GSTR-1: Meaning, Format, Due Date & more

A GSTR-1 or GST Return – 1 is a statement showing all the outward supplies of goods and services made by taxpayers who are registered under the GST Act. This form is generally furnished on a monthly or quarterly basis based on a taxpayer's turnovers and contains details of their sales of goods and services.

All registered dealers have to file this form even if they have not taken part in any sales or transactions. However, individuals falling under the category of composition taxpayers, input service distributors and taxpayers liable for deductions under Section 51 of the CGST Act don’t have to file GSTR-1 forms. Taxpayers liable to pay taxes u/s 52 are exempted as well.

A GSTR-1 return form contains specific tables which are mentioned in detail below:

 GSTR-1 must be filed by a registered seller/dealer even if their total transaction amount filed for a given period is nil. Whether there is an occurrence of any transaction/sales during a given period, it is mandatory to file GST returns on time.

However, some entities are exempted from having to file the GSTR-1 form. Here is a list of such taxpayers:

• Individuals, liable to collect TDS or Tax Deducted at Source and TCS or Tax Collection at Source
• Taxpayers with Non-resident status
• Individuals registered under the composition scheme of GST Act, 2017
• Input Service Distributors
• Suppliers falling under the category of OIDAR (Online Information Database Access and Retrieval) as mentioned u/s 14 of IGST Act.

Here is the step-by-step guide for filing a GSTR-1 form:

• Step 1: Visit the official website of the GST portal and log in using your credentials.
• Step 2: On the homepage, click on ‘Services’ and navigate to ‘Returns Dashboard’.
• Step 3: Provide the correct financial year and return filing period from the drop-down option. In addition to this, you need to choose a filing frequency i.e. monthly or quarterly based on your company’s average turnover and click on ‘Search’.
• Step 4: On the returns filing form, you need to click on ‘Prepare Online’ under the section, ‘Details of outward supplies of goods or services’. Provide the appropriate tax period in this section. Choose the ‘Prepare Offline’ option if you have more than 500 invoices.
• Step 5: Fill up all the relevant data.
• Step 6: Select "Generate GSTR Summary” and “Preview” to download a draft copy of the GSTR-1 form.
• Step 7: Finally, choose the option “File Return”. Here, you have two options to file the return:

• File with EVC: Through OTP sent on the registered mobile number and email ID
• File with DSC: Through Digital Signature of the Authorised Signatory. If the status of the taxpayer is a Company or LLP, it is mandatory to choose this option.

The due date for filing GSTR-1 depends on the aggregate turnover of the taxpayers. Taxpayers with an average turnover of more than ₹5 crore need to file their GST returns every month, either on or before the 11th of the succeeding month.

On the other hand, taxpayers with an average turnover within the ₹5 crore limit or falling under the QRMP scheme, can file quarterly returns, by the 13th of the succeeding month of a respective quarter. The following table shows the applicable due dates for filing GSTR-1:

On the occasion of failure or late submission of filing of GSTR-1, taxpayers will be penalised based on their aggregate turnover. No late fees or penalties apply to nil-rated GSTR-1 filing individuals. The following are the applicable penalties: