.77 lakh crore, up 18.1%. Business Standard describes that 18.1% as the fastest net growth in six months. That "six months" line is Business Standard's. Refunds fell 3% to ₹27,001 crore. Mint, Business Standard and the Economic Times (IANS) all report that refund figure. A smaller refund bill is one reason net can rise faster than gross. These reports state the two growth rates. They do not set out a further arithmetic of the gap.
Inside the gross total, the two parts the reports separate are domestic and import. Domestic GST rose 10.1% to about ₹1.38 lakh crore. Import GST rose 25.9% to ₹65,525 crore. Mint calculates that imports made up more than half of the ₹26,156 crore increase in gross collections. That share is Mint's calculation, not a line this note takes from a ministry table it has not opened. What sits behind the import rise is not in the reports checked.
For the first half of the year, April to September, gross GST was ₹12.46 lakh crore, up 11.6%. That is the half-year gross figure in these reports. It is not a net figure, and it is not a forecast.
The three reports are timed on 1 October. The Economic Times (IANS) story is at 11:57 am IST. Mint's is at 1:19 pm IST. Business Standard's is at 2:38 pm IST. All three are reporting provisional data. Final figures are not in this check.
What's next
September's provisional gross GST, as these outlets reported it, is ₹2,03,521 crore, up 14.7%. Net, after refunds of ₹27,001 crore, is ₹1,76,520 crore, up 18.1%. Import GST, up 25.9% to ₹65,525 crore, accounted for more than half the gross increase on Mint's calculation. A final set of figures, and an account of why import GST rose, are not in the reports checked. The ministry release itself was not opened.
Key facts
- Provisional data put September gross GST at ₹2,03,521 crore, up 14.7% on a year earlier. Outlets round that to about ₹2.04 lakh crore.
- Net GST after refunds was ₹1,76,520 crore, about ₹1.77 lakh crore, up 18.1%. Business Standard calls that the fastest net growth in six months.
- Refunds fell 3% to ₹27,001 crore, Mint, Business Standard and the Economic Times (IANS) reported.
- Domestic GST rose 10.1% to about ₹1.38 lakh crore. Import GST rose 25.9% to ₹65,525 crore.
- Mint calculates that imports made up more than half of the ₹26,156 crore rise in gross collections. April–September gross GST was ₹12.46 lakh crore, up 11.6%.
What each side says
Gross
Gross is all GST collected in the month. The provisional figure for September is ₹2,03,521 crore, up 14.7%. Of that, domestic GST was about ₹1.38 lakh crore, up 10.1%, and import GST was ₹65,525 crore, up 25.9%. Mint's calculation is that imports accounted for more than half of the ₹26,156 crore increase.
Net
Net is what remains after refunds to businesses, such as exporters, are paid. Net GST was ₹1,76,520 crore, about ₹1.77 lakh crore, up 18.1%. Refunds were ₹27,001 crore, down 3%. The 18.1% net rise being the fastest in six months is Business Standard's description.
Not confirmed
- Final, non-provisional figures. These are the ministry's provisional numbers as the three outlets reported them. The finance ministry release itself was not opened.
- What is behind the rise in import GST. Mint counts its share of the increase. The reports checked do not give a cause.
- A split finer than domestic and import. These notes do not add one.
Sources
- Business Standard https://www.business-standard.com/economy/news/net-gst-revenue-rises-18-1-to-1-77-trn-in-september-fastest-in-6-months-126100100628_1.html · 1 Oct 2026, 2:38 PM IST
- Mint https://www.livemint.com/economy/september-gst-collections-cross-rs-2-trillion-import-gst-revenue-11790837470550.html · 1 Oct 2026, 1:19 PM IST
- Economic Times (IANS) https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/finance/indias-gst-collection-ticks-up-14-7-in-september-to-rs-2-04-lakh-crore/articleshow/134609769.cms · 1 Oct 2026, 11:57 AM IST
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