Every December, finance and tax teams scramble to finalize GSTR‑9 and GSTR‑9C, even though all data has already been reported in monthly GSTR‑1 and GSTR‑3B. Minor gaps in reconciliation, missed ITC, or incorrect turnovers can easily trigger notices, interest liability, or painful manual reviews.
In the recent live webinar, Covoro and GSTHero experts walked through real GSTR‑9 data flows, reconciliations, and filing journeys, highlighting exactly where enterprises typically go wrong and how to fix it with automation.Understanding GSTR‑9 And GSTR‑9C In Simple Terms
GSTR‑9 is the annual return that consolidates a full year of outward supplies, inward supplies, ITC, tax paid, demand/refund details, and HSN summaries using data already reported in GSTR‑1 and GSTR‑3B. It provides a 360-degree view of your GST position and is mandatory for all regular taxpayers, excluding composition dealers, NRTP, ISD, and OIDAR.
GSTR‑9C, on the other hand, is a reconciliation statement between the annual return (GSTR‑9) and audited financials, applicable to taxpayers with aggregate turnover above ₹5 crore. It acts like a GST “audit bridge”, highlighting mismatches in turnover, tax liability, and ITC between books and returns, and must be self‑certified by the taxpayer.
Insights Shared During The Webinar
During the session, the speakers used a live GSTHero environment to demonstrate each step of the annual return journey. Attendees saw how to move from the annual return dashboard, auto‑calculate data, choose between fetching the last modified GSTR‑9 from the portal or generating a fresh version, and then review, e‑sign, and file.
The webinar also covered critical tables in detail, including outward supplies (Tables 4 and 5), ITC sections (Tables 6 to 8), tax paid details, demands and refunds, and HSN‑wise reports for both outward and inward supplies. This helped finance teams connect the form view with the underlying transactions and reconciliations.
Where Things Go Wrong In GSTR‑9/9C
Even mature enterprises struggle with annual returns because of structural issues in data and processes, not a lack of GST knowledge.
Common problem areas discussed in the webinar included:
At a group level, this becomes more complex when each GSTIN maintains its own spreadsheets and working files, often handled by different teams or vendors.
How Covoro And GSTHero Simplify GSTR‑9
Covoro, in collaboration with GSTHero, has built an automated annual return workflow that eliminates most of the manual grunt work in GSTR‑9 and 9C preparation. The ecosystem is integration‑ready with 100+ ERPs (including SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, Tally, and QuickBooks), enabling centralized data consolidation for tax teams.
In the GSTR‑9 workflow, users can:
Deep Reconciliation Before Filing
The platform does not treat GSTR‑9 as a standalone form; it treats it as the final output of a strong reconciliation engine. Key reports include:
By reconciling first and filing later, enterprises can minimize post‑filing corrections and DRC‑03 payments that often arise due to late discovery of mismatches.
Streamlining The GSTR‑9C Audit Process
For GSTR‑9C, the system supports the complete audit‑oriented flow presented in the webinar. Users can download pre‑filled GSTR‑9C Excel based on GSTR‑9 data, capture reconciliation of turnover, tax, and ITC in Part A, and record auditor recommendations on additional liability.
Once the work is finalized, users can generate JSON, upload it via the official offline tool, attach supporting financial statements, save GSTR‑9C to GSTN, and complete e‑signing and filing from a single interface.
From Deadline‑Driven To Data‑Driven Annual Returns
Annual returns will always be a regulatory requirement, but the way organizations approach them can change. Instead of treating GSTR‑9 and GSTR‑9C as one‑time compliance events, enterprises can use an automated ecosystem like Covoro to keep reconciliations updated throughout the year and file annual returns as a natural extension of a strong monthly process.
If you missed the live GSTR‑9 and GSTR‑9C webinar and would like the recording or a personalized walkthrough of Covoro’s automation capabilities, reach out to our team.