HomeCirculars › RBI/2013-14/539

March 2014 Govt Account Closing: Special Arrangements for Agency Banks

Current · Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2013-14/539 · issued 27 Mar 2014 · ~2 min read
Quick answerRBI sets April 15, 2014 as the residual transaction closure date for March 2014. Agency banks must segregate March and April transactions, use special messenger/courier for challans, and ensure all March collections are booked in FY 2013-14.
The rule, in the simplest words
How it plays out — a real example

Rohit, a senior treasury officer at a Mumbai agency bank, receives a tax payment on 30 March. He arranges a courier to deliver the challan to the nodal branch before 15 April, makes sure it goes into the March‑residual scroll, and records the amount in the FY 2013‑14 accounts, so the April scroll stays clean for new transactions.

What changed

The Government of India fixed April 15, 2014 as the closure date for residual March 2014 transactions, replacing the previous year's procedure. Agency banks are now required to prepare separate scrolls for March residual and April transactions during the first 15 days of April. Special messenger or courier arrangements must be made for receiving branches not located near nodal points.

What it means for you

Banks must ensure all March 2014 government dues collections are accounted in FY 2013-14, even if processed in early April. This requires strict segregation of scrolls and challans to avoid mixing March residual with April transactions. Non-compliance could lead to misreporting of government accounts and potential regulatory scrutiny.

What you must do

Who it affects

All agency banks handling government tax collections, Nodal/focal point branches, Receiving branches for CBDT, CBEC, and departmentalised ministries, Branches handling Non-Civil Ministries transactions

❓ Common questions

What is the deadline for closing March 2014 residual transactions?

The Government of India has set April 15, 2014 as the closure date for residual March 2014 transactions for FY 2013-14.

How should banks handle challans received after March 31, 2014?

Challans pertaining to March 2014 must be segregated daily from April 1, 2014. Nodal branches must prepare separate main scrolls for March residual and April current transactions, ensuring no mixing.

Does this circular apply to Non-Civil Ministries?

Yes, the same special arrangements and reporting procedures apply to branches handling transactions for Defence, Posts, Railways, and Telecommunications.

📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2013-14/539 DGBA.GAD.No.H - 5495/42.01.029/2013-14 March 27, 2014 The Chairman & Managing Director / The Chief Executive Officer All Agency Banks Dear Sir / Madam, Scheme for Collection of Dues of (i) Central Board of Direct Taxes (ii) Central Board of Excise and Customs (iii) Departmentalised Ministries Account - Reporting and Accounting of March Transactions - Special Arrangements - Financial Year 2013-14 Please refer to Circular DGBA.GAD.No.H - 5353/42.01.029/2012-13 dated March 14, 2013 advising the procedure to be followed for reporting and accounting of collection of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and Indirect Taxes (CBEC) and transactions of Departmentalized Ministries at the Receiving/Nodal/Focal Point branches of your bank for the Financial Year 2012-13. 2. The Government of India has decided that the date of closure of Residual Transactions for the month of March 2014 be fixed as April 15, 2014 for the Financial Year 2013-14. Accordingly, you may close the relative books of account on April 15, 2014. 3. In view of the ensuing closing of Government Accounts for the financial year 2013-14, you may please reiterate the instructions to your branches regarding introduction of special messenger arrangements at your receiving branches. Receiving branches not situated locally should also adopt special arrangements such as courier service etc. for passing on challans/scrolls etc. to the Nodal/Focal Point branches so that all payments and collections made on behalf of Government towards the end of March are accounted for in the same financial year. 4. As regards reporting of March 2014 transactions by Nodal/Focal Point branches in April, the branches may be advised to follow the procedure as outlined in the Annex . To sum up, the Nodal/Focal Point branches will be required to prepare separate sets of scrolls, one pertaining to March Residual Transactions and another for April Transactions during the first 15 days of April 2014. The Nodal/Focal Point branches should also ensure that the accounts for all transactions (revenues/tax collections/payments) are effected at the receiving branches upto March 31, 2014 in the accounts for the current financial year itself and are not mixed up with the transactions of April 2014. Also, while reporting transactions pertaining to March 2014 up to April 15, 2014, the transactions of April 2014 should not be mixed up with “March Residual Transactions." 5. The procedure now followed for reporting and accounting of transactions of Non-Civil Ministries viz. Defence, Posts, Railways and Telecommunications (which was revised with effect from October 1, 1993), is similar to the procedure for reporting and accounting of transactions of Departmentalised Ministries. The special arrangements for reporting March transactions by receiving branches to Nodal/Focal Point branches and the procedure for reporting March 2014 transactions in April 2014 by Nodal/Focal Point branches as indicated in paragraphs 3 and 4 above are also applicable to the reporting of transactions of Non-Civil Ministries. The branches of your bank handling the Non-Civil Ministries transactions, if any, may, therefore, be advised to follow the above procedure. 6. We shall be glad if you will please issue necessary instructions in the matter to your branches concerned immediately. Yours faithfully (S. Venkatesan) General Manager Encl: As above ANNEX Reporting of March Transactions Beginning from April 1, 2014, the Nodal/Focal Point branches will segregate on a daily basis all scrolls/challans pertaining to March 2014 received from the receiving branches concerned and prepare separate main scrolls for: scrolls for transactions of March 2014 or earlier period (i.e. effected during the previous financial year 2013-14) and scrolls pertaining to current transactions (i.e. those effected from April 1, 2014 onwards). 2. The main scrolls for March 2014 transactions prepared from April 1 to April 15, 2014 are to be distinctly marked as March Residual - 1, March Residual - 2  and so on upto April 15, 2014. In other words, serial number should be allotted in consecutive order for each main scroll of March 2014 transactions sent from April 1 to April 15, 2014.  These scrolls alongwith the copies of daily summary of Receipts and Payments prepared separately for March 2014 transactions will be forwarded to the Departmental Officials concerned (i.e. Zonal Accounts Officers/Pay and Accounts Officers and Designated Officers) in the usual way.  The Nodal/Focal Point branches will also be required to report the above transactions to the Link Cell through separate Daily Memos. These advices must be sent to enable the Link Cell of each bank at Nagpur, to make daily settlement with Reserve Bank of India, Central Accounts Section (CAS) Nagpur. On receipt of advices from the Nodal/Focal Point branches, the Link Cell should segregate the advices for the March Residual transactions and forward them separately to Reserve Bank of India, CAS, Nagpur for being processed on the computer. This procedure should continue upto and inclusive of April 15, 2014 only. All transactions reported thereafter by the receiving branches will be reported and accounted for in the usual manner in the accounts of the month of report irrespective of the date of transaction. Following the special arrangements for March 2014 transactions, it is necessary for the Nodal/Focal Point branches to prepare two sets of DMS to be submitted to Zonal Accounts Officers/Pay and Accounts Officers for March 2014 transactions - one for transactions up to March 31, 2014 and another for March Residual Transactions adjusted by Nodal/Focal Point branches with Reserve Bank of India, Central Accounts Section, Nagpur, during April 1 to April 15, 2014. Since the Nodal/Focal Point branch will also be reporting the April 2014 transactions pertaining to year 2014-15 in addition to March Residual transactions, monthly statement for April transactions should be compiled and furnished to Zonal Accounts Officers/Pay and Accounts Officers in the usual way. In order to distinguish the April 2014 (year 2014-15) and March Residual Transactions, the statement pertaining to March Residual Transactions should be clearly marked as "March Residual Account". Note: As advised in our circular GA.NB.No.376/42.01.001/1995-96 dated May 22, 1996 all the cheques/amounts realized on or before March 31, 2014 should be treated as transactions relating to the current financial year as "March 2014 or March Residual Transactions", the reporting of which may take place during the month of April (upto April 15, 2014).  But if any cheque is tendered on or before March 31, 2014 and realized on or after April 1, 2014, it will be treated as transaction for the next financial year as "April Transactions". Accordingly, the banks will prepare separate scrolls for March 2014 and April 2014 (year 2014-15) transactions.
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2013-14/539 · issued 27 Mar 2014. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
🧰 Tools — save, print, templates & related
Who does what — compliance checklist
🏦 Branch Manager
  • Instruct all receiving branches to implement special messenger/courier arrangements for forwarding March challans to nodal/focal point branches by April 15, 2014.
  • Direct nodal/focal point branches to prepare separate main scrolls for March residual transactions and April transactions from April 1, 2014.
  • Extend the same procedure to branches handling Non-Civil Ministries (Defence, Posts, Railways, Telecommunications).
📜 Compliance
  • Ensure all March 2014 collections are booked in FY 2013-14 accounts and not mixed with April 2014 transactions.
Grouped from the action items above — a single circular may involve more than one team.
Worked example & action-note template

Example: if you are a Branch Manager at a bank this circular applies to (All agency banks handling government tax collections, Nodal/focal point branches, Receiving branches for CBDT, CBEC, and departmentalised ministries, Branches handling Non-Civil Ministries transactions), your first concrete step on “March 2014 Govt Account Closing: Special Arrangements for Agency Banks” is: “Instruct all receiving branches to implement special messenger/courier arrangements for forwarding March challans to nodal/focal point branches by April 15, 2014.” (RBI issued this 27 Mar 2014).

  1. Circular: RBI/2013-14/539 -- March 2014 Govt Account Closing: Special Arrangements for Agency Banks
  2. Issued: 27 Mar 2014
  3. Action required: Instruct all receiving branches to implement special messenger/courier arrangements for forwarding March challans to nodal/focal point branches by April 15, 2014.
  4. Action required: Direct nodal/focal point branches to prepare separate main scrolls for March residual transactions and April transactions from April 1, 2014.
  5. Action required: Ensure all March 2014 collections are booked in FY 2013-14 accounts and not mixed with April 2014 transactions.
  6. Action required: Extend the same procedure to branches handling Non-Civil Ministries (Defence, Posts, Railways, Telecommunications).
  7. Owner: ____________ Target date: ____________
  8. Board/committee approval needed? Y / N
  9. Evidence filed in compliance register on: ____________
Built only from this circular’s own published fields — not legal advice; always confirm against the official RBI source.

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BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 03 Aug 2026 · status cross-checked against RBI’s official withdrawal register (refreshed weekly).
Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=8805&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
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