Prep for GST filing

If you're an Indian business above the GST threshold, the 10th of every month (GSTR-1) and the 20th (GSTR-3B) come up faster than you'd like. This recipe is the 30 minutes that gets you ready.

We do not file on your behalf. We hand you a clean export your filing utility expects. You upload and file.

The scene

It's the 5th of the month. You need to file GSTR-1 by the 10th. Your invoices live partly in thola, partly in old Excel sheets, partly in your accountant's tally. Pulling them together used to be a half-day exercise. Now it's a 30-minute one.

The steps

1. Run the GST Filing Prep Playbook

In chat:

Run the GST Filing Prep Playbook for last month.

(Or Playbook → Templates → GST Filing Prep → Run → Choose period: April 2026.)

2. The Playbook's first step — pull every taxable transaction

The Finance agent pulls every invoice issued in the period, with:

• Invoice number + date
• Customer name + GSTIN (if recorded)
• Taxable value
• IGST / CGST / SGST breakdown
• HSN code per line

Plus every purchase / input transaction with input GST you'd want to claim:

• Vendor name + GSTIN
• Taxable value
• GST paid

You'll see a summary panel:

3. Step two — flag anomalies

The agent checks for the usual gotchas:

• Missing GSTIN on a B2B customer (you'll need it for B2B reporting)
• HSN missing on some invoices (mandatory for businesses above the threshold)
• Tax rate mismatch (you charged 18% on something with a 12% HSN, or vice versa)
• Date in wrong period (invoices dated April but issued in May — common slip)

For each anomaly, the agent offers a fix or asks you to choose.

4. Step three — generate the export

Once anomalies are resolved (or accepted), tap Generate GSTR-1 export and Generate GSTR-3B export.

You get:

• GSTR-1 JSON — uploadable directly into the GST portal or any filing utility (ClearTax, ZohoBooks, etc.)
• GSTR-3B summary — the calculated values for each cell of the 3B form
• Reconciliation report — a PDF for your accountant showing every transaction included, every excluded, and why

5. Step four — file via your portal

Take the JSON file to wherever you file (GST portal directly, ClearTax, your CA). Upload, review, submit.

This is where thola hands off. Filing is a regulated act and we don't act on your behalf for it. The math being correct is our part.

The gotchas

Make sure customer GSTINs are recorded

B2B sales require the customer's GSTIN on the invoice. If you didn't capture it at the time, the Playbook flags it and you'll need to fill it in or move that sale to B2C.

Tip: make GSTIN a required field at the customer level (Settings → POS → Customer fields → GSTIN required for business customers). One-time setup, prevents future filing pain.

HSN codes are mandatory above ₹5cr turnover

If your annual turnover crosses ₹5 crore, every invoice needs HSN codes. Below that, 2-digit HSN is fine. thola will flag missing HSN — fill in once per product, it's reused forever.

ITC claim — only on what you actually paid

You can only claim Input Tax Credit on purchases where your vendor has reported the sale (their GSTR-1 → your GSTR-2A). thola can't see your GSTR-2A unless you upload it. We don't auto-reconcile against 2A — that's your accountant's job.

We do tell you what should be in your 2A based on your purchase records, so you can spot vendors who didn't report.

Composition scheme is different

If you're on the composition scheme (turnover < ₹1.5cr, simpler tax rates), the Playbook detects it from your workspace settings and uses GSTR-4 instead of GSTR-1/3B. Same flow, different forms.

Last-month vs current-month

Always run the Playbook for the previous month's data. Filing on May 5 means you're filing for April. The Playbook defaults correctly but worth double-checking.

A note on what we don't do

• We don't file — see top of page
• We don't generate e-invoices (EINV) — generate those in your existing utility; thola records what you produced
• We don't handle TDS comprehensively — basic slabs yes, complex 194-series no
• We don't handle GST on services exports — needs LUT setup; planned support

For any of these, you'll continue with the tool you've already set up with your accountant. thola adds clarity to the data, not the filing.

What's next

• Run a monthly close — GST filing is one part of the monthly close
• Categorise your expenses — keeps your input GST clean
• Reference → Tax engine — how IGST/CGST+SGST is computed on every bill

If you've never filed GST yourself before, do the first one alongside your accountant on a screen-share. After that, it's straightforward.