If your shop is registered under GST, GSTR-1 is the return that lists your sales for the period. The fast way to file it is to export GSTR-1 from your billing software as a portal-ready file, then upload that file on the GST portal yourself. This guide explains what GSTR-1 export means, how to do it in Yojika, which period to pick, and how to upload the JSON on gst.gov.in — in plain language, for a busy shopkeeper.
One thing to be clear about first: exporting is not filing. Good billing software prepares the numbers and hands you a file; you (or your accountant) still log in and submit the return. Yojika does exactly this — it prepares and exports the data, it does not file returns for you and is not an e-invoice or GSP portal.
What “exporting GSTR-1” actually means
GSTR-1 is your statement of outward supplies — every taxable sale, grouped the way the return expects: B2B invoices, B2C sales, HSN-wise totals and a document summary. Typing all of that into the portal by hand is slow and error-prone. Instead, your software reads the bills you already made and produces them in the portal’s own format.
The GST portal accepts a JSON file in a fixed layout (the same format the government’s free offline tool produces). Your billing software generates that file from your recorded invoices, so the figures match your books exactly. That is what “exporting GSTR-1” means — turning the bills you cut all month into one upload-ready file.
How to export GSTR-1 from Yojika
In Yojika the GST returns live under Reports → GST. The steps:
- Open Reports and choose the GST group.
- Pick your period first (see the next section — this matters).
- Open the GSTR-1 report to review your outward supplies on screen.
- For a hand-off to your accountant, use CSV, PDF or Excel.
- To file on the portal, tap the GSTR-1 JSON button. Your GSTIN must be set and GST turned on in your company profile.
The JSON is saved as GSTR1_<your GSTIN>_<MMYYYY>.json, where MMYYYY is the
filing period. For a quarter, MMYYYY is the quarter’s closing month — so
July–September 2026 is 092026, which is what the QRMP scheme expects. Check the
file name before you upload: it tells you exactly which period you exported.
Yojika also offers a Tally XML export from the Summary report and a GSTR-2/2B view for purchases, so your accountant can take the whole picture in one go.
Which period to pick — the mistake to avoid
A GSTR-1 return always covers one completed month or one completed quarter — never a financial year, and never a period you are still inside.
| Your filing type | Turnover | Export this period |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly (QRMP) | Up to ₹5 crore (most shops) | Last quarter |
| Monthly | Above ₹5 crore, or you chose monthly | Last month |
Yojika will refuse a JSON for This month, This quarter, This FY or a part-period, because the file records its own filing period inside it — a file that claims one month while holding a year of sales is not a valid return. The CSV, PDF and Excel views still show any period you like; only the JSON is strict. Confirm your own filing frequency on gst.gov.in or with your CA.
A quick worked example
Meena runs a stationery shop in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, on the QRMP scheme. On the day she files for the July–September quarter, she opens Reports → GST, picks Last quarter, and taps GSTR-1 JSON.
Among her sales that quarter is a ₹1,000 counter sale of notebooks at 18% GST to a local (intra-state) customer:
- Intra-state, so 18% splits into CGST 9% = ₹90 and SGST 9% = ₹90.
- Bill total = ₹1,000 + ₹90 + ₹90 = ₹1,180.
That sale shows up in her GSTR-1 as a B2C line with ₹1,000 taxable value and ₹180 tax. Had the buyer been in Kerala, it would be inter-state — a single IGST ₹180 — but the tax collected is the same ₹180. The exported file carries whichever split the original bill used, so she does not re-do any of this by hand.
Uploading the JSON on the GST portal
Once you have the file, the upload happens on gst.gov.in — not inside your billing software:
- Log in to the GST portal and open the Returns dashboard.
- Select the filing period and choose GSTR-1, then Prepare Offline.
- Under Upload, click Choose file and pick the JSON you exported.
- The data is validated and loaded; a summary appears in about 15–30 minutes.
- Check the error report (a clean upload shows “NA”), then review and submit the return on the portal.
Do not upload the same file again and again — data can be appended or rewritten. Because rules and screens change, always confirm the current upload flow on gst.gov.in or with your CA.
For the deadlines themselves — the 11th for monthly filers, the 13th for QRMP — see our separate guide to the GSTR-1 due date. This article is only about getting the file out of your software; that one covers when it is owed.
What Yojika does — and doesn’t — do
Yojika prepares and exports your GSTR-1 (and GSTR-3B figures, HSN summary and a purchase GSTR-2/2B view) so the numbers match your books to the paisa. It does not file returns, and it is not a GSP or e-invoice bridge — you stay in control and upload the file on the portal yourself. Your business data lives on your own PC, offline, until you choose to share it.
- See what’s included on the features page.
- Check simple, transparent pricing on the pricing page.
- Or download Yojika and try it free for 14 days.
New to bills altogether? Start with our guide to the GST invoice format for small shops.
This article is general information, not tax advice. GST rules, due dates and portal steps change — confirm the current position on gst.gov.in or with your CA.