When service provider provides taxable service and collects the service tax, he would become liable to pay to the service tax department but this amount is payable on receipt of the amount due from the customer. So initially we would record it as "service tax liability" and the same would be credited to "Service tax payable a/c" on receipt of the amount from the customer
1) So when the services are rendered the entry would be
Debtors a/c......Dr
To sales a/c
To Service Tax Liability a/c
2) the same would become payable to the department once you receive the amount from the customer and the entry would be
Cash a/c......Dr
To Debtors a/c
plus
Service tax liability a/c.......Dr
To service tax payable a/c
3) now when this Service tax is paid to the department
service tax payable a/c.....Dr
To Bank a/c
Suppose a person avails as well as provides taxable services then he can claim the service tax paid on input services. In this scenario the service tax input credit would be relevant.
On availing services:
Expenses a/c.....................Dr
Service tax credit a/c...........Dr
To Bank a/c
On providing services:
Bank a/c........Dr
To Revenue a/c
To Service tax payable a/c
now the tax payable to the service tax department would be the difference between the service tax payable and service tax credit that is available to him.
netting entry would be
Service tax payable a/c.......Dr
To Service tax credit a/c