FAQs on GSTR 7 Offline Utility

1. Can I file complete Form GSTR-7using Offline Utility?
No. Filing of Form GSTR 7 can take place only online on the GST Portal.
Using Offline Utility, you will be able to prepare details of Table 3 and Table 4 (in offline mode)
but remaining activities for filing Form GSTR 7 like payment and filing is to be completed on portal only.
Once you have uploaded the json file on the GST Portal, you may continue to proceed to file.
Liabilities will be computed. Only after making payment, Form GSTR 7 can be filed.

2. What are the features of GSTR-7 Offline Utility?
The Key Features of GSTR-7 Offline Utility are:
 The GSTR-7 details of Table 3 and 4 can be prepared offline, with no connection to
Internet.
 Most of the data entry and business validations are in built in the offline utility, reducing
errors upon upload to GST Portal.

3. From where can I download and use the GSTR-7 Offline Utility in my system?

To download and open the GSTR-7 Offline Utility in your system from the GST Portal, perform
following steps:
1. Access the GST Portal: www.gst.gov.in.
2. Go to Downloads > Offline Tools > GSTR7 Offline Utility option and click on it.
3. Unzip the downloaded Zip file which contain GSTR7_Offline_Utility.xls excel sheet.
4. Open the GSTR7_Offline_Utility.xls excel sheet by double clicking on it.
5. Read the ‘Read Me’ instructions on excel sheet and then fill the worksheet accordingly.
Note: Always use latest version of offline utility to upload details on GST Portal.

4. Do I need to login to GST Portal to download the GSTR-7 Offline Utility?

No. You can download GSTR-7 Offline Utility under ‘Download’ section without logging in to the
GST Portal.

5. Do I need to login to GST Portal to upload the generated JSON file using GSTR-7 Offline Utility?

Yes. You must login in to the GST Portal to upload the JSON file generated using GSTR-7 Offline
Utility.

6. What are the basic system requirements/ configurations required to use GSTR-7 Offline Tool?

The offline functions work best on Windows 7 and above and MSEXCEL 2007 and above.

7. Is Offline utility mobile compatible?
As of now GSTR-7 Offline utility cannot be used on mobile. It can only be used on desktop/laptops.

There are 5 worksheet-tabs in GSTR-7 Offline Utility. These are:
1. Read Me
2. Home
3. 3 TDS
4. 4 Amend (may be TDSA)
5. Suppliers Master

9. What is the use of Read Me worksheet-tab?

The Read Me tab/sheet contains Introduction and help instructions for you to read and use them
to fill data in GSTR-7 Offline Utility easily.

10. What is the use of Home worksheet-tab?
The Home tab is the main page of the utility. It is used to perform following 5 functions:
1. Enter mandatory details— GSTIN, Financial Year and Tax Period—without which you
will not be able to validate the data which you entered in table no 3 or 4 and also you can’t
import the json file into the offline utility.
2. Generate JSON file, for upload of GSTR-7 return details prepared offline on GST portal,
using Generate JSON File to upload button
3. Generate Summary of data entered in various worksheets using the Get Summary button.
4. Import and open Error File downloaded from GST portal using Open Downloaded Error
JSON Files button.
5. Import and open Data File downloaded from GST portal using Open Downloaded GSTR7
JSON File button.

11. What is the use of 3 TDS worksheet-tab?
The 3 TDS (Details of Tax Deducted at Source) sheet contains Table 3. It is used to perform
following 3 functions:
1. Enter Tax Deducted at Source details.
Note: Column B, GSTIN of deductee, can be filled using the drop-down list of GSTINs
which you entered in Suppliers Master sheet. The drop-down list can be enabled using
Enable Suppliers’ Master drop down button. Trade/legal name will be shown along with
GSTIN from Master sheet.
2. Validate the entered Tax Deducted at Source details using the Validate Sheet button.
3. Navigate to the Home page using the Go Home button.

12. What is the use of 4 Amend worksheet-tab?
The 4 Amend (Amendments to details of Tax Deducted at Source in respect of any earlier
tax period) sheet contains Table 4. It is used to perform following 3 functions:
1. Enter Amendments details related to previous tax period(s) or take action on auto
populated rejected details of TDS.
Note: Column D and F, GSTIN of deductee, can be filled using the drop-down list of
GSTINs you enter in Suppliers Master tab. The drop-down list can be enabled using
Enable Suppliers’ Master drop down button.
2. Validate the entered amendments details using the Validate Sheet button.
3. Navigate to the Home page using the Go Home button.

13. What is the function of “Enable/Disable Suppliers’ Master drop down” toggle button in 3TDS and 4 Amend sheets?

The function of “Enable/Disable Suppliers’ Master drop down” toggle button in 3TDS and 4
Amend sheets is explained below:
 Enable Suppliers’ master drop down enables dropdown and disables copy/paste
function. Thus, if you click on “Enable Suppliers’ Master drop down” button, then the
dropdown will be available in “GSTIN of deductee” column. You can either use the
dropdown to enter deductee’s GSTIN or enter it manually one by one. You cannot
copy/paste GSTIN from any other sheet.
 Disable suppliers’ master drop down disables dropdown and enables copy/paste
function. Thus, if you click on the “Disable Suppliers’ Master drop down”, the dropdown
will disappear. Then, you can either enter deductee’s GSTIN manually or copy/paste it
from any other sheet. It will be validated at the time of json upload on the portal.

14. What is the use of Suppliers Master worksheet-tab?
The Suppliers Master tab contains GSTIN Master Sheet. It is used to perform following 3
functions:
1. Enter details of the deductee or suppliers, which would be then readily available for you
to fill in Table 3 and Table 4 of the worksheet.
2. Validate the entered details using the Validate Sheet button.
3. Navigate to the Home page using the Go Home button.

15. Can the offline utility populate name of the taxpayer based on GSTIN?
No, the offline utility cannot populate name of the taxpayer based on GSTIN, as database will not
be there to fetch the details of the taxpayer in Excel/offline utility.

16. How many TDS details of the suppliers can I enter in the offline utility?
You can enter maximum 10,000 rows of TDS details of the suppliers in the offline utility.

17. I am a tax deductor. I’ve made payment for four different products to one of my suppliers. Shall I report each payment in four different rows of the offline utility?
No. Row with a duplicate GSTIN is not allowed in the utility. You should report whole amount in
one row only. Add up all the payments and enter one single consolidated amount in the “Amount
paid to deductee on which tax is deducted *” column.

18. I have mistakenly entered rows with the same GSTIN. Should I use the “Delete” option from the dropdown of “Action” column to delete these rows?
No, delete the incorrect data in the utility manually using the “Delete” button of your keyboard.
Ignore the Delete option when preparing GSTR-7 for the first time upload for that period.
Note: Add and Delete options of the “Action” column are meant for adding or deleting data on
the GST portal. This option may be used for subsequent uploads and use it only to delete those
particular rows which you want to delete from the already-uploaded data on the portal.

19. Can I enter negative or decimal amounts in the offline utility?
No, you cannot enter any negative value in the utility. But, you will be able to enter decimal values.
All decimal values would be rounded off to two decimal places. But, total liability will be rounded
off to whole number.

20. Can the offline utility validate all details entered in the excel/offline utility?

No, the offline utility will not be able to validate all the details as it would have no connection with
GST portal at the time of data entry. Only limited validations would be available in the offline utility tool, namely: GSTIN structure format, computation of tax amount and duplicates entries, if
any

21. After clicking “Validate Sheet” button, I can see cells highlighted in red and “Sheet Validation” column only shows “Error in row”. Where is the error description?
Point your mouse-cursor on each of the red-highlighted cells to read the error description of each
cell. A yellow description box will appear. Correct the errors as mentioned in the description box.
Alternatively, click Review > Show All Comments link in the ribbon-tab of the excel to view the
comments for fields with errors.

22. When will I be able to validate all details entered in the excel/offline utility?
The validations that have dependency of online connectivity would be done at the time of upload
of JSON File created using offline tool.

23. Does the downloaded Error JSON File contain all the entries I have uploaded on the GST Portal?
No, the downloaded Error JSON File contains only the erroneous entries.

24. I’ve uploaded GSTR-7 JSON File and it was processed without error. Do I need to download the generated file?
No, it is not necessary for you to download the GSTR-7 JSON File processed without error. You need to download it only if you want to update, add or delete the details added previously. You can download the uploaded file if so required by you.

25. Is there a list of key Dos and Don’ts we need to keep in mind while making entries in the utility?
Yes. Please refer to the following list of Dos and Don’ts for your easy reference.

Before Generating JSON File…

Do’s

Enter a valid GSTIN very carefully. Verify GSTIN from the GST portal: Home > Search
Taxpayer > Search by GSTIN/UIN, and make sure the GSTIN registration is active on the
date of issue of invoice/note.

Don’ts

Don’t type the alphabet ‘O’ in place of the
number ‘0’.

Don’t leave any row blank in-between the two filled-in rows of 3 TDS and 4 Amend sheets.
Offline utility will not consider records if you have added any records after a blank row.

Don’t enter duplicate GSTIN of a deductee. Each row must have a unique GSTIN

Do’s

You can use the Copy/Paste (Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V) keyboard functions while entering data in the
utility.

Don’ts

Don’t use the Cut (Ctrl+X) keyboard function while entering data in the utility

Do’s

Use Add option in 3 TDSand 4 Amend sheets for first-time upload.

Don’ts

Don’t use Delete option in 3 TDS and 4 Amend sheets for first-time upload.

Do’s

You may change the filename and location of the generated JSON file

Don’ts

Don’t change the extension (.json) of the generated JSON file.

Refer How to file GST TDS return GSTR-7 FAQs and User Manual