GSTR-1 is a monthly GST return that must be submitted by a person who is registered under GST and subject to taxation. The GSTR-1 form contains information on all outward supplies made during the relevant period.
Here is a step-by-step process for filing GSTR-1 from BUSY:
Step 1: Check the GSTR-1 screen report in BUSY and verify the data.
Step 2: Generate JSON file. JSON file can be generated in the following ways:
Generate JSON directly from BUSY
Generate CSV/Excel from BUSY and convert it to JSON using the government offline tool.
Step 3: Upload the JSON file to GST online portal and Submit the return.
Now, let us discuss the above-mentioned steps in detail:
Step 1: Check the GSTR-1 screen report in BUSY and verify the data.
First, ensure that the data in the GSTR-1 screen report is accurate by reviewing it. To access the GSTR-1 screen report, navigate to Display > GST Reports > GST Returns > GSTR-1. Select the desired month and click the “OK” button to view the report. You should press enter on each section to confirm the data displayed within it. Any rows highlighted in red are considered invalid and may generate an error during the uploading process. Please correct this data to prevent any discrepancies when filing your GSTR-1 return. A screenshot of the GSTR-1 screen report is provided below.
Step 2: Generate JSON file. JSON files can be generated in various ways:
Directly from BUSY
To generate a JSON file directly from BUSY, follow these steps: Go to Display > GST Reports > GST Returns > GSTR-1 eReturn. Clicking on GSTR-1 eReturn will open a new window where you can select the type of report you wish to generate (JSON, CSV, As per govt. template, or Plain Excel).
Please note that the direct JSON option is only available in BUSY’s Standard and Enterprise editions.
Select the “JSON” option and specify the month for which you wish to generate the eReturn. Then, specify the path where you want the JSON file generated and click “OK”. After clicking “OK,” a JSON creation message box will appear.
It is recommended that you check for errors before generating the JSON file. If errors are not addressed, the JSON file generated from BUSY may be rejected at the GST portal. Once errors are corrected, you can proceed to generate the JSON file.
Generate CSV/ Excel file from BUSY and convert it to JSON using an offline tool
Alternatively, you can generate CSV or Excel files from BUSY and convert them to JSON. To generate CSV or Excel files from BUSY, navigate to Display > GST Reports > GST Returns > GSTR-1 eReturn. Clicking on “GSTR-1 eReturn” will open a new window with the following options:
CSV: Choose this option to generate CSV files directly from BUSY. A separate CSV file will be generated for each section of GSTR-1, regardless of whether data appears in that section or not. These section-wise CSV files should be imported individually into the GST offline tool to generate JSON files.
As per govt. Template: Select this option to generate an Excel file based on the government template. When using this option, you will need to specify the path of the Excel template that comes with the offline tool. Please note that generating an Excel file using this option may take some time. Once you have generated an Excel file, you must import it into the GST offline tool and generate a JSON file from there.
Plain Excel: Select this option to generate a plain Excel file without specifying a path for the Excel template. Please note that files generated from this option may not import properly into the offline tool. Alternatively, you can use the “As per govt. template” or “CSV” option.
After generating the CSV or Excel file, import it into the GST offline tool and generate a JSON file from there.
First, download and run the GST offline tool. Below are screenshots illustrating importing and generating JSON files from the offline tool.
Note that an error message may appear for blank files when importing CSV files (i.e., have no data in them). You can simply ignore this message and proceed with the import. Below is a screenshot of the error message box that appears when importing a blank CSV file.
Once you have imported the CSV or Excel file, use the options provided in the tool to generate the JSON file.
Step 3: Upload JSON file to GST online portal
After generating the JSON file, the next step is to upload it to the GST online portal. Below are screenshots illustrating how to upload the JSON file to the GST online portal.
Once the JSON file is uploaded to the GST portal, you can review the uploaded data and provide any additional details as required before finally submitting the return.
This completes the process of filing GSTR-1 from BUSY.
