---
title: "GST Returns"
canonical: "https://kb.myframeworks.com.au/space/FRAM/28401492/GST%20Returns"
format: markdown
---
# <span style="color: #003366">Overview</span>

As a business owner, you must declare the net GST Income that you receive from carrying out business transactions. The GST Return is a document that will contain all the details of your **sales**, **tax collected on sales** (output tax), **purchases** and **tax paid on purchases** (input tax). 

Frameworks provides the ability for business to produce, review and submit the GST Return report (BAS Report).  The GST Return period may be 3 months for some businesses and a single month for others, the GST Return in Frameworks caters for both.

> ℹ️ The purpose of this document is to step you through the high level actions to take each month in order to finish off the current GST Return ready for the next period.  Following these steps will ensure that any further General Ledger (GL) transactions will appear in the following GST Return for the next period.

When the GST Return is being processed for the previous period, the following steps should always be taken:

1. Produce the GST Return and reconcile.
2. Close off the GL period.
3. Finalise the GST Return which will nett off the accounts ready for the next period.

> ⚠️ **Important Configuration: **It is important that any Accounts Payable user on the system is NOT able to post into previous GL periods. By setting them up this way, they'll still be able to backdate a Stock or Expense Invoice as per the document they've received. If however that invoice date applies to a period in which the GST Return is already completed, then it will post the related GL transaction in such a way that it will be included in the next GST Return that is processed.
> ⚠️ 
> ⚠️ Refer to [Users ](https://sterlandsupport.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FRAM/pages/28401722) for more information on how to set this up.
> ⚠️ 
> ⚠️ ![image](media://c3151a72-5591-44c9-8d7e-e9bf35cf9686)

# Accessing the GST Returns Dashboard

To access the GST Returns Dashboard and find a GST Returns report, perform the following:

1. <span style="color: #333333">Click </span>the **Frameworks Menu**<span style="color: #333333"> and navigate to </span>**General Ledger > Transaction Processing > GST Returns **<span style="color: #333333">from the navigation tree.</span>
2. <span style="color: #333333">Search for an existing report using the </span><span style="color: #333333">**From Date**</span><span style="color: #333333">, </span><span style="color: #333333">**To Date**</span><span style="color: #333333">, and </span><span style="color: #333333">**Company**</span><span style="color: #333333"> filters, and/or click </span><span style="color: #333333">**Find**</span><span style="color: #333333"> to return a list of all available returns reports.</span>  
  
> Macro (inline-media-image)
3. Form the search **Results **grid you will be able to quickly find the following information:
  - **Reference**: This hyper link opens up the GST Returns report.
  - **Company**: The Company name the report has been run for.
  - **From** **and** **To** **Date**: The date range the GST Returns report has been created for.
  - **Status: **This is is the status of the GST Returns process. The statuses are **Calculating,** **Draft **or **Finalised. **If there is a blank status no figures have been calculated
  - **Date** **Run and Finalises**: These are the dates the GST Returns report task was last run and the date the report was finalised.
  - **GST Credit and Debit**: This displays the GST Credit and Debit total values for quick reference.
  - **Task** **Status**: This is the status of the report calculation status. These statuses are **Scheduled**, **Finished** and **Completed**.
  - **Notes**: This displays any notes that have been added to the report.
4. <span style="color: #333333">To view the report, from the </span><span style="color: #333333">**GST Returns **</span><span style="color: #333333">dashboard, click on the </span><span style="color: #333333">**Reference **</span><span style="color: #333333">hyperlink.</span>

# <span style="color: #172b4d">Produce the GST Return and Reconcile</span>

1. Confirm that the previous GST Return has been completed.  
If the previous GST Return was properly completed, the YTD GST Sales/Purchases balances will match the GST Sales/Purchases movement for the period you're about to report on.
2. Generate the GST Return.

> ℹ️ Ensure that the report totals (Left side of the screen) matches up to the GL Totals (Right side of the screen). GST movement has been posted to GST Sales and GST Paid during the period and the reporting data represents the transactions that led to those GL postings.

<details>
<summary>Australian GST Returns Report</summary>

![image](media://1fb8ac80-ccdc-4a41-a82c-88627f44ccd6)
</details>

<details>
<summary>New Zealand GST Returns Report</summary>

![image](media://13b196f2-6b2b-4cd6-aa07-0a49cb6c377a)
</details>

4. If you make corrections to GL such as journals and/or altering a BAS code then press **Recalculate** to refresh the GST Return figures.
5. Once you're happy with the Report totals vs the GL totals, you're ready to finalise the GST Return.

> ✅ Refer to [GST Returns AUS Dashboard ](https://sterlandsupport.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FRAM/pages/28401436) or [GST Returns NZ Dashboard ](https://sterlandsupport.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FRAM/pages/28401502) to produce the GST Return and reconcile.

# <span style="color: #172b4d">Close off the GL period</span>

1. Using GL Period Close, close the final period of the GST Return.

> ✅ Refer to [GL Period Close ](https://sterlandsupport.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FRAM/pages/28401426) for more information.

# <span style="color: #172b4d">Finalise the GST Return </span>

1. Go back into the GST Return
2. Print/Send the return
3. Finalise the return. This will nett off the sales and purchase GST accounts to the GST clearing account. The clearing journal will occur within the final GL period of the GST return you're processing.

> ℹ️ **Example**: If it's January 2020 and you're finalising the return for Oct/Nov/Dec 2019, then the clearing journal will be posted in December 1. In this scenario, when you then look at the YTD balance of GST Sales and GST Purchases for Dec 2019, they will both be zero.The journal between GST Clearing and the Bank can then be processed in January.

> ⚠️ Up until release 5.9.3 of Frameworks, this posting occurs in the current period (January in the example above). It is therefore best to process a manual journal to finalise the GST Return so that it resides within the final period of the GST Return. The journal would be CR GST Sales, Dr GST Clearing, Dr GST Purchases, CR GST Clearing.

# <span style="color: #003366">Additional Information</span>

> ✅ Refer to [GST Returns AUS Dashboard ](https://sterlandsupport.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FRAM/pages/28401436) or [GST Returns NZ Dashboard ](https://sterlandsupport.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FRAM/pages/28401502) for details about using the GST returns dashboard.