Reconcile GSTR-2B with Tally Prime Purchase Vouchers Step by Step

To reconcile GSTR-2B with purchase vouchers in TallyPrime, download or import the GSTR-2B for the return period, open the GSTR-2B Reconciliation report with Alt+G, and work through each status (Mismatched, Available Only on Portal, Available Only in Books and so on) until the pending items are reconciled or consciously excluded. Do this before you file GSTR-3B, because GSTR-2B shows the input tax credit (ITC) the GST portal says you can claim. This guide follows Tally's help for the menu paths and the GST portal's FAQ for what GSTR-2B contains.

Who this is for and what you will have at the end

This guide is for accountants, bookkeepers and business owners in India who keep purchase entries in TallyPrime and file GSTR-3B each month or quarter. By the end you will have a repeatable monthly routine: import the statement, review the reconciliation statuses, correct your books or set a status, recompute if needed and confirm the ITC figure before filing.

The steps were checked against Tally's help article on reconciling GSTR-2B and the GST portal's FAQ on viewing GSTR-2B on 2026-10-30. Menu paths vary between TallyPrime releases; Tally notes differences for release 4.1 and earlier, and your screen may differ again if you are on an older or newer release, so rely on what TallyPrime shows. This is a procedural guide, not tax advice, and ITC eligibility rules should be confirmed with your tax professional.

What GSTR-2B is and why it matters

The GST portal describes GSTR-2B as an auto-drafted ITC statement generated for each registered person. It is built from suppliers' GSTR-1, GSTR-1A, IFF and GSTR-5 filings, ISD GSTR-6 filings and ICEGATE import data. Key points from the portal's FAQ:

• It is read-only. You do not file it, and you cannot edit it or add documents to it.
• For monthly recipients it is generated on the 14th of the following month. For quarterly recipients it is generated on the 14th of the month after the quarter ends.
• Table 3 lists ITC available. Part A is credit you can claim in GSTR-3B and Part B is credit you must reverse. Table 4 lists ITC not available.
• Several GSTR-3B values auto-populate from it, including Tables 4A(3), 4A(4), 4A(5) and 4D(2). You can edit those values, but edited fields are highlighted in red.
• The portal advises reconciling GSTR-2B with your books, not claiming any credit twice and reversing credit as required.

The portal path to view and download the statement is Services, then Returns, then Returns Dashboard, then File Returns, then the GSTR 2B tile. It is available only after the statement for that period has been generated, in Excel or JSON. The portal's FAQ says the table-wise Excel download is offered only when the statement has up to 1,000 documents; above that, use advance search or download the full file.

A supplier that files late does not lose your credit: the portal explains that documents appear in the next open GSTR-2B regardless of when the supplier filed them.

Prerequisites

• A TallyPrime company with GST enabled and purchase vouchers recorded with correct party GSTINs, invoice numbers and dates. See Tally Prime GST setup and filing guide if GST is not configured yet.
• Access to the GST portal login for the registration. Tally's help says you log in to the GST portal from TallyPrime, and the session lasts six hours.
• A recent backup of the company before you make bulk changes. See Tally Prime data backup and restore.
• Optionally, default return types and GST registrations for download, which you can set in TallyPrime.

Step 1: Get GSTR-2B into TallyPrime

You have two routes. Download directly from the portal, or import a file you downloaded yourself.

Option A: Download from the portal

1. Press Alt+Z (Exchange), then choose All GST Options, then Download GST Returns. On TallyPrime 4.1 or earlier, press Alt+Z and choose Download GST Returns.
2. Press C (Configure).
3. Set Return Type to GSTR-2B and set the Return Period.
4. Press D (Download).
5. If you are not logged in, enter your GST username and the OTP sent to your registered mobile number.

Tally's help says that re-downloading a return replaces the earlier version, and that once complete the data appears in the GSTR-2B Reconciliation report.

Option B: Import an Excel or JSON file

1. Download the GSTR-2B file from the GST portal in Excel or JSON format.
2. Press Alt+O (Import), then GST Returns.
3. On the Import GST Returns screen, check the GST Registration (selected by default; change it if you have several), set Return Type to GSTR-2B, then choose the File Path and the File to Import.
4. Press Ctrl+A to accept.

The Import Summary shows the number of transactions processed, imported and failed. Look at the failed count before you move on; a failed import means part of the statement is missing from your reconciliation.

Step 2: Open and configure the reconciliation report

1. Press Alt+G (Go To), type GSTR-2B Reconciliation and select it.
2. If you have multiple registrations, press F3 (Company/Tax Registration) and choose the right one.
3. Press Ctrl+B (Basis of Values) and set Show report details based on as needed.
4. Press Ctrl+H (Change View) to switch between the Reconciliation Statistics and Voucher Statistics views.
5. Press F12 (Configure) and enable Show potential matches between Books and Portal and Show Reconciliation Status, which adds a GST Status column for each party.

In the report, pending items appear in amber and portal values appear in blue. The Return View mirrors every section of Form GSTR-2B so you can compare values line by line.

Tally's help also mentions that, before reconciling, you can enable auto-reconciliation for taxable amount differences, round-off values and TDS or TCS amounts in the company's GST details. Decide with your accountant whether that tolerance suits your books before turning it on.

Step 3: Understand the statuses

The Reconciliation Statistics section lists these statuses:

Potential Matches are transactions where the taxable and tax amounts match but one detail differs, such as the section, the GSTIN or the document number.

Step 4: Reconcile each status

Work from the top of the list. Drill down into a status, then use the actions below.

Mismatched

1. Drill down from the transaction.
2. For a minor difference, press Alt+S (Set GST Status) and set the status to Reconciled.
3. For any other difference, review the voucher and correct your books manually.

Mismatch in Return Period

1. Drill down from the transaction.
2. Press Alt+L (Set Effective Date).
3. Update the GST Return Effective Date to match your supplier's return period.

Available Only on Portal

1. Drill down from the section.
2. Press Alt+R (GST Portal View) to see details such as trade name and place of supply.
3. Record the purchase in your books. After that it moves to Reconciled.
4. To exclude it instead, press Alt+S and set Status of Return to Excluded; it moves to Excluded Portal Transactions. To restore an excluded entry, press Alt+S and set the status to System Inferred.

Tally's help describes GSTR-2B in TallyPrime as a reconciliation report, so the purchase voucher is something you record yourself. Check the supplier, invoice number, date and tax amounts before you enter it, and do not claim ITC you cannot support with a valid tax invoice.

Potential matches

• Excluding Section: drill down, press Alt+F10 (Other Vouchers) and choose the right type, such as Credit Note. Enable Provide GST Details, enter the reason, the supplier's note number and date, then press Ctrl+A.
• Excluding Party GSTIN/UIN: drill down, press Ctrl+Enter on the party name to open the party master, correct the GSTIN/UIN in Party Details and press Ctrl+A.
• Excluding Doc No.: select the transaction and press Alt+W (Copy Doc No. and Date). Use the spacebar to select several. Press Enter to confirm. In release 4.1 and earlier, edit the voucher number manually.

Available Only in Books

Tally's help article does not give a step list for this status. Typical causes you can check yourself are a supplier who has not filed, an invoice dated in another period or a wrong GSTIN on your voucher. Follow up with the supplier before you claim ITC on invoices that are not on the portal, and confirm the claim rules with your tax professional.

Step 5: Recompute GSTR-2B when ITC changes

Tally's help says to recompute when changes affect ITC availability, such as IMS rejections or pending invoices, ITC reversals, edited purchase invoices or a changed GSTR effective date. An error during GSTR-3B upload can also prompt a recompute.

1. Press Alt+Z, choose All GST Options, then Recompute GSTR-2B.
2. Select the GST Registration and press Enter.
3. Press C (Configure) to change the Return Period if needed; it is prefilled from the upcoming GSTR-3B filing date.
4. Press R (Recompute).
5. After the confirmation, check the Online GST Activity Tracker for status, then download GSTR-2B again.

On the GST portal side, the Invoice Management System lets recipients accept, reject or keep invoices pending, and the portal says the statement generated on the 14th is a draft that can still change before you file GSTR-3B. Recomputing keeps TallyPrime in step with that.

Step 6: Verify before filing GSTR-3B

1. Return to the GSTR-2B Reconciliation report and confirm the pending count is zero, or that every pending item has a documented reason.
2. Compare the total ITC in the Return View with Table 3 on the portal's GSTR-2B.
3. Check the GSTR-3B figures auto-populated from GSTR-2B (Tables 4A(3), 4A(4), 4A(5) and 4D(2)) against your books, and note any edited values, which the portal highlights in red.
4. Save the reconciliation report to Excel for your records. Tally's help says Excel export is available, and from release 5.0 you can export in the old GSTR-2 format by pressing Alt+E, then Current, then F8 (File Format), choosing Excel and setting As per old format (GSTR-2) to Yes.

For the difference between the returns, see GSTR-1 vs GSTR-3B differences.

Troubleshooting

The GSTR-2B report is empty. Confirm the return period and registration, check that the statement has been generated on the portal and re-run the download or import. Tally's help notes that re-downloading replaces the earlier version.

The import shows failed transactions. Open the Import Summary, note the failed count and re-download the file from the portal. Do not reconcile on a partial import.

An entry stays in Mismatch in Return Period. Set the GST Return Effective Date with Alt+L so it falls in your supplier's return period.

Potential matches keep appearing for the same party. A recurring cause is a wrong GSTIN or document number format in the party master or vouchers. Fix it at the master and re-check.

GSTR-3B upload errors after you changed vouchers. Recompute GSTR-2B and download it again before you retry.

Checklist

1. Back up the company data.
2. Download or import GSTR-2B for the right return period and registration.
3. Check the Import Summary for failures.
4. Open the GSTR-2B Reconciliation report and enable potential matches and status display.
5. Resolve Mismatched, Return Period, Only on Portal and Only in Books items.
6. Recompute and re-download if ITC-affecting changes were made.
7. Compare totals with the portal and the auto-populated GSTR-3B before filing.

References

• TallyHelp, Reconciling GSTR-2B in TallyPrime: https://help.tallysolutions.com/tally-prime/gstr-2b/india-gst-status-gstr-2b-reconciliation-tally-2/
• GST Portal, FAQs on viewing Form GSTR-2B: https://tutorial.gst.gov.in/userguide/returns/FAQ_gstr2b.htm