IMS actions from your TallyPrime books
Accept, reject or keep pending every supplier invoice in the GST Invoice Management System, decided from the purchase entries in TallyPrime, with the file ready to upload on the portal.
Since April 2026 you must act on every supplier invoice in the Invoice Management System (IMS) on the GST portal before GSTR-3B. An invoice with no action counts as accepted. GSTR-3B does not file when the ITC you claim is more than your GSTR-2B.
IMS Actions reads the IMS file you download from the portal and matches every record with the purchase entries in TallyPrime. For each one it suggests Accept or Pending and says why. You change what you want. Then you download one file and upload it on the portal. Nothing is sent to the portal from Balancely, and nothing is saved in TallyPrime.
Before you start
The Balancely Connector is running. Your company is open in TallyPrime.
Your supplier ledgers in TallyPrime have their GSTIN. We match by GSTIN, never by name.
Your purchase bills for the month are entered in TallyPrime. A bill not entered yet shows as pending.
You have the IMS JSON file for the month from the GST portal.
Only Owner, Admin and Accountant roles can change actions. Viewers can look.
How to download the IMS file
- 1
Sign in to the GST portal. Open Services, Returns, Invoice Management System (IMS) Dashboard.
- 2
Under Inward Supplies choose Offline.
- 3
On the Download tab choose Generate JSON file to download, then save the file.
The three steps
- 1
Upload file. Drop the IMS JSON. Balancely reads every record: invoices, debit notes, credit notes, amendments and e-commerce documents.
- 2
Review actions. Balancely reads your purchase bills and notes from TallyPrime and matches each record. Each gets a suggested action and the reason. Change any of them, one at a time or several at once.
- 3
Download for the portal. Download the upload file. On the portal, under IMS Dashboard, Offline, Upload, choose it.
What is suggested, and why
| What we found | Suggested | Why it says so |
|---|---|---|
| The record is in your books, same GSTIN and number | Accept | In your books as Purchase 412 |
| Same, but the number is written a little differently or the date is a few days off | Accept | The difference is shown beside it |
| Same number, but the total or tax differs | Pending | Check it with the supplier before accepting |
| Not in your books | Pending | If the goods or the bill have not arrived, keep it pending |
| A supplier credit note that is in your books as a Debit Note | Accept | In your books as Debit Note 12 |
| A supplier credit note not in your books | Pending | Accepting it reduces your ITC |
| Already accepted, rejected or pending on the portal | Kept as it is | Change it only if you want to |
Balancely never suggests Reject. Rejecting tells the supplier their invoice is wrong and moves the tax, so only you choose it. It also never leaves a record on No action, because the portal treats that as accepted.
Some records cannot be kept pending (the portal says so in the file). For those Balancely does not guess. They show as Undecided until you choose Accept or Reject.
On the review page
To upload counts the records whose action changed. Records already as on the portal are left out of the upload.
ITC for GSTR-3B Table 4 adds up the tax on everything set to Accept, less accepted credit notes. Use it to check your 3B before filing.
Pending near the time limit lists pending records within 90 days of 30 November after their financial year. ITC on an invoice cannot be claimed after that.
Suppliers who have not filed are suppliers with bills in your books this month that are not in the file. Their ITC comes only once they file.
Tick several rows and choose Accept, Pending or Reject for all of them. Use the suggestion puts them back to what Balancely suggested.
A remark can go with a Reject or a Pending. The supplier sees it on the portal.
Every change is saved for the month, with who made it. Come back later and the list is as you left it.
After you download
- 1
On the GST portal open IMS Dashboard, Offline, then the Upload tab.
- 2
Choose the downloaded file. The portal checks it, which can take a few minutes.
- 3
If the portal shows Processed with Error, download its error file and open it in the portal's own IMS Offline Tool to see which record it refused.
- 4
Then compute your GSTR-2B on the portal and file GSTR-3B.
Plans
IMS Actions comes with every plan, like GSTR-2B Reconciliation.
Messages and what to do
When something goes wrong
Each heading is the message as Balancely shows it. Find yours, or search every message on Fix a problem.
“This is not an IMS file. On the GST portal open Returns, IMS Dashboard, Offline, then Download Json.”
Where you see it: Accounts > IMS Actions, Upload file step, in the red box This file could not be read.
The file is not the IMS download. Often it is the GSTR-2B JSON, the portal’s error file, or the Excel tool itself. Nothing was read or saved.
- 1
On the GST portal open Services > Returns > IMS Dashboard.
- 2
Under Inward Supplies choose Offline, then on the Download tab choose Generate JSON file to download.
- 3
Upload that .json file here. If it came as a .zip, extract it first.
It worked when: The page moves on to Review actions.
Next time: See how to download the IMS file.
“Not in your books yet. If the goods or the bill have not arrived, keep it pending.”
Where you see it: Accounts > IMS Actions, Review actions step, in the Why column, with the action set to Pending.
The supplier filed this record, but no purchase bill or note with that GSTIN and number is in TallyPrime. Either it is not entered yet, or it was entered with a different number or under a ledger with no GSTIN. The action is set to Pending for the upload. Nothing is saved in TallyPrime.
- 1
If the bill is with you, enter it in TallyPrime (or read it on AI-Powered Invoicing). Then choose Check again: it matches and moves to Accept.
- 2
If the bill is entered under a different number, correct the number in TallyPrime, or choose Accept here if you are sure it is the same bill.
- 3
If you never received the goods or the bill, keep it pending. Ask the supplier.
- 4
If the bill is not yours, choose Reject and add a remark.
It worked when: The row shows In your books as Purchase … and the action Accept.
“This IMS file has no records. Nothing is waiting for an action this month.”
Where you see it: Accounts > IMS Actions, Upload file step.
The file is the right kind, but it holds no invoices, notes or documents. Either no supplier has filed yet, or the portal download was made before the month’s data was ready. Nothing was read or saved.
- 1
On the portal, open the IMS Dashboard and check whether records show there.
- 2
Download the JSON again after the 14th, when the draft GSTR-2B is ready.
“Total differs by ₹500.00: ₹31,000.00 in TallyPrime, ₹31,500.00 on the portal. Check it with the supplier before accepting.”
Where you see it: Accounts > IMS Actions, Review actions step, in the Why column.
The same bill is in TallyPrime, but with a different total or tax. One side has a mistake, or the supplier filed a revised amount. The action is set to Pending for the upload.
- 1
Compare the bill on paper with the entry in TallyPrime and with the portal amount.
- 2
If TallyPrime is wrong, correct the entry and choose Check again.
- 3
If the supplier filed it wrong, keep it pending and ask them to amend it. Or Reject it with a remark.
- 4
If the difference is only rounding, choose Accept.
“Pending is not allowed on this invoice, so decide: accept it, or reject it.”
Where you see it: Accounts > IMS Actions, Review actions step, under the Undecided tab.
The portal does not allow Pending on this record (for example some amended records). Balancely does not guess for you, so the record stays as it is on the portal until you choose. The record is left out of the upload until you choose an action.
- 1
Read the reason in the Why column.
- 2
Choose Accept if the document is yours and correct, or Reject with a remark if it is not.
It worked when: The record leaves the Undecided tab and counts under To upload.
“This file is for another GSTIN”
Where you see it: Accounts > IMS Actions, Review actions step, as a red box above the counts.
The GSTIN in the file is not the GSTIN of the company chosen above. The actions would be for the wrong company. Nothing can be downloaded until the right company is chosen.
- 1
Choose the company the file belongs to in the box at the top right.
- 2
If the company in TallyPrime has an old GSTIN, tick This file belongs to … to go on.
“Your decisions were not saved: ”
Where you see it: A red message at the bottom of the screen on Accounts > IMS Actions.
An action you chose could not be kept on the server. The page still shows it, but it would be lost on reload. Usually the internet dropped for a moment. The upload file would still carry the action if you download now.
- 1
Check your internet connection.
- 2
Change the action once more, or choose Check again and set it again.
- 3
If it keeps happening, tell us.
“Processed with Error”
Where you see it: On the GST portal, under IMS Dashboard > Offline > Upload, in the upload history after you upload the file.
The portal refused one or more records in the file. The usual causes: an action that the portal no longer allows on that record, or the supplier changed the record after you downloaded the file. The other records in the file were saved on the portal. The refused ones were not.
- 1
On the portal choose Download error report and open it in the portal’s own IMS Offline Tool to see each error.
- 2
Download a fresh IMS JSON from the portal and upload it here. Records already acted on show as such.
- 3
Set the refused records again and download a new upload file.
Still stuck? See what to send us so we can help at once.
Common questions
Does Balancely send my actions to the GST portal?
No. You download one file and upload it on the portal yourself. Balancely never signs in to the portal.
Why is a bill I entered in TallyPrime shown as pending?
The supplier GSTIN or the number on the bill differs from what the supplier filed, or the amount differs. Open the row: the reason says what is different.
Can I reject an invoice from here?
Yes. Choose Reject on the row, add a remark if you like, and it goes in the upload file. Balancely never suggests Reject on its own.
What happens to records I do not touch?
If the portal already holds an action for them, that stays. If they are on No action, Balancely suggests one, and it goes in the upload. Records marked Undecided stay as they are on the portal until you choose.
Is the ITC figure the one to put in GSTR-3B?
It is the ITC on what you set to Accept, less accepted credit notes, for the file you uploaded. Check it against the GSTR-2B the portal computes after your actions, which is what 3B uses.
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