To use GST in TallyPrime you press F11, set Enable Goods and Services Tax (GST) to Yes, fill in the GST Details screen with your GSTIN and registration type, create tax ledgers under Duties and Taxes, and add GST details to your parties, sales ledger and stock items. After that, a sales voucher calculates CGST and SGST or IGST from the Place of Supply, and the GSTR-1 report can be exported as a JSON file for the GST portal.
This guide is for accountants and business owners in India who have created a company in TallyPrime and now need GST working end to end. By the end you will have GST enabled, the tax ledgers in place, one correctly recorded sale and a GSTR-1 JSON file ready to upload. All menu paths and field names below come from Tally's help pages; screens vary slightly between TallyPrime releases, so follow the labels you see.
Before you start
Have these ready:
- Your 15-digit GSTIN and registration type (Regular, Composition or Regular - SEZ).
- The GSTR-1 filing frequency registered on the GST portal (monthly or quarterly under QRMP).
- GSTINs of your customers and suppliers.
- HSN or SAC codes and GST rates for what you sell.
- If you are covered by e-invoicing or e-way bills, the dates from which they apply to you. See GST e-invoicing: threshold, IRN and the IRP to check.
Step 1: Enable GST and enter registration details
- Open your company in TallyPrime.
- Press F11 (Company Features).
- Set Enable Goods and Services Tax (GST) to Yes.
The GST Details screen then asks for the following (field names as in Tally's help):
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| State | Filled from the company details; change it if needed |
| GSTIN/UIN | Your 15-digit GST number; a wrong value causes mismatches and rejections at filing |
| Registration Type | Regular, Composition or Regular - SEZ |
| Assessee of Other Territory | Enable only if your business operates in another territory |
| Periodicity of GSTR-1 | Monthly or Quarterly, matching what the GST portal holds for you |
| Registration Name | Filled from the state, for example a state-named registration; renamable in TallyPrime 3.0 and later when you have several |
Save with Ctrl+A.
Optional settings on the same screen
Tally's help describes further options in GST Details, which you can switch on only if they apply to you:
- e-Invoicing applicable: set to Yes, then enter the Applicable from date and the Invoice bill from place.
- e-Way Bill applicable: set to Yes, enter the Applicable from date, and set Applicable for intrastate if you need e-way bills for in-state movement.
- Connected GST Details (TallyPrime 5.0 and later): enable API requests for your GSTIN on the GST portal first, then enter the GST Username and set Mode of Filing to DSC or EVC.
- LUT/Bond details for exports, and a second registration for the company (TallyPrime 3.0 and later).
If you have more than one registration, Tally's help says you can add them in the same company.
Step 2: Create the tax ledgers
Create the tax ledgers under the Duties and Taxes group. Tally's help names the following:
- CGST and SGST (or UTGST for union territories) for intrastate transactions
- IGST for interstate transactions
- A Cess ledger if cess applies to what you sell
In each ledger:
- Set Type of Duty/Tax to GST.
- Set Tax Type to the matching option: Central Tax, State Tax, UT Tax, Integrated Tax or Cess (the list shown on Tally's Creating GST Ledgers page).
- Set the Rounding Method and Rounding Limit if you want GST amounts rounded.
- Save with Ctrl+A.
Name the ledgers so they are easy to pick in vouchers, for example Output CGST, Output SGST and Output IGST, and create matching input ledgers for purchases.
Step 3: Set up parties, sales ledger and stock items
The GST sales help page lists these as prerequisites for a correct voucher:
- Party masters: enter GST details in each customer and supplier ledger, including GSTIN and registration type. Use the Unregistered type for consumers without a GSTIN.
- Sales ledger: mark it as GST applicable.
- Stock items and service ledgers: add GST details, including HSN/SAC and rate.
- Rates and HSN/SAC: set them at the level that suits your business. You can override the rate in an individual transaction.
Set up the data before you start entering vouchers. Missing HSN codes and wrong party registration types are the most common source of problems at return time.
Step 4: Record a GST sale
Per Tally's help:
- Press Alt+G, choose Create Voucher and press F8 (Sales). Press Ctrl+H to switch to Item Invoice mode. With multiple registrations, press F3 and choose the registration.
- Enter the voucher number and date.
- In Party A/c name, select the buyer.
- In the Party Details screen, set the Place of Supply.
- Select the GST-applicable sales ledger.
- Add items: for an Item Invoice enter the stock item, quantity and rate; for an Accounting Invoice select the service ledger and enter the amount.
- Select the tax ledgers: CGST and SGST/UTGST for a local sale, IGST for an interstate sale, plus Cess if it applies.
- Press Alt+A for Tax Analysis, or Alt+F5 for the detailed breakup.
- Save with Ctrl+A.
The Place of Supply decides whether the sale is local or interstate, even when the buyer and consignee are in different locations. For unregistered buyers, Tally's help says sales above 1 lakh rupees are reported as B2C (Large) and sales at or below 1 lakh as B2C (Small). The mandatory content of the invoice itself is covered in mandatory fields on a GST tax invoice.
Step 5: Review and export GSTR-1
Before exporting, Tally's help asks you to resolve all exceptions and conflicts in the GSTR-1 report. It also notes that GSTN blocks GSTR-1 filing if GSTR-3B is unfiled for the previous two periods, and that businesses with turnover above 1.5 crore rupees should enable Enable tax liability on advance receipts in the Company GST Details screen. To see why the two returns differ, read GSTR-1 vs GSTR-3B.
Export the JSON file
- Press Alt+E (Export) and choose GST Returns.
- In the List of Returns, select GSTR-1.
- In the Export GSTR-1 screen, select the period and registration.
- Optional: press F12 (Configure) and set Show Tax types in separate columns to Yes and Show HSN/SAC Summary to No.
- Select the transactions or summaries you want.
- Press X (Export) and set File Format to JSON (Data Interchange).
- Configure the section-wise export, choose the folder path and press E (Send).
The page does not name a default folder, so note the path you chose.
Export the HSN/SAC summary
The HSN/SAC summary is not in that JSON file. Tally's help describes this route:
- Press Alt+G, open GST Annual Computation, then under HSN/SAC Summary choose Summary of Outward Supplies.
- Press F2 and select the period.
- Press Alt+E, choose Current, press C to configure, and export in Excel or CSV.
- If the UQC for services appears as OTH-OTHERS, change it to NA.
- Arrange the columns to match the GST Offline Tool template (GSTR1_Excel_Workbook_Template_V1.8.xlsx for Excel or hsn.csv for CSV).
- In the GST Offline Tool, choose Import Files, then HSN-wise Summary of Outward Supplies - 12, import the file, check the summary and generate the JSON.
The page names GST Offline Tool version 3.2.2 as the latest at the time it was written, so check the portal for the current version.
Upload to the portal
Tally's help gives this route: press Alt+V in the GSTR-1 report to open the GST portal, or log in directly. Go to Services, Returns, Returns Dashboard, select the period and click Search. Choose Yes for a quarterly return or No for a monthly one, click Submit, then Prepare Offline, choose your JSON file and wait for the confirmation. Afterwards use Prepare Online to verify the data, submit, and complete filing by e-signing. If you have multiple files, upload the one with deleted transactions first.
Troubleshooting
These are error messages and causes from Tally's GST errors and resolutions page.
| Message or symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| HSN wise B2B Supplies are not reported in Table 12 | B2B HSN summary is blank | Add HSN details to the B2B transactions, regenerate the summary and file again |
| The HSN code entered is not valid | Wrong length or code | Use 4-digit HSN up to 5 crore turnover or 6-digit above; match the portal list |
| The UQC entered is not valid | Wrong Type of Supply or unit | Set Goods if the HSN does not start with 9, Services if it does; services use UQC NA |
| Unable to upload the return, as one or more transactions are invalid | Invalid vouchers | Check the Transactions Accepted as Valid report, fix and re-upload |
| Upload was completed with some errors | Portal rejected some vouchers | Open Rejected by GST portal (to be reuploaded); mark inactive GSTINs as unregistered, correct HSN, and remove special characters or spaces from invoice numbers |
| Periodicity or return period mismatch | F11 setting differs from the portal | Set GSTR-1 periodicity to match the portal and configure QRMP/IFF uploads |
| Please reset before you File NIL GSTR-1 | A nil return was already initiated | Reset GSTR-1 on the portal Returns Dashboard, then file the nil return again |
Closing checklist
- GST enabled with F11 and GST Details saved with the right GSTIN and GSTR-1 periodicity
- CGST, SGST/UTGST, IGST and Cess ledgers created under Duties and Taxes with Type of Duty/Tax set to GST
- Party ledgers, sales ledger and stock items carry GST details and HSN/SAC
- Place of Supply set on every sale
- GSTR-1 exceptions cleared before export
- JSON and HSN summary files generated and uploaded in the right order
- GSTR-3B filed for earlier periods
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