Introduction
Every GST practitioner knows the situation. A client files GSTR-3B, and a week later someone notices that the outward supplies were reported at Rs 9 lakh when GSTR-1 showed Rs 10 lakh. Or ITC was claimed that does not match GSTR-2B. GSTR-3B cannot be revised, so the error is carried forward, adjusted in a later month, explained in the annual return, or left to surface as a system-generated notice.
The 57th GST Council meeting of 8 October 2026 has recommended a way out. It proposes an alternate mechanism to correct liability and ITC within the return itself. If it is notified as recommended, it will change how GST returns are reconciled, filed and defended.
What has been recommended
The Council’s return-related recommendations are meant to reduce mismatches in liability and ITC, and the notices that follow from them. The main pieces are:
- Rule 61(1A): a mechanism for correct reporting and correction of liability in GSTR-3B, so that it aligns with the liability furnished in GSTR-1, GSTR-1A and the Invoice Furnishing Facility
- Rule 61(1B): a mechanism for correct reporting and correction of ITC in GSTR-3B, so that it aligns with the ITC made available in GSTR-2B
- Rule 86C: an “Electronic Credit Reversal and Reclaim Statement” on the portal, for correct reporting of ITC that has been reversed and later reclaimed
- Rule 86D: an “Electronic Statement of tax paid on Reverse Charge basis and ITC claimed”, for correct reporting of RCM liability and the related credit
- Rule 60(6A): a statutory framework for the Invoice Management System, under which a recipient can accept, reject or keep pending an inward supply document, subject to conditions, including a limit on how long credit notes can stay pending
- Enhancements in GSTR-1, GSTR-1A and IFF, to make reconciliation with GSTR-3B easier
- A circular explaining how to report ITC and its reversal in GSTR-3B in the context of IMS and the two new statements
The timeline
The Council has recommended that the mechanism come into force from the April 2027 return period. Two cautions apply. It is a recommendation, and rule amendments and notifications are still needed. The mechanism is also expected to be published for public consultation before it is notified, so the final design may differ from the current description. About five months remain, which is enough time to prepare but not enough to ignore.
What this means in practice
The two correction rules address the two mismatches that trigger most system notices today.
- On the outward side, GSTR-3B liability will be reconciled with GSTR-1, GSTR-1A and IFF. If a client under-reports tax in GSTR-3B, the mechanism is meant to let them correct it in a structured way instead of relying on adjustments in later periods
- On the inward side, ITC claimed in GSTR-3B will be reconciled with GSTR-2B. Excess or ineligible claims are meant to be corrected within the return framework
The two new statements add transparency to areas that are often reported inconsistently. ITC reversed and reclaimed, and RCM liability with the related credit, would be captured in prescribed portal statements, not left as free entries in the return.
Notice that correction is not the same as freedom from consequences. A correction facility reduces mismatches, but it does not remove the legal requirement to get the tax right in the first place, and interest and other consequences of the underlying error may still apply. The final rules will decide how those are handled.
The IMS connection
The proposed Rule 60(6A) gives IMS a statutory footing. Until now, accept, reject and pending actions on invoices have been an operational facility on the portal. Once they carry a legal framework, the actions a client takes on IMS will matter more, since they will shape the ITC available in GSTR-2B, which in turn will be the reference point for the Rule 61(1B) correction. Clients who ignore IMS will find their credit decisions made for them.
A related change to watch
The Council has also recommended aligning the due-date provisions of Sections 37 and 39 with the time limit for availing ITC under Section 16(4). Details will be clear only when the amendment is issued, but it is worth tracking, since it may affect how the 30 November limit works with return filing dates.
What CAs and finance teams should do now
Preparation can start well before the notification:
- Reconcile GSTR-1 with GSTR-3B every month, at tax-head and period level, so that differences are identified and understood while they are small
- Reconcile books, GSTR-2B and GSTR-3B ITC at invoice level, as a monthly routine and not a year-end exercise
- Maintain a clean register of ITC reversals and reclaims, with the reason and period for each, since the new Rule 86C statement will need it
- Maintain an RCM register that ties tax paid under reverse charge to the credit claimed, ahead of the new Rule 86D statement
- Start using IMS actively, and set an internal rule for who accepts, rejects or keeps invoices pending, and by when
- Watch for the draft rules and circular, and consider sending comments through trade bodies or professional associations if the consultation draft raises practical issues
- Brief clients that current rules apply until the new mechanism is notified, and that nothing in the proposal justifies relaxing present-day accuracy
Where automation helps
This reform is, in effect, a push to reconcile continuously. A business that matches its sales register to GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B, and its purchase register to GSTR-2B and IMS, every month, will find the new facility straightforward. A business that reconciles once a year will find itself with a long list of unresolved differences when the facility arrives.
Automated reconciliation tools do this well. They match at invoice level, flag differences by cause, age unresolved items and keep a documented trail of reversals, reclaims and RCM entries. This frees the CA’s time for the work that needs judgment: deciding what to correct, how to explain it and what to advise the client.
Conclusion
The proposed GSTR-3B correction facility is a welcome step towards reducing avoidable notices. But it rewards the clients who are already reconciled and puts pressure on those who are not. The months between now and April 2027 are best used to build the monthly discipline that the new system will assume.
Beyond Compliance, Build for Business.
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