What if the invoice number is written differently in my books?

It reads the number the way you would. 25-26/417, 2526/417, 417/25-26 and 417/2025-26 are one invoice; so are INV/417 and 417/INV, INV-1O23 and INV-1023 (the letter O typed for zero), and ABC/INV/417 against a bare 417. These are matched outright, and the Remark column says why.

What about a typing mistake in the number?

One wrong character or two swapped digits, such as INV-1023 for INV-1032, is only suggested, under Probable match, and only when the supplier and amounts agree, because it could equally be the next invoice. Where several invoices have the same amount, they are paired by number and date, not in the order they appear.

Does it handle the portal's Excel as downloaded?

Yes. It finds the B2B sheet and reads the two-row merged header. If a column is not found you can point to it yourself.

Does it say why an invoice did not match?

Yes. Each open item is put under one of five reasons. Supplier to act: the supplier filed GSTR-1 without it, or has not filed. GSTIN or master: the GSTIN in the books fails its check digit, or the same document is in 2B under another GSTIN, often the supplier's registration in another state. Entry to check: tax under the wrong head, a bill entered twice, no tax entered, a different rate, a credit note booked as a purchase. Timing: dated outside the 2B's month or reported late. Amended by supplier. A reason the two files settle is stated plainly; anything else is marked likely, and what cannot be told is left under Needs a look.

Are credit notes and amendments included?

Yes. Credit notes, debit notes and the supplier's amendments are read from the GSTR-2B, from their own sheets in the Excel or from the JSON, and a credit note counts as a reduction on both sides. In the purchase register a row is read as a credit note when its voucher type says Debit Note, Credit Note or Purchase Return, or when its amounts are negative. ISD credit and imports are not compared.

Can it carry open items to the next month?

Yes. Pick the client under Firm Desk and leave Keep the open items ticked when you save. Next month the same client's open items are brought in: an invoice missing from September's 2B that appears in October's is matched there, and one booked a month late is matched too. Whatever is still open shows since when.

Does it message the suppliers?

It writes the message and you send it. Suppliers to chase lists each supplier whose invoices are in your books but not in 2B, with the invoice numbers, dates and amounts, a Copy button and a WhatsApp link. It has no phone numbers, so you choose the contact.

Is the data uploaded?

No. Both files are read in your browser. If you tick a client on Firm Desk, a one-line note is saved. If you also keep the open items for next month, then for each open item the supplier's GSTIN and name, the document number, its date and amounts are kept for that client: in your firm's workspace when you are logged in, otherwise in this browser. The files themselves are never saved.

toolsgstr2b-recofree · runs in your browser

GSTR-2B reconciliation tool: purchase register vs 2B

Purchase register vs 2B, in your browser. Says why each invoice is open and who has to act, knows 25-26/417 and 417/2025-26 are one invoice, and carries open items to next month.

YOU BRING: Your purchase register in Excel, and the GSTR-2B file from the GST portal (Excel or JSON)
YOU GET: Every invoice matched or explained, the credit at risk, and an Excel to keep
YOUR DATA: Read in your browser. The file is never uploaded.

Add your file(you are here)
Check the result(next)
Download(next)

No files at hand?A made-up purchase register and GSTR-2B, read in your browser like your own would be.

1 · Purchase register

Tally or Excel export with supplier GSTIN, invoice no, taxable value and tax columns. Purchase returns and credit notes can be in the same file.

Drop Excel or CSV here, or click

2 · GSTR-2B

The Excel downloaded from the GST portal. The B2B sheet is picked automatically; credit notes and amendments are read from their own sheets.

Drop Excel or CSV here, or click

or load the GSTR-2B JSON file

Did this help?

IN SHORT

What the GSTR-2B reconciler does

Filingo's GSTR-2B reconciler matches a purchase register against GSTR-2B (Excel or JSON), credit notes and amendments included, and gives every open item a reason and a next step: the supplier has to report it, a GSTIN is wrong, or it is a timing difference. It lists the suppliers to chase with a message for each and carries open items to next month. It is free to try without signing up (first download free, then a free login), reads invoice numbers written differently in the two files, and runs in the browser.

Share on WhatsApp Track every client's filings on Firm Desk →

Updated 13 Oct 2026

GSTR-2B vs purchase register: a worked example with reasons

Five invoices in the purchase register for September 2026, against the supplier invoices in GSTR-2B. Credit notes and amendments are read too, and a credit note counts as a reduction. Each open item is put under one reason and given a next step.

Invoices in the books: 5
Invoices in GSTR-2B: 5
Tax in the books: ₹25,020
Tax in GSTR-2B: ₹22,050

Matched on the invoice number: RS/0042, with ₹18,000 of tax. Both sides agree.
The rest are open. Each is sorted by what has to happen next: Supplier to act (1), GSTIN or master (2), Entry to check (3).
Tax booked but not in 2B, which cannot be claimed yet, is ₹4,500. Tax in 2B but not booked is ₹1,170.
Credit on an invoice dated 05/09/2026 can be taken up to 30/11/2027, under section 16(4).

Matched ₹18,000. Open items: 6, with ₹4,500 of booked tax waiting on a supplier or a correction.

Each invoice in the example, its status, reason and next step
SUPPLIER	INVOICE	TAX IN BOOKS	TAX IN 2B	STATUS	REASON	WHY AND WHAT TO DO
Reliable Steel	RS/0042	₹18,000	₹18,000	Matched	-	Nothing to do.
Reliable Steel	RS/0043	₹3,600	-	Only in books	Supplier to act	Reliable Steel has other documents in this 2B, so their GSTR-1 for September 2026 is filed, but this invoice is not in it. Ask them to add it in their next GSTR-1. Credit can be taken only after it shows in 2B.
Reliable Steel	RS/0044	₹900	-	Only in books	GSTIN or master	The GSTIN in the books is not a valid GSTIN (check character should be 0: a digit or letter is mistyped). 2B has this invoice under 27ABCDE1234F1Z0. Correct the GSTIN to 27ABCDE1234F1Z0 in the supplier's master and in this entry.
RELIABLE STEEL	RS/0044	-	₹900	Only in 2B	GSTIN or master	Booked under 27ABCDE1234F1Z9, which is not a valid GSTIN: a typing mistake for this one. Correct the GSTIN to 27ABCDE1234F1Z0 in the supplier's master and in the entry.
KAVERI CHEMICALS	KC-3	-	₹270	Only in 2B	Entry to check (likely)	In 2B but not in the purchase register. Book it if it is your purchase. If it is not, reject it in IMS so the supplier can correct it.
Umiya Polymers	UP/102	₹1,800	₹1,800	Value differs	Entry to check	Total tax agrees, but the books have IGST ₹1,800.00 and 2B has CGST and SGST ₹1,800.00. Correct the tax head in the entry: credit is claimed head by head in GSTR-3B.
Kaveri Chemicals	KC-2	₹720	₹1,080	Value differs	Entry to check (likely)	Taxable value agrees; tax differs by ₹360.00 (12% in the books, 18% in 2B). Check the rate on the bill. Correct the entry, or ask the supplier to amend, whichever is wrong.

GSTR-2B mismatch reasons and what to do about each

A flat list of mismatches makes every one look like an ITC problem. Sorted by cause, each reason is one kind of follow-up. A reason is stated plainly when the two files settle it, and marked likely when they do not.

The reasons an item can be open
REASON	WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Supplier to act	Ask the supplier
GSTIN or master	Correct the GSTIN
Entry to check	Check the entry
Timing	Another month
Amended by supplier	Compare with the original
Needs a look	Look at the bill

How invoices are matched

The matching passes, in order
PASS	WHAT IS COMPARED
Exact	Same supplier GSTIN and the same invoice number
Loose	Invoice number with punctuation and leading zeros ignored
Probable	Same GSTIN and the same amounts, but a different invoice number. It is a suggestion for you to confirm

The tool also reads numbers the way a person does, such as the financial year written in a different place in the number.

Purchase register and GSTR-2B Excel format: the columns it reads

Column names are found by themselves, and the portal's two-row header is read as it is downloaded. These are the names it recognises.

Columns read from the purchase register
PURCHASE REGISTER COLUMN	NEEDED	ALSO READ AS
Supplier GSTIN	Yes	gstin of supplier, supplier gstin, party gstin, gstin/uin, gstin, gst no, gstn
Supplier name	No	supplier name, party name, trade/legal name, particulars, supplier, party, vendor, name
Invoice no	Yes	supplier invoice no, invoice number, invoice no, inv no, bill no, document number, ref no, voucher ref
Invoice date	No	supplier invoice date, invoice date, inv date, bill date, document date, date
Taxable value	Yes	taxable value, taxable amount, taxable, assessable value, basic amount
IGST	No	integrated tax, igst
CGST	No	central tax, cgst
SGST / UTGST	No	state/ut tax, state tax, sgst, utgst
Cess	No	cess
Invoice value	No	invoice value, invoice amount, gross total, total amount, bill amount, total
Voucher type (to spot credit notes)	No	voucher type, vch type, document type, doc type, transaction type, note type

Columns read from the GSTR-2B Excel
GSTR-2B COLUMN	NEEDED	ALSO READ AS
Supplier GSTIN	Yes	gstin of supplier, supplier gstin, party gstin, gstin/uin, gstin, gst no, gstn
Supplier name	No	supplier name, party name, trade/legal name, particulars, supplier, party, vendor, name
Invoice no	Yes	supplier invoice no, invoice number, invoice no, inv no, bill no, document number, ref no, voucher ref
Invoice date	No	supplier invoice date, invoice date, inv date, bill date, document date, date
Taxable value	Yes	taxable value, taxable amount, taxable, assessable value, basic amount
IGST	No	integrated tax, igst
CGST	No	central tax, cgst
SGST / UTGST	No	state/ut tax, state tax, sgst, utgst
Cess	No	cess
Invoice value	No	invoice value, invoice amount, gross total, total amount, bill amount, invoice value
ITC availability	No	itc availability, itc available
Supplier filing period	No	gstr-1/iff/gstr-5 period, gstr-1/1a/iff/gstr-5 period, filing period, period

STEP BY STEP

How it works

Export the purchase register from Tally or your accounting software to Excel.
Download GSTR-2B from the GST portal as Excel or JSON and drop both files here.
Open By reason to see each open item sorted by what has to happen next, and Suppliers to chase for a message to send to each supplier.
Download the Excel: a sheet per bucket, the reasons, the suppliers to chase and a supplier-wise summary.

GOOD TO KNOW

Common questions

What if the invoice number is written differently in my books?: It reads the number the way you would. 25-26/417, 2526/417, 417/25-26 and 417/2025-26 are one invoice; so are INV/417 and 417/INV, INV-1O23 and INV-1023 (the letter O typed for zero), and ABC/INV/417 against a bare 417. These are matched outright, and the Remark column says why.
What about a typing mistake in the number?: One wrong character or two swapped digits, such as INV-1023 for INV-1032, is only suggested, under Probable match, and only when the supplier and amounts agree, because it could equally be the next invoice. Where several invoices have the same amount, they are paired by number and date, not in the order they appear.
Does it handle the portal's Excel as downloaded?: Yes. It finds the B2B sheet and reads the two-row merged header. If a column is not found you can point to it yourself.
Does it say why an invoice did not match?: Yes. Each open item is put under one of five reasons. Supplier to act: the supplier filed GSTR-1 without it, or has not filed. GSTIN or master: the GSTIN in the books fails its check digit, or the same document is in 2B under another GSTIN, often the supplier's registration in another state. Entry to check: tax under the wrong head, a bill entered twice, no tax entered, a different rate, a credit note booked as a purchase. Timing: dated outside the 2B's month or reported late. Amended by supplier. A reason the two files settle is stated plainly; anything else is marked likely, and what cannot be told is left under Needs a look.
Are credit notes and amendments included?: Yes. Credit notes, debit notes and the supplier's amendments are read from the GSTR-2B, from their own sheets in the Excel or from the JSON, and a credit note counts as a reduction on both sides. In the purchase register a row is read as a credit note when its voucher type says Debit Note, Credit Note or Purchase Return, or when its amounts are negative. ISD credit and imports are not compared.
Can it carry open items to the next month?: Yes. Pick the client under Firm Desk and leave Keep the open items ticked when you save. Next month the same client's open items are brought in: an invoice missing from September's 2B that appears in October's is matched there, and one booked a month late is matched too. Whatever is still open shows since when.
Does it message the suppliers?: It writes the message and you send it. Suppliers to chase lists each supplier whose invoices are in your books but not in 2B, with the invoice numbers, dates and amounts, a Copy button and a WhatsApp link. It has no phone numbers, so you choose the contact.
Is the data uploaded?: No. Both files are read in your browser. If you tick a client on Firm Desk, a one-line note is saved. If you also keep the open items for next month, then for each open item the supplier's GSTIN and name, the document number, its date and amounts are kept for that client: in your firm's workspace when you are logged in, otherwise in this browser. The files themselves are never saved.