Leasing and rental services under group 9973 are treated as supply of services under GST even when the item being rented is a movable good. The taxable value normally includes base rental charges, operator or handling fees where applicable and any other service amounts that are part of the contract. Refundable security deposits and pure reimbursements of government levies can be kept outside taxable value only when GST conditions are fully satisfied.
After the September 2025 GST changes, most taxable leasing and rental services that are not covered by a special concession generally fall in the 18% slab with input tax credit for eligible registered recipients. Service providers should still review the latest notifications and circulars in case any specific exemption or reduced rate has been notified for a particular category of rental service.
The table below summarises the latest standard GST rate for SAC code 997319 for general machinery rental services.