Conditions for allowing Cenvat Credit

Rule 4. Conditions for allowing Cenvat Credit.

 (1) The CENVAT credit in respect of inputs may be taken immediately on receipt of the inputs in the factory of the manufacturer or in the premises of the provider of output service [or in the premises of the job worker, in case goods are sent directly to the job worker on the direction of the manufacturer or the provider of output service, as the case may be] (Inserted by the Notification Dated 1st Mar 2015)

Provided that in respect of final products, namely, articles of jewellery falling under heading 7113 of the First Schedule to the Excise Tariff Act, the CENVAT credit of duty paid on inputs may be taken immediately on receipt of such inputs in the registered premises of the person who get such final products manufactured on his behalf, on job work basis, subject to the condition that the inputs are used in the manufacture of such final product by the job worker.

Provided further that the CENVAT credit in respect of inputs may be taken by the provider of output service when the inputs are delivered to such provider, subject to maintenance of documentary evidence of delivery and location of the inputs.

Provided also that the manufacturer or the provider of output service shall not take CENVAT credit after one year of the date of issue of any of the documents specified in sub- rule (1) of rule 9.

(2) (a) The CENVAT credit in respect of capital goods received in a factory or in the premises of the provider of output service or outside the factory of the manufacturer of the Final products for generation of electricity for captive use within the factory [or in the premises of the job worker, in case capital goods are sent directly to the job worker on the direction of the manufacturer or the provider of output service, as the case may be](Inserted by the Notification Dated 1st Mar 2015), at any point of time in a given financial year shall be taken only for an amount not exceeding fifty per cent. of the duty paid on such capital goods in the same financial year:

        Provided that the CENVAT credit in respect of capital goods shall be allowed for the whole amount of the duty paid on such capital goods in the same financial year if such capital goods are cleared as such in the same financial year.
        Provided  further that the CENVAT credit of the additional duty leviable under sub-section (5) of section 3 of the Customs Tariff Act, in respect of capital goods shall be allowed immediately on receipt of the capital goods in the factory of a manufacturer.
         Provided also that where an assessee is eligible to avail of the exemption under a notification based on the value of clearances in a financial year, the CENVAT credit in respect of capital goods received by such assessee shall be allowed for the whole amount of the duty paid on such capital goods in the same financial year.

         Explanation.- For the removal of doubts, it is hereby clarified that an assessee shall be “eligible” if his aggregate value of clearances of all excisable goods for home consumption in the preceding financial year computed in the manner specified in the said notification did not exceed rupees four hundred lakhs.

(b) The balance of CENVAT credit may be taken in any financial year subsequent to the financial year in which the capital goods were received in the factory of the manufacturer, or in the premises of the provider of output service, if the capital goods, other than components, spares and accessories, refractories and refractory materials, moulds and dies and goods falling under heading 6805, grinding wheels and the like, and parts thereof falling under heading 6804 of the First Schedule to the Excise
Tariff Act, are in the possession of the manufacturer of final products, or provider of output service in such subsequent years.
        Illustration.- A manufacturer received machinery on the 16th day of April, 2002 in his factory. CENVAT of two lakh rupees is paid on this machinery. The manufacturer can take credit upto a maximum of one lakh rupees in the financial year 2002-2003, and the balance in subsequent years.

(3) The CENVAT credit in respect of the capital goods shall be allowed to a manufacturer, provider of output service even if the capital goods are acquired by him on lease, hire purchase or loan agreement, from a financing company.

(4) The CENVAT credit in respect of capital goods shall not be allowed in respect of that part of the value of capital goods which represents the amount of duty on such capital goods, which the manufacturer or provider of output service claims as depreciation under section 32 of the Income-tax Act, 1961( 43 of 1961).

(5) [(a) (i) The CENVAT credit on inputs shall be allowed even if any inputs as such or after being partially processed are sent to a job worker and from there subsequently sent to another job worker and likewise, for further processing, testing, repairing, re-conditioning or for the manufacture of intermediate goods necessary for the manufacture of final products or any other purpose, and it is established from the records, challans or memos or any other document produced by the manufacturer or the provider of output service taking the CENVAT credit that the inputs or the products produced therefrom are received back by the manufacturer or the provider of outputservice, as the case may be, within one hundred and eighty days of their being sent from the factory or premises of the provider of output service, as the case may be:
Provided that credit shall also be allowed even if any inputs are directly sent to a job worker without their being first brought to the premises of the manufacturer or the provider of output service, as the case may be, and in such a case, the period of one hundred and eighty days shall be counted from the date of receipt of the inputs by the job worker;
(ii) the CENVAT credit on capital goods shall be allowed even if any capital goods as such are sent to a job worker for further processing, testing, repair, re-conditioning or for the manufacture of intermediate goods necessary for the manufacture of final products or any other purpose, and it is established from the records, challans or memos or any other document produced by the manufacturer or the provider of output service taking the CENVAT credit that the capital goods are received back by the manufacturer or the provider of output service, as the case may be, within two years of their being so sent:
Provided that credit shall be allowed even if any capital goods are directly sent to a job worker without their being first brought to the premises of the manufacturer or the provider of output service, as the case may be, and in such a case, the period of two years shall be counted from the date of receipt of the capital goods by the job worker;
(iii) if the inputs or capital goods, as the case may be, are not received back within the time specified under sub-clause (i) or (ii), as the case may be, by the manufacturer or the provider of output service, the manufacturer or the provider of output service shall pay an amount equivalent to the CENVAT credit attributable to the inputs or capital goods, as the case may be, by debiting the CENVAT credit or otherwise, but the manufacturer or the provider of output service may take the CENVAT credit again when the inputs or capital goods, as the case may be, are received back in the factory or in the premises of the provider of output service] (Substituted by the Notification Dated 1st Mar 2015)

(b) The CENVAT credit shall also be allowed in respect of jigs, fixtures, moulds and dies sent by a manufacturer of final products to,-     

(6)   The Deputy Commissioner of Central Excise or the Assistant Commissioner of Central Excise, as the case may be, having jurisdiction over the factory of the manufacturer of the final products who has sent the input or partially processed inputs outside his factory to a job-worker may, by an order, which shall be valid for a financial year, in respect of removal of such input or partially processed input, and subject to such conditions as he may impose in the interest of revenue including the manner in which duty, if leviable, is to be paid, allow final products to be cleared from the premises of the job-worker.

(7)   The CENVAT credit in respect of input service shall be allowed, on or after the day which payment is made of the value of input service and the service tax paid or payable as is indicated in invoice, bill or, as the case may be, challan referred to in rule 9.

[Provided that in respect of input service where whole or part of the service tax is liable to be paid by the recipient of service, credit of service tax payable by the service recipient shall be allowed after such service tax is paid.

Provided further that in case the payment of the value of input service and the service tax paid or payable as indicated in the invoice, bill or, as the case may be, challan referred to in rule 9 is not made within three months of the date of the invoice, bill or, as the case may be, challan, the manufacturer or the service provider who has taken credit on such input service, shall pay an amount equal to the CENVAT credit availed on such input service, except an amount equal to the CENVAT credit of the tax that is paid by the manufacturer or the service provider as recipient of service, and in case the said payment is made, the manufacturer or output service provider, as the case may be, shall be entitled to take the credit of the amount equivalent to the CENVAT credit paid earlier subject to the other provisions of these rules].(Substituted by the Notification Dated 1st Mar 2015 & effective from 1st April 2015)

Provided also that the manufacturer or the provider of output service shall not take CENVAT credit after one year of the date of issue of any of the documents specified in sub-rule (1) of rule 9.

Explanation I.- The amount mentioned in this rule, unless specified otherwise, shall be paid by the manufacturer of goods or the provider of output service by debiting the CENVAT credit or otherwise on or before the 5th day of the following month except for the month of March, when such payment shall be made on or before the 31st day of the month of March.

Explanation II. - If the manufacturer of goods or the provider of output service fails to pay the amount payable under this rule, it shall be recovered, in the manner as provided in rule 14, for recovery of CENVAT credit wrongly taken.

Explanation III.- In case of a manufacturer who avails the exemption under a notification based on the value of clearances in a financial year and a service provider who is an individual or proprietary firm or partnership firm, the expressions, “following month” and “month of March” occurring in sub-rule (7) shall be read respectively as “following quarter” and “quarter ending with the month of March”.