Only when your total annual service revenue exceeds ₹20 lakh or ₹10 lakh in several north-east or hilly states. Below that, it is your choice. But for MFDs, it makes financial sense to get registered before you approach that limit currently, as AMCs pay the 18 percent GST top-up only to registered distributors.

₹20 lakh per year for most states. ₹10 lakh per year for Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and J&K. The limit applies to your total income across all sources, not just mutual fund commission alone.

The same rule applies to freelancers as well. If your total annual income from services exceeds ₹20 lakh, GST registration becomes mandatory. This includes not just freelance income from activities like consulting, training, or content creation, but also any commission earned as an MFD. Since all service-related income is considered together, it is important to calculate the combined total before assuming you are below the registration threshold.

You can easily check your GST number online by visiting the official GST portal at gst.gov.in and clicking on "Search Taxpayer". Just enter your PAN details, and it will show any GST number linked to it. Your GSTIN also appears on the registration certificate issued at the time of registration.

Generally, it takes 7 working days if everything you submit is correct and complete. Often faster. If the officer processing your application has questions or needs more documents, it can take up to 30 days. Most delays come down to mismatched address details or picking the wrong business category - both avoidable if you take 20 minutes to get the application right before submitting.