JSON Errors While Filing GSTR-9C

Form GSTR-9C is a reconciliation statement (under the GST regime), that is verified and signed by a Chartered Accountant/Cost Accountant. This statement should be furnished along with the annual return (GSTR-9) by the taxpayer whose turnover is above INR 2 crores during a financial year.

Note: For Financial Year (FY) 2018-19, the due date to file Form GSTR-9C is extended to 31 December 2020. Furthermore, the Central Board of Indirect Tax and Customs has notified that, for FY 2018-19, reconciliation statement in FORM GSTR-9C is to be furnished only by the registered persons having an aggregate turnover above INR 5 crores.

Taxpayers are facing issues while creating and uploading the GSTR-9C JSON file. In this article, we will list the common JSON errors faced and their possible solutions.

Errors While Generating GSTR-9C JSON

Errors While Uploading GSTR-9C JSON

Points To Remember

Errors While Generating GSTR-9C JSON

Error	Solution
Sheet Validation Error	Click on ‘Validate Sheet’ for every part of the GSTR-9C.
OLE Application	Exit/close all excel and word files on the system. Close emsigner. Go to ‘Windows’ and search for ‘Internet Options’. Here, under ‘Security’ select Custom level > ‘Automatic prompting for Activex control’. ‘Enable’ this function and download the unsigned ‘Activex Control’. Click on ‘Prompt’ and then click on ‘OK’. Download the Notepad++ and go to the utility folder and right-click on ‘wsweb.html’. Select ‘Edit with Notepad++’ and click on the ‘<html>’ tag, give a space after the ‘<html>’ tag and then press the backspace button. Save the file before closing it. Restart the system. Open emsigner and the GSTR-9C utility and create the JSON file again.
Unable to Sign	Ensure the name in the DSC, and the name entered in Part V, and Part B(i) or (ii) of the GSTR 9C – Offline Utility is the same. Membership number of the Chartered Accountant/Cost Accountant should not have an ‘0’ as a prefix. 56789 – Correct 056789 – Wrong Ensure that the emsigner is active.

Errors While Uploading GSTR-9C JSON

Error	Solution
Error Occurred	This is a system error. Users should retry to upload the JSON. In case the error persists after 2-3 attempts, the user should re-prepare the GSTR-9C in the offline utility and then upload it again.
Received but Pending	This is also a system error. Users should retry to upload the JSON. In case the error persists after 2-3 attempts, the user should re-prepare the GSTR-9C in the offline utility and then upload it again.
Processed with Error	Download the error report from the GST portal. Open the error file in the GSTR 9C – Offline Utility, The error column will be highlighted in red. Rectify the error and generate the JSON file. Upload the revised JSON file.

Points To Remember

To avoid JSON errors while filing GSTR-9C, the filers should ensure that they are using the GSTR-9C JSON file Offline Utility 6 to generate the JSON.
The supported date format is – DD/MM/YYYY.
The MS Office version should be greater than 2007 (2010, 2013, 2016, etc.).
The Chartered Accountant/Cost Accountant should enter ‘Nil’ in the Part-B of GSTR-9C in case there are no qualifications.
When the Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) does not get displayed (even after attaching it to the system), the user can type ‘https://127.0.0.1:1585′ in the address bar of the browser and then click on ‘Proceed to safety’.
To avoid issues related to the ‘emsigner’ users should close all open emsigners and download it directly from the GST portal, Here, ‘Run as administrator’ should be selected.
In case the users are unable to upload their Balance Sheet and/or Profit and loss statement, the firewall settings need to be amended. Some systems consider keywords like ‘balance sheet’, ‘profit and loss account’, etc. as sensitive information and because of this, the firewall denies uploading of such files. In this case, the users should use an open network to upload these files successfully.