29 April 2014
In case we get the invoice of purely labour charges from a subcontractor as subcontracting charges,i.e a material sent for some processing.
The party providing the service do not charge any service tax on it.and annual turnover with that party is around Rs.25,00,000.
In the above case Service tax reverse charge is applicable?
25 July 2025
Here’s the answer for your **service tax reverse charge question on subcontracting labour charges**:
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### Facts Recap:
* You received an invoice for **pure labour charges** from a subcontractor. * The subcontractor did **not charge any service tax**. * The subcontractor's **annual turnover is about Rs. 25 lakh** (below Rs. 60 lakh threshold). * Material was sent to the subcontractor for processing.
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### Applicability of Reverse Charge Mechanism (RCM):
1. **Is the subcontractor liable to pay service tax?**
* If the subcontractor’s **aggregate turnover is less than Rs. 60 lakhs**, then **they are not liable to pay service tax** (small service provider exemption).
2. **Does RCM apply to the service receiver?**
* Under normal circumstances, **if the service provider is exempt due to turnover threshold, the service receiver is also NOT liable under reverse charge.**
* So if the subcontractor is not charging service tax because of turnover exemption, **you as service receiver are not liable to pay tax under reverse charge.**
3. **What if the subcontractor was liable?**
* If the subcontractor was liable to pay service tax but did not charge it, then **you as service receiver may be liable under RCM to pay service tax.**
4. **Material sent for processing**
* Service tax on works contract or subcontracting services is chargeable. But if the subcontractor is exempt due to turnover limit, then RCM will not trigger.
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### Summary:
| Situation | Is Reverse Charge Applicable? | | -------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ | | Subcontractor turnover 60 lakh | RCM applies if service provider does not pay tax |
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### Additional Notes:
* If the subcontractor does not charge service tax, and you are the service receiver, check if you fall under any other RCM provisions (like GTA services etc.) but generally for subcontracting labour services, the above applies.
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**If you want, I can help you draft a clarification letter to your subcontractor or your accountant.** Would that help?