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GSTR-1

Filing GSTR-1

Overview

Every regular taxpayer is required to furnish the details of all outward supplies (sales) pertaining to a return period in GSTR-1 return. This information is divided in various tables as specified by GST return rules. This article will explain how you can use Octa GST to prepare & file GSTR-1 return.

Once the relevant data has been entered, Octa GST is designed to generate all the tables of GSTR-1 automatically. You can browse the data calculated in various tables and verify the contents before filing the return.

This article assumes that you have already added the sales data (invoices, credit/debit notes and sales summary) to Octa GST. If you need help, please follow the articles below to import sales data:

Prepare

In order to prepare GSTR-1, you need to go to GSTR-1 page in Octa GST and then click Prepare Return button on the top.

This will open the GSTR-1 return preview screen. Please select the business GSTIN and return period for which you would like to generate GSTR-1. As soon as you change GSTIN or return period, Octa GST will automatically calculate the preview and refresh the screen.

You can scroll down and view the automatically calculated summary data on preview screen. This summary information is divided into various tables depending on the nature of transaction.

Validate

Before you upload the GSTR-1 data to GST Portal, it is recommended to validate all transactions and summary data.

Check for common issues

You can quickly check all sales data by using the automatic validation engine of Octa GST. In order to use it, click on Check Sales Data button on GSTR-1 screen. This will open a list of validation checks that you run on your sales data. Click on Check button to start the validation. If Octa GST finds any validation issues, it will indicate the same in failure count. You will have the option to see the records and take appropriate corrective actions if required.

The validation issues reported by Octa GST should be treated as suggestions. It is not required to fix all the issues before filing.

Browse return tables

It is also recommended to browse various GSTR-1 table and verify the sanity of data. You should know each and every aspect of your data being reported in GST return. That is why Octa GST shows you both a summary of data and the ability to drill down within various summary levels to individual invoice(s) from inside the GSTR-1 page.



Generate JSON file

Once you are satisfied with the data being reported in GSTR-1, click on the Generate JSON File button to generate the file (JSON format) which can be directly uploaded to the GST website. If your business data is large and it cannot be accommodated in a single file, Octa GST will automatically split it into multiple files for you.

Upload to GST Portal

Please follow the steps below to upload GSTR-1 JSON file to GST Portal.

  • Login to GST Portal with your credentials.
  • Go to Return Dashboard
  • Select the return period
  • In the GSTR-1 box, click on Prepare Offline
  • Click on Choose file button and select the JSON file.
  • Click on Refresh button to check the status of uploaded file.

In case of success: If the file is processed successfully, GST Portal will show the status Processed. This means complete GSTR-1 data has been accepted by GST Portal. You can now open GSTR-1 dashboard on GST Portal and verify the summary. If everything matches with GSTR-1 summary shown in Octa GST, you are ready to submit and file the return.

In case of failure: If there are any error in the upload process, status will show as Processed with error. If you encounter any error, please refer the next section to identify and correct those errors.

Correct Errors

Sometimes things do not go right first time!

There can be cases where the return data is not accepted by the GST Portal in first attempt. In this situation, you can download the error file from the GST Portal and add it to Octa GST. It will check the contents of the error file and show these errors in a friendly format. You can view the errors and also the invoices/records affected by those errors. You can review the errors and take appropriate corrective actions.

Export & Print

Once the return has been filed, it is recommended to keep a record of filed data.

  • Export: Click on Export to Excel button to export the full GSTR-1 data to Excel file.
  • Print: Click on Print Summary button to print the GSTR-1 summary. Please note that only summary is printed because full GSTR-1 data can be quite large in some cases.