A GST reconciliation index helps the reviewer trace a return when supporting records are spread across several folders. Identify the accounting period, link the source schedules and record the final approved version. The index should explain where the evidence is and how it supports the figures, rather than simply list folder names.

Accounting records, calculator and glasses on a desk
Illustrative photograph by Cht Gsml.

Fix the period and ownership

Record the GST registration reference, return period and preparer. Confirm who reviews the figures and who submits the return. Keep the company’s working records separate from another group entity’s folder, even when the same employee prepares both returns.

Give the index a controlled location and version date. Links to an employee’s temporary desktop folder are unlikely to survive handover. Use the company’s approved storage arrangement and restrict access to financial and customer records.

Organise by evidence type

Suggested sections include sales, purchases, imports, credit notes, adjustments and reconciliation working papers. Link each schedule to its underlying documents. Use a separate exception column for missing invoices or unresolved tax treatment. Filing pressure should not turn a missing item into an assumed amount.

IRAS’s company recordkeeping guidance requires supporting records and schedules that explain transactions. The index is a practical way to locate them, not a substitute for the invoices and accounting records themselves. Ask the GST reviewer to confirm the specific support needed for the business.

Example: a credit note arrives during review

The sales ledger was exported on Monday, but a relevant credit note is received on Wednesday. Record the document and let the reviewer decide the correct period and treatment. Update the working-paper version rather than silently replacing the Monday export. The person approving the return should know what changed.

Tie the pack to the filed version

Keep the final reviewed schedule, approval, submission acknowledgement and filed return together. Record the totals or references needed to reconcile the approved figures to the submitted version. A screenshot of a successful submission does not, by itself, explain the underlying calculation.

Preserve the audit trail

After filing, close the working version and record later corrections separately. Keep the originals and a change log. Test that a colleague with authorised access can retrieve a sample invoice from the index. This exposes broken links before the preparer leaves or a regulator requests the supporting records.

Related practical guidance

For the surrounding work, see bookkeeping basics, bookkeeping and accounting, company records to keep.

Official guidance: IRAS company recordkeeping requirements.

Help with your company records

For accounting, bookkeeping and related compliance support, contact Raffles Corporate Services at [email protected] or WhatsApp +65 8501 7133. Tell us which records or process need attention so we can discuss the relevant next steps.