GSTR-1 for restaurants: a simple guide for owners

GSTR-1 is the GST return that lists your sales. Every registered restaurant has to file it, either monthly or every three months, depending on the scheme it has chosen. Your CA usually files it, but they need clean sales numbers from you first.

What goes into GSTR-1

For most restaurants, almost every bill is a sale to a regular customer, not to a business. These go in as small B2C sales, grouped by tax rate and by state. If a business customer asks for a GST invoice with their GSTIN, that bill is listed separately.

What your CA will ask you for

• Total sales for the period, after discounts
• Sales split by tax rate, usually 5% for most restaurants
• Any bills with a customer GSTIN
• Cancelled bills and credit notes

Where owners get stuck

The most common problem is sales numbers that don't match. The billing app says one thing, the notebook says another, and cancelled bills are missing. Keep every bill in one system, and don't delete cancelled bills. Mark them cancelled instead.

Making it easier

Dhaba.ai creates your GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B files from your bills, so you can send them straight to your CA. Your CA still checks and files the return. See how it works on the reports page.

This guide is general information, not tax advice. Always check the rules for your restaurant with your CA.