Understanding GSTR-2B: Your Static Input Tax Credit Statement Guide 안내

GSTR-2B, a fixed, auto-generated monthly statement for Input Tax Credit (ITC), became available on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) portal starting with the August 2020 tax period. This statement applies to all regular taxpayers, including those under the Quarterly Return Monthly Payment (QRMP) scheme.

Recent Legislative Changes

The Union Budget 2025 introduced amendments to Section 38(1) of the CGST Act, 2017. This change removes the term 'autogenerated,' suggesting that the Input Tax Credit (ITC) statement, GSTR-2B, may no longer be solely system-driven. Consequently, businesses might need to independently verify and reconcile invoices and ITC using an Invoice Management System (IMS) instead of depending entirely on automated data. This amendment will come into effect upon the issuance of the relevant notification.

Introduction to GSTR-2B

GSTR-2B provides details on both eligible and ineligible Input Tax Credit (ITC) for each month. Unlike GSTR-2A, GSTR-2B remains constant and does not change based on subsequent adjustments made by suppliers in later months. Once a GSTR-2B statement is accessed for a specific month on the GST portal, its data remains fixed.

This statement is accessible to all normal, SEZ, and casual taxpayers. Each recipient can generate GSTR-2B based on the GSTR-1, GSTR-5, and GSTR-6 returns filed by their respective suppliers.

The statement clearly presents document-wise details of ITC eligibility. The ITC information included covers filings from the GSTR-1 due date of the preceding month (M-1) up to the GSTR-1 filing date of the current month (M).

For example, the GSTR-2B generated for March 2025 will include documents filed by suppliers from 12 a.m. on March 14, 2025, to 11:59 p.m. on April 13, 2025. This statement for March 2025 will be officially generated on April 14, 2025.

Importance and Benefits of GSTR-2B

The data within GSTR-2B is structured to facilitate convenient reconciliation of ITC with a taxpayer's own accounting records. It assists in easily identifying documents to ensure the following:

• Input tax credit is not claimed multiple times for the same document.
• Tax credit reversals are performed as required by GST law in GSTR-3B.
• GST is correctly paid under the reverse charge mechanism for applicable documents, including imported services.
• The statement specifies the appropriate tables or columns in GSTR-3B where the input tax credit for an invoice or debit note should be reported.

When GSTR-2B Becomes Available

GSTR-2B has been available since August 2020. Initially, until January 2021, recipient taxpayers could generate it on the 12th day of the month following the tax period. For instance, GSTR-2B for August 2020 was accessible on September 12, 2020.

Since January 2021, taxpayers can generate GSTR-2B on or after the 14th of every month for a given tax period. For example, GSTR-2B for February 2025 can be accessed on March 14, 2025. Taxpayers can verify the specific generation timelines on the government portal under the ‘View Advisory’ tab.

How to Access GSTR-2B on the GST Portal

To access GSTR-2B, which has been available since August 12, 2020, follow these steps:

1. Step 1: Log in to the GST portal using your assigned credentials.
2. Step 2: Navigate to the ‘Returns Dashboard’ section.
3. Step 3: Select the desired tax period by choosing the relevant month and financial year.
4. Step 4: On the ‘GSTR-2B’ tile, you can either click on ‘View’ or ‘Download’ as per your requirement.
   • (a) Download: If the total number of documents across all GSTR-2B tables exceeds 1,000, you can use the advanced search function or download the document information in Excel/JSON format from the GSTR-2B download page. Click the download button to proceed to this page.
   • (b) View: If the number of line items is less than 1,000, you can use the ‘View’ option.
5. Step 5: Take appropriate action based on the option selected in Step 4.

   • (a) Intending to download: If you plan to download the statement, click “Generate JSON File To Download” for use with the Offline Matching Tool, or click “Generate Excel file to download” to save the data to your system.

   • (b) Intending to view: The GSTR-2B screen displays two tabs: 'Summary' and 'All Tables'.

     • The Summary tab is divided into two sections:
       • Part A (ITC Available): Provides a summary value of credits available on the generation date, classified into eligible credit and credit that requires reversal (Table 3).
       • Part B (ITC not Available): Presents a summary value of unavailable credits, categorized as ITC unavailable and ITC reversal (Table 4).

     You can retrieve specific documents by clicking on hyperlinked text such as B2B – Invoices, B2B – Debit notes, B2B – Invoices (Amendment), and B2B – Debit notes (Amendment).

     • The All Tables tab organizes ITC information according to GSTR-2B form tables, including B2B, B2BA, B2B CDNR, B2B CDNRA, ISD, ISDA, IMPG, and IMPGSEZ. ITC details are displayed document-wise with filtering options to sort data, including by supplier. For imported goods from overseas (IMPG table), only document details are provided, without supplier information.

Contents and Features of GSTR-2B

GSTR-2B includes input tax credit details for purchases from regular taxpayers and non-resident taxable persons. Additionally, it contains input tax credit distributed by the Input Service Distributor.

The contents of GSTR-2B can be summarized as follows:

• A summary statement indicating ‘ITC available’ and ‘ITC not available’ for each section.
• Advisory notes for each section that clarify necessary taxpayer actions.
• Document-wise details, such as invoices, credit notes, debit notes, and their amendments, available for viewing and downloading.
• Clearly defined cut-off dates and advisories for GSTR-2B generation and usage.
• Details regarding the import of goods and imports from SEZ units/developers, available from GSTR-2B of August 2020 onwards.

The GSTR-2B form categorizes information into two main types:

• ITC is available: PART-A of 'ITC Available' includes details of inward supplies, credit-debit notes (CDN) and their amendments, and imported goods. This is further divided into ITC for supplies from registered persons, ITC from ISD, ITC for inward supplies under reverse charge, and import of goods. PART-B, 'ITC Reversal,' contains a section called ‘Others’ with details of credit notes and amendments.
• ITC is not available: PART-A of 'ITC Not Available' comprises purchase invoice or CDN details, including amendments. This is segmented into ITC for supplies from registered persons, ITC from ISD, and ITC for inward supplies under reverse charge. PART-B features CDN details and amendments under the ‘Others’ heading.

Note: Amendment tables in GSTR-2B only show the differential tax amount (Amended – Original), also known as the delta value. However, the document details display the revised information with reference to the original document.

Input tax credit will be marked as ‘not available’ in the following situations:

• The time limit to claim input tax credit on an invoice or debit note has passed, as per Section 16(4) of the CGST Act (the earlier of September 30 of the subsequent financial year or the date of filing annual returns).
• The supplier and place of supply are in the same state, while the recipient is in a different state.
• The purchaser is not eligible for Input Tax Credit on an invoice or debit note issued for the supply of goods or services or both.

Key features of GSTR-2B include:

• Option to view and download the summary statement in PDF format.
• Ability to instantly obtain section-wise details or a complete download of ITC data.
• Provision of section-wise advisory notes.
• Allows text search across all generated records.
• Options to view, filter, and sort data as needed.
• Ability to hide or show columns for user convenience.
• For files containing more than 1,000 records, options for a full GSTR-2B download and advanced search are available.
• Taxpayers receive an email or SMS notification upon GSTR-2B generation.
• Only documents filed by suppliers/ISD in their GSTR-1/5/6 are reflected.

The Detailed Format of GSTR-2B

A downloaded GSTR-2B provides a comprehensive overview of ITC information. To understand the detailed template, it is recommended to access it directly from the GST portal.

Difference Between GSTR-2A and GSTR-2B

The table below outlines the comparison between GSTR-2A and GSTR-2B:

*An Invoice Furnishing Facility (IFF) enables quarterly GSTR-1 filers to upload supply invoices, allowing recipients to continuously claim input tax credit.

GSTR-2B vs GSTR-3B: Reconciling Purchase Register with GSTR-2B

It is strongly recommended that taxpayers reconcile the data in GSTR-2B with their internal records and books of accounts. Taxpayers must ensure the following:

• Input tax credit is not claimed twice for the same supply.
• Credits are reversed in GSTR-3B in compliance with the GST Act and Rules.
• Tax is charged on a reverse charge basis and paid to the government.
• Tax credit is claimed only for tax actually paid to the supplier.
• Purchase invoices for which tax credit will be claimed in GSTR-3B are present in GSTR-2B, in accordance with Section 16 of the CGST Act.
• Prior to January 1, 2022, taxpayers could claim a provisional tax credit amount for GSTR-3B, equal to 5% of the available tax credit per GSTR-2B, as per CGST Rule 36(4). This provision is no longer available due to amendments to CGST Rule 36(4) via Central Tax notification no. 40/2021 dated December 29, 2021, and Central Tax notification no. 39/2021 dated December 21, 2021.
• No excess tax credit is claimed; otherwise, it must be repaid later with an annual interest of 24%.
• ITC pertaining to a specific financial year for purchase invoices or debit notes issued in that year must be claimed before the GST law deadline, which is the earlier of the GSTR-3B due date for September of the following financial year or the GST annual return filing date.
• Major mismatches between GSTR-2B and GSTR-3B that could lead to GST registration cancellation are avoided.

Matching GSTR-2B with purchase books is more crucial than matching it with GSTR-3B. This is because, from late 2020 onwards, GSTR-3B is auto-populated with values from GSTR-1 and GSTR-2B forms for the corresponding tax period, reducing mismatch possibilities.

Once values are sourced from GSTR-2B, there is no need to refer to GSTR-2A. The GST portal offers an Offline Matching Tool for taxpayers to reconcile their purchase register with the GSTR-2B form. It is essential to input data into this tool in the exact format specified on the GST portal to avoid errors during the matching process.

Matching entries between the two data sets should be based on the following parameters:

• GSTIN
• Document type
• Document number
• Document date
• Total taxable value
• Total tax amount (sum of IGST, CGST, SGST, and CESS, if any)
• Tax amount per head

Furthermore, the matching process might reveal documents missing in either data set. If invoices or debit notes are absent from GSTR-2B when compared to the purchase register, the taxpayer should inform their suppliers to ensure the documents are uploaded in their next GSTR-1 return filing. Reconciliation between GSTR-2B and the purchase register should be conducted frequently, ideally from the 14th of the month subsequent to the tax period.

Reasons for mismatches between GSTR-2B and purchase books can include:

• Suppliers reporting invoices in a different period than the buyer's accounting period.
• Subsequent issuance of debit or credit notes by suppliers that are unaccounted for by the buyer.
• Amendments to filed GSTR-1 in a subsequent period's GSTR-1 by suppliers. For instance, differences in sales details between accounting books and GSTR-1 (auto-populated from the e-invoicing system) may lead to later amendments by the supplier.