How to Prepare a GST Return in Farm Focus

Why Prepare a GST Return?

The GST report in Farm Focus helps you see how much GST you owe or are owed for a period. It also makes filing with Inland Revenue simple and accurate.

Steps to Complete

1. Check Your Transactions

Before you prepare your GST return, ensure that:

• All transactions for the GST period are coded.

• The Actuals screen has no invoices or bank transactions displayed for the GST period.

• Your bank accounts are balanced.

TIP: If you have bank feeds set up, you should always be balanced unless you have deleted or manually added transactions. To check you are balanced, go to Actuals > Balancing. The green line shows where you are balanced to.

2. Create Your GST Report

1. Click Reports > GST Return.

2. Select the GST report that corresponds to the period you’re filing.

3. Review Your GST Report

• Pay attention to the alerts (if there are any) in the top right corner, letting you know if you have uncoded transactions in that period, or invoices that were due in that period, and take action if needed.

• Scroll to the bottom of the report and review the coded line. The headers can be used to sort the report, for example sorting Other Parties alphabetically or grouping lines by coding.

• The view icon to open each invoice or coded transaction to review in more detail, and to edit if needed.

4. Finalise Your GST Report

Once you’re satisfied with the report there are two options:

1. Click Save Final to lock the items for the period. 

2. Click Save Final & File to submit your return directly to Inland Revenue. You will be directed to enter your MyIR log in details the first time you do this.

TIP: GST returns must be finalised in sequence. Once you finalise the current return, the next period’s GST report becomes available in Preview mode.

Additional info

Download and Print Your GST Report

1. Click the Print button in the GST report.

2. Choose to print either the summary page only or include coded lines.

3. Select Print to PDF or your printer.

Warnings in Your GST Return

If you encounter a warning:

• Check your bank balances in Actuals > Balancing and adjust if needed.

• Locate any uncoded transactions in Actuals > Needs Action and ensure they are correctly coded.

• Correct the due dates of invoices appearing in the GST period under Actuals > Needs Action.