📢Release Notes - Clear Finance Cloud
This page has details of new features release, enhancements made to existing features and bugs fixes.
Features with the tag EA are available selectively to certain customers. All other features are available to all customers who have purchased the relevant Clear products.
EA products/features are made available to customers on an invite-basis only. Customers can expect some bit of instability and bugs in the product since these will be early versions of the product/features. If you would like to get early access to these, please write to your account manager.
Jan 2025 | Making Your Workflows Simpler
This month, we have enhanced GST workflows with custom field visibility and auto-compute options, improved GL-Stream with faster operations and saved filters, and introduced smarter updates to Notice Management, TDS compliance, and Accounts Payable for seamless reconciliations and streamlined processes.
Key Highlights of This Release
Clear’s GST now supports custom field visibility in Table 4, ISD PDF downloads in GSTR-6, and the option to disable auto-compute in GSTR-1 settings. (GST)
GL-Stream now includes saved filters for easier reuse, enhanced GL view sorting, improved debugging details, and significant speed improvements. (GL-Stream)
Auto-extension of e-way bills with “IN TRANSIT” consignment type and daily reporting for seamless management. (E-INVOICING & E-WAY BILL)
Notice Management now offers granular user roles, GST refund notice tracking, and improved Excel reports with appeal cases, state names, and case timelines. (NOTICE MANAGEMENT)
LLM-powered updates enhance PO matching, bulk retry for failed ERP invoices, and automate GRN linking to invoices. (ACCOUNTS PAYABLE)
Now offers auto-trigger e-Invoice emails to buyers, with enable/disable options and status tracking on the 'Documents' page. (GCC) (CLEARTAX E-INV)
Clear’s E-Invoicing new features include Product Health status, alerts, and an Email API to send invoice PDFs. (MALASIYA) (E-INVOICING)
India
Clear Compliance Cloud
GST
Support for Custom Fields in Table 4 - Document Level Report
Custom Field Visibility: Custom fields added during the creation of the purchase template can now be viewed at the document level within the Table 4: Document Level Report.
Support for Download of ISD PDF (In GSTR-6 flow) - EA Release
Users can now download invoice copies in PDF format from the GSTR-6 filing flow. These can be downloaded in bulk or individually.
Under action button option to download Pdf copy is available in GSTR-6 flow and data overview page for GSTR-6
Note : This is an EA release( Behind feature flag ) and will be enabled for few customers for gathering feedback and then later after GA based on licensing for all users.
Option to disable Document series and HSN summary auto compute from GSTR-1 Settings page
Users will now have an option to disable Document series and HSN summary auto compute while filing GSTR-1 from GSTR-1 settings page
GL STREAM
New Feature: Saved Filters
Save and Reuse Filters
Save your custom filter settings for seamless reuse in future sessions.
Name your filters for easy identification and quick application.
Edit, update, or delete filters as needed to keep them relevant and organized.
Enhanced Access and Usability
Quickly access saved filters for efficient workflow management without extensive navigation.
UI/UX Enhancements
Improved Sorting in GL View
Default sorting now follows: Company Code (Ascending) → Voucher Number (Ascending) → Voucher Date (Ascending).
Enhanced Debugging and Reconciliation
Additional details included in the Document screen for streamlined operations:
From Register: Document Type, Document Number, Section Name, State Place of Supply.
From GL View: Document Type Code, Document Header Text, Reference Number, Tax Code, Reverse Document Number.
These updates simplify debugging and ensure all necessary details are available in a single workbook post-download.
Performance Improvements
Significant Speed Enhancements
Purchase and Sales Views (Data Browser): Average query execution time reduced from ~35 seconds to ~3 seconds, ensuring faster access to data.
Deep Linking in GL Reconciliation (Document Sections): Improved backend performance for quicker navigation and seamless data retrieval.
E-INVOICING & E-WAY BILL
Auto Extension of E-way Bill
User can now auto extend an expiring e-way bill without manual intervention
An E-way bill extended with consignment type as “IN TRANSIT” will be eligible for auto-extension
Users will receive an excel report in the morning with list of e-way bill eligible for auto-extension for that day
The eligible e-way bills will be auto-extended using the input provided by the user when extending manually with consignment type as “IN TRANSIT”. In case of server issues at NIC, 5 retries have been set-up for higher success rate
An excel report will be sent to users with the details of the auto-extension results in the evening
Users can extend the e-way bill by extending with consignment type as “IN MOVEMENT” to stop auto-extension
NOTICE MANAGEMENT
UAM Updates
We have further simplified user access management to provide finer-grained control over user access:
The old “Admin,” “Edit User,” and “View User” roles are being retired.
New roles—IDT Admin, ITR Admin, TDS Admin, and their View equivalents—have been introduced for more granular control.
All existing Admin users have been migrated to the IDT Admin role.
While GST-only Notice Management users will see no impact, customers with both GST and DT Notice Management will have access only to GST Notice Management. To regain access to ITR and TDS Notice Management, assign roles such as ITR Admin, ITR View User, TDS Admin, or TDS View User via the ‘User Access’ section on the Settings Page.
Support for Tracking Notices Issued for Refund Applications
Clear Notice Management now supports tracking show cause notices issued for GST refund applications. This ensures complete coverage of notices from the GST portal, minimizing the risk of any notices being missed.
Excel Report Changes
The Excel report for all notices has been upgraded with the following improvements:
• Inclusion of manually added appeal and High Court cases.
• Display of state names for easier case identification.
• Consolidated Issue and Reply dates for better readability and tracking of case timelines.
TDS
RPU version 5.4 update - (Form 27EQ related changes)
Addition of new remark J: if no collection or lower collection is in view of notification issued under sub-section (12) of section 206C applicable to statements pertains to FY 2024-25 Q3 onwards. This remark is applicable to below mentioned collection codes A, B, C, D, E, I, J, L
Applicability of Lower deduction reason ‘A’ for collection code R- Collection at source on sale of goods.
Form 27Q Rate corrections
Standard rates & 206AB, 206AA rates for certain sections (194LBA(2), 195) and nature of remittances (Long term capital gains related) has been corrected for ensuring accuracy.
Reduce FVU generation failures due to Deductor name mismatch
Currently, FVU generation failures occur due to Invalid Deductor name. System will check below validations prior to FVU generation and highlight gaps for corrective action
TAN in CSI file should match with TAN for which FVU is generated
Deductor Name in CSI File should exactly match with Deductor Name configured in Clear TDS software
Centralized TRACES credentials storage & login support
Users can store TRACES credentials at a global level, serving as a centralized repository for login information. This eliminates the need to repeatedly enter credentials across various product touchpoints, ensuring seamless access and improved user experience.
26AS Recon
Cross FY Recon
Discrepancies often arise when TDS credits from Form 26AS do not match with TDS receivables in the same Financial Year (FY). These mismatches occur due to delayed filings, corrections, or timing differences in reporting by deductors.
The cross-FY reconciliation expands the matching process beyond the same FY to adjacent periods incrementally.
Initially matches are attempted within the same month, quarter and FY.
If no match is found, the system expands to the next FY, starting with (Q+/-1), and progressively widens to include up to three quarters (Q+/-3) across FYs.
Tolerance logic for reconciling credits
Adaptive Tolerance: The matching process now now uses incremental tolerance (instead of a fixed Rs.10 tolerance across all amounts) based on the TDS or taxable amount, ensuring precise results across varying transaction ranges.
Tolerance is no longer fixed but adjusts based on the TDS amount or taxable amount.
Higher transaction amounts allow slightly higher tolerances, while smaller amounts maintain tighter thresholds.
Applicable Across Matching Types: This logic applies to both 1:1 (single match) and Group (M:M) matching scenarios, enhancing accuracy and reducing false mismatches.
Additional API support for PAN<>TAN mapping
Fallback Mechanism: An additional API has been introduced to handle failures of the primary TAN<>PAN mapping API, ensuring uninterrupted processing and improved reliability.
Enhanced Stability: This backup API minimizes disruptions during reconciliation workflows, providing a seamless experience even in failure scenarios
Clear Supply Chain
ACCOUNTS PAYABLE
New Features:
PO Line item number Prediction Enhancements
Enhancements to our LLM-based mapping for PO line items ensure better accuracy and configurability.
Issues Resolved: Mapping invoice line items to PO line items was a time-consuming and error-prone process. While LLM-based mapping was introduced earlier, the accuracy required improvement.
New Enhancements:
LLM-based Mapping Using GRN as Source: Leveraging GRN as the data source reduced variability, increasing prediction accuracy.
Customer-level Configurations: Users can now:
Enable LLM-based matching
Configure data sources for predictions
Set accuracy thresholds with percentage cut-offs
These improvements streamline line-item matching, saving time and effort for users.
Bulk Retry for ERP Failed Invoices
Introducing Bulk Retry to handle ERP posting failures more efficiently.
Problem Solved: ERP posting failures often involved non-editable errors such as budget issues or quality inspection failures, constituting about 50% of errors. Users had to retry postings manually after approvals, leading to delays.
Feature Highlights: Users can now retry such invoice from SaaS directly without having to edit and go through approval of these invoice
This enhancement empowers users to manage ERP posting failures seamlessly and efficiently
Autofill GRNs from Invoice Numbers
Problem Solved:
Users often struggled to accurately identify the GRNs created for a specific invoice, as GRNs were typically created by the procurement team and manually linked to invoices by the AP team. This process was prone to errors and inefficiencies.
Managing multiple GRNs added another layer of complexity, requiring users to manually input GRN numbers for each line item, which was time-consuming and tedious.
Feature Highlights :
To address these productivity challenges, we’ve introduced the “Autofill GRN Based on Invoice Numbers” feature.
With this enhancement, users can now enter the invoice number during GRN creation, allowing the system to automatically fetch and populate the relevant GRNs during invoice processing.
This significantly streamlines the process, reduces manual effort, and improves accuracy.
GCC
CLEARTAX E-INV
New Features:
Auto-trigger emails to buyers as soon as the e-Invoice is accepted by ZATCA
Directly deliver e-Invoice to buyers over email as soon as the e-Invoice is submitted and accepted by ZATCA
Enable quick sharing of e-Invoices with PDF/A-3 attachment to B2B buyers as per ZATCA mandatory requirements to speed up the process of receiving payments
Save paper and money by sharing a digital copy of B2C invoices with QR code over email to buyers where email info is available
Enable or disable auto email feature from the ‘Email settings’ page
Control the auto-email of e-Invoices feature from the ‘Email settings’ page
Enable or disable the feature as you desire
Track email trigger status against each invoice from the ‘Documents’ page
Check and monitor the email trigger and delivery status of each document to the buyer from the ‘Documents’ page
ZATCA VAT RECONCILIATION
Enhancements:
Fix duplicates with data overwrite option in data upload to ingest only modified/updated data
Additional data overwrite option during ingestion to replace duplicates in the sales data with updated information
Data upload will be faster with overwrite only updating the modified duplicate rows and keeping the rest as it is
Overwrite or skip both options can be chosen according to requirement.
Malaysia
E-INVOICING
NEW FEATURES
Product Health status page
Users can now check the Product health status page to track API performance and monitor govt (LHDN) infrastructure health
Users can subscribe to the status page to receive email alerts in case of any degraded performance.
Settings: Alerts and Communications
User can now configure the recipients of the various alerts at BH level using the “Alerts and Communication” settings.
Email delivery status report
User can configure the recipients of the email delivery status report in the “Alerts and Communication” settings
The configured recipients will receive an excel report daily via email with the delivery status of the email sent from ClearTax along with their respective invoice details
Email API
An API is now live that lets users to send invoice PDFs to their users from their systems
ENHANCEMENTS
The date range selection for MIS dashboard has been increased to 3 months.
Multiple document number can be provided as reference when raising a credit note. This allows users to save time and effort by raising a single credit note instead of multiple credit note for multiple document numbers
Additional parameters are now supported in the GET PDF API where users can pass document numbers etc instead of document id which is less intuitive and thus improves the usability of the API
Freight charges and sales tax exemption certificate number have been removed from the document edit screens as functionality of these fields in invoice value calculation is not clear from LHDN
Dec 2024 | IMS is now live on Clear!
This month, we have launched the IMS Console in line with the new government system. Additionally, we have introduced updates to Notice Management, 26AS Recon, and TDS workbench for smarter reconciliations and easier tax management.
Key Highlights of This Release
Clear’s Invoice Management System (IMS) Console streamlines document validation with bulk actions, unique filtering, and automated GSTR-2B generation. (GST)
GL-Stream now offers enhanced reconciliation logic with added sub-buckets and clearer exclusions. (GL STREAM)
Notice Management now supports UAM for Direct Tax Notices, advanced litigation tracking, enhanced document management, and Pre-Deposit Amount Tracking (NOTICE MANAGEMENT)
Enhanced 26AS recon and TDS Payables workbench with cross-FY matching, dynamic thresholds, admin access, bulk deletions, and correction return tracking. (TDS)
The new UAM flow enhances Clear Compliance Cloud with bulk invitations, streamlined role updates, and seamless platform-wide user management. (PLATFORM)
Clear AP now offers support for managing Credit/Debit Notes, handling complex Multi-PO and GRN invoice scenarios, and enabling Bulk Approval. (ACCOUNTS PAYABLE)
GCC introduces advanced invoice search and download features, improved notifications, and accurate buyer/seller ID display as per ZATCA standards. (GCC) (CLEARTAX E-INV)
India
Clear Compliance Cloud
GST
INVOICE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
The Government of India has introduced the Invoice Management System (IMS) on the GST portal to streamline document validation. Taxpayers can access the IMS and manage supplier invoices on Clear via Invoice Management System (IMS) Console.
Key Features
Use Clear IMS Console as a draft workspace to take actions and Upload to Govt. when required.
Take actions at PAN/ Multi-GSTIN level
Invoice Action Options
Accept Documents to verify and acknowledge document validity
Reject Documents with discrepancies
Mark Documents as pending for deferred decisions
Reset Actions for correction and setting IMS Document to No Action
Unique Filtering Mechanism
Filter documents using Unique KEY to take bulk actions
Sort documents as per the Tax Value, Taxable value, Vendor GSTIN, etc.
Automated GSTR-2B Generation
Auto-generates GSTR-2B based on recipient actions
Eliminates manual reconciliation with GSTR-2A
Improves accuracy in tax reporting
GL STREAM
UX Updates
To enhance user experience, we’ve made the following improvements:
Correct Taxable Value in Revenue GL vs SR Recon: The summary screen now displays accurate taxable values, ensuring clarity in the deep-linked view.
Validation Updates for Negative Values: Based on customer feedback, validations for negative values in Debit Amount and Credit Amount columns during GL ingestion have been removed.
Source System Filter Removed: An empty Source System filter on the document screen of GL recon has been removed for better clarity.
Improved Failure Notifications: GL recon failure messages are now more clear and actionable, improving user understanding.
Added PAN Name: The PAN Name has been included in the run recon side modal to enhance clarity for users.
2. Logic Updates in GL Recon
Cancelled Documents Excluded: Cancelled documents are no longer part of the Output GL / Revenue GL vs SR Reconciliation, preventing confusion caused by their inclusion in the exact match bucket.
New Sub-Buckets for Deeper Insights: We’ve introduced additional sub-buckets to provide more granular insights into the financial data. The updated logic identifies:
Invoice/Debit Note in GL, but Credit Note in Purchase Register
Credit Note in GL, but Invoice/Debit Note in Purchase Register
Invoice/Debit Note in GL, but Credit Note in Sales Register
Credit Note in GL, but Invoice/Debit Note in Sales Register
NOTICE MANAGEMENT
UAM for Direct Tax Notice Management
We are excited to introduce User Access Management (UAM) for Direct Tax Notice Management. With this update, users can now:
Assign separate user roles for Direct Tax Notices at the PAN or TAN levels and Indirect Tax Notices at the GSTIN or PAN levels
Restrict access to view and edit roles for both Direct Tax Notices and Indirect Tax Notices.
This enhancement ensures better control over user access, enabling secure and efficient management of tax notices.
Tracking Litigations at Advanced Stages
Managing litigations just got easier! Users can now:
Track litigations beyond the order stage, including: First appellate authority level and High court level
Manually add cases to create a unified source for all litigation cases and their related documentation.
This feature provides a centralized and organized way to manage notices end to end, ensuring no critical case details are missed.
Better Document Management Capabilities
We have improved document management to provide better visibility and traceability. Users can now:
Track documents corresponding to each reply for scenarios where multiple replies are issued for a single notice.
Upload additional documents as part of replies, even if they were not submitted on the GST portal, ensuring a complete trail of all evidence and annexures produced in a case.
This update enhances record-keeping and ensures users have comprehensive documentation for all their cases.
TDS
User Access controls for 26AS recon and TDS Payables data preparation workbench
Your team members with appropriate Admin Role access also will be able to access the 26AS recon and TDS payable work-bench (built for ease of data preparation for ERP integrated Enterprises). Earlier the access was only restricted to the Workspace admin user.
Delete entries in TDS Payable workbench
You will be able to select one or multiple TDS entries & delete the same in the TDS payable workbench (built for ease of data preparation for ERP integrated Enterprises). Example: You can use this to delete any data that is not required to be reported for TDS return filing.
File Correction Returns
You can easily track the Filed documents that have been modified & requires correction returns to be filed.
You will be able to mark the status of TDS deductions as “Filed”. You will also have option to reset the Filed status in-case of any mistakes.
In-case a TDS deduction in Filed status is modified (currently allowed via Net off of Credit notes and Reversals), we will track and highlight such entries for correction returns to be Filed.
26AS Recon
Import 26AS text file
You can now import 26AS text file from the Traces portal for reconciling against the TDS receivable ledgers.
Tip: You can use this to reconcile your ledgers against the 26AS data on which you have claimed credits for your past ITR returns.
Supporting 26AS data before 2023
You can now seamlessly reconcile data from prior to 2023 with improved automation. The system now supports older 26AS TXT file formats, ensuring compatibility and efficiency in reconciling historical data without manual intervention.
Cross FY Recon
Discrepancies often arise when TDS credits from Form 26AS do not match with TDS receivables in the same Financial Year (FY). These mismatches occur due to delayed filings, corrections, or timing differences in reporting by deductors.
The cross-FY reconciliation expands the matching process beyond the same FY to adjacent periods incrementally.
Initially matches are attempted within the same month, quarter and FY.
If no match is found, the system expands to the next FY, starting with (Q+/-1), and progressively widens to include up to four quarters (Q+/-4) across FYs.
Tolerance logic for reconciling credits
The matching process for 26AS credits with TDS receivables now uses dynamic tolerance (instead of a fixed Rs.10 tolerance across all amounts) based on the TDS or taxable amount to ensure accurate and high-quality results. This approach adjusts the allowable variance for exact and suggested matches, scaling appropriately to handle discrepancies across various transaction ranges. This logic applies to 1:1 as well as Group matches (M:M). This aims to improve accuracy and quality of matching results.
PLATFORM
USER ACCESS MANAGEMENT
Purpose of the New UAM Flow:
With the introduction of platform-level solutions Clear Compliance Cloud, the new User Access Management (UAM) flow enhances efficiency and user experience by allowing seamless addition and invitation of multiple users across various products. This feature supports bulk operations, simplifying user management for both regular and guest users.
Key Benefits of the New UAM Flow
Platform Support: Expanded platform support for the new User Access Management (UAM) flow, which was previously limited to individual point products.
Bulk Invitations: Add or invite up to 25 users simultaneously across multiple product lines, with selection of roles and business hierarchies.
Streamlined Role Management: Effortlessly assign or update new roles for Regular and Guest Users in bulk, transitioning from a manual, one-by-one process to a more efficient, streamlined system.
Regular User flow:
Guest User flow:
Key Capabilities of the New UAM Flow and Customer Benefits
Adding/Inviting Users:
Customers can onboard teams faster, improve productivity, and reduce manual errors.
Bulk invitation support for up to 25 users at once, saving time and reducing repetitive manual tasks.
Seamlessly assign roles across multiple products in a single action, streamlining onboarding for new users
Editing Existing User Details:
Simplifies user management, reduces dependency on support, and provides flexibility for organisational changes.
Modify user information (names, emails, roles, or product access) with ease.
Add or update roles for existing users, ensuring quick adjustments to meet changing requirements.
Managing Pending Invitations:
Minimizes delays in user access and ensures clean user access management.
Resend Invitations: Avoid missed access opportunities by ensuring users receive their invites even if they were missed or expired.
Delete Invitations: Easily remove invalid or unnecessary invitations to keep the workspace organized.
Enhanced Communication and Transparency
Provides real-time visibility into the invitation and onboarding process, improving accountability and communication.
Invitation Sent to Admin: Confirmation email provides admins with a clear record of their actions.
Invitation Sent to User: Users receive a direct link for account setup, ensuring a smooth onboarding experience.
Invitation Accepted: Admin receives confirmation once the invitation is accepted, enabling better tracking.
Increased Security and Control
Enhances security by ensuring only authorized users have the right access at the right time.
Assign New Roles: Add or update roles for a user on the same or different products, ensuring precise access control.
Delete User Roles: Removing all roles will also remove the user from the workspace entirely, ensuring no unauthorized access.
Overall Customer Benefits:
Efficiency: Streamlined workflows save time, reduce manual effort, and improve productivity for administrators.
Flexibility: Easy-to-use features allow businesses to quickly adapt to changes, such as team reorganisation or role updates.
Security: Enhanced role management and user removal capabilities ensure sensitive data is accessed only by authorized personnel.
Transparency: Clear communication and notifications keep admins informed about all user management activities.
Clear Supply Chain
ACCOUNTS PAYABLE
Credit/Debit Notes
Support for managing Credit Notes and Debit Notes as distinct document types and posting into the ERP through Clear AP
This feature addresses common scenarios such as: Goods-related adjustments for sales returns due to quality issues, damage, or incorrect quantity/amount; Service-related adjustments for price changes post-service delivery; and Promotions or discounts applied or canceled after the sale.
By supporting these cases, users can now efficiently manage adjustments beyond standard invoicing in our product itself
Multi-PO
We are excited to announce support for handling complex invoice scenarios involving multiple POs and GRNs.
This enhancement addresses common enterprise cases such as: Multi-PO, Single-GRN for consolidated fulfillments, Single-PO, Multi-GRN for batch deliveries, and Multi-PO, Multi-GRN for monthly billing consolidations against 1 invoice
With this feature, we will significantly expanding invoice coverage and streamlining operations for users managing complex procurement and billing workflows
Bulk Approval
Introducing Bulk Approval to simplify and accelerate the approval process for specific invoice scenarios.
Users can now filter invoices directly from the list screen—based on criteria like low amounts (e.g., less than 1000), trusted vendors, or labels such as "Urgent"—and approve them in bulk without needing to open each invoice.
This feature eliminates tedious, repetitive tasks, saving time and improving efficiency. As this is a sensitive capability, it is controlled via a Feature Flag to ensure it is enabled only for customers who need it and can manage associated risks.
GCC
CLEARTAX E-INV
New Features:
Search and download invoices as reports, pdfs or xmls to cater to different needs
Select a date range to find documents that have been generated in the date range
Choose the type of report that serves the business need from among multiple reports and download it for the time period
Search documents individually or multiple and then download them as pdfs or xmls that could be required in audits
Enhancements:
Easily readable and informative notifications with report name
Notifications triggered while downloading different reports from different pages come with an explanatory name so that it can be identified easily
Traverse through multiple notifications and download files again if needed
Displaying correct seller and buyer other ID for easy identification
Buyer and seller other ID are displayed as per the ZATCA convention to help with identification of the type of transaction and place of business
List of buyer other IDs - TIN, CRN, MOM, MLS, 700, SAG, NAT, GCC, IQA, PAS, OTH
List of seller other IDs - CRN, MOM, MLS, 700, SAG, OTH
Bug Fixes:
Device names with special characters displayed correctly in reports to help with matching
Device names in the lite and detailed report are now with quotes so that it is easily readable and usable for matching and reconciliation
Device names are intact as per the given details and there are no breaks when opened in excel
Malaysia
CLEARTAX E-INV
New Product features:
Sales Reconciliation for B2C:
Reconciliation of B2C sales e-invoices with the Sales register.
Send Email to Multiple Recipients:
Pass multiple emails (comma-separated) to generate and send e-invoices to multiple recipients via an auto-email trigger feature.
Delete Invalid and Failed Invoices:
Added functionality to delete invoices in the failed and invalid state via the delete API.
Invoice Loader on Documents Screen:
Improved user experience by adding a loader when scrolling to the end of the page on the documents screen.
Consolidated Invoice Details in MIS Dashboard:
Added consolidated invoice details to the summary cards in the MIS dashboard.
Changes in B2C Portal for Domino's:
Iframe support added
PDF download, e-invoice preview, and email PDF for iframe.
Privacy policy for Domino's in the B2C customer portal.
Nov 2024 | Updates for simpler, faster compliance
This month, we have introduced a range of updates to simplify your tax processes, from automated notices intimation PDF downloads, faster GL ingestion, to smarter reconciliations.
Key Highlights of This Release
GL Stream now offers seamless Revenue vs. Sales reconciliation, deeper insights with new sub-buckets, and faster GL ingestion for datasets up to 60 million rows. (GL STREAM)
Notice Management now offers automatic downloads of Intimation PDFs from TRACES, providing detailed default breakdowns like Short Payment and Interest. (NOTICE MANAGEMENT)
Clear TDS now supports 2024-25 Budget updates, enhanced PAN verification, ERP-integrated Form 27Q prep, and precise TAN-based 26AS matching for improved compliance and reporting. (TDS)
In GCC, ClearTax E-INV now enables targeted document downloads for audits, improved tax validations, streamlined alerts, and easy large report downloads. (GCC) (CLEARTAX E-INV)
ClearTax E-Invoice streamlines processes with features for fetching documents, rejecting invoices, canceling invoices, and receiving SFTP reports. (Malaysia) (CLEARTAX E-INV)
India
Clear Compliance Cloud
GL STREAM
GL Stream has become more powerful with following enhancements -
Enhanced Revenue vs. Sales Reconciliation Now Live!
We’re excited to announce a powerful new capability in our Revenue vs. Sales reconciliation. Our tool now seamlessly manages complex scenarios where sales are routed through third-party vendors, allowing for effortless reconciliation even when revenue is booked against expense GLs. This enhancement streamlines and improves accuracy, ensuring that all sales and revenue records are perfectly aligned
Introduced new sub-buckets to bring deeper insights and clarity into your financial data
The updated logic now highlights:
Unbalanced Vouchers: Easily identify and resolve unbalanced transactions.
RCM Purchases in Sales: Accurately point out RCM purchases that have an outward liability while doing Output tax vs Sales
Company Code Differences: Quickly spot and address discrepancies across company codes
Enhanced GL Ingestion Performance!
Our system now supports seamless ingestion for datasets up to 60 million rows, significantly boosting performance and reducing processing times. This improvement ensures smoother, faster handling of large data volumes across all workflows.
NOTICE MANAGEMENT
Notice Management now downloads the Intimation PDF from TRACES for Default notices issued on filing Regular/Correction statements. Users can obtain a breakdown of the defaults (Short Payment, Short Deduction, Interest etc) towards the total default amount.
The intimation PDF is password protected. The password is the first four characters of TAN in capital letters, an underscore sign (_) and date of filing of regular TDS/TCS statement in DDMMYYYY format.
TDS
Budget 2024-25 related Govt Compliance Changes Listed Govt compliances changes related are updated in Clear TDS software
Effective 23rd July 2024 onwards
Rate changes from 10% to 12.5% for Sections 196B and 196C
Two new nature of remittances are made applicable for sections 196B and 196C
Effective 1st October 2024 onwards
Rate changes from 5% to 2% for Sections 194DA, 194G, 194H
Rate changes from 1% to 0.1% for Section 194O
Section 194F - TDS no longer applicable effective 1st October 2024 onwards
Section 194Q - Lower deduction certificate allowed (with “Reason A” as reason for lowed deduction)
Bulk PAN verification enhancements
We have upgraded PAN status verification mechanism to a highly reliable method.
We have also reset PAN status on Clear TDS software which were not up-to date with the Traces portal. You can re-sync the PAN status using the Bulk PAN verification option under Forms or Traces portal activities workflow.
ERP integration for TDS payables - Data preparation enhancements Form 27Q data auto preparation
Get your Form 27Q TDS payable deductions auto prepared via ERP integration instantly. This reduces efforts & time to consolidate GL entries, look-up master info and prepare your TDS deductions manually.
Fix data quality issues & perform net-off of credit notes and reversals similar to Form 26Q. This allows you to maintain digital system of records between your books data and the data reported as part of TDS returns.
Select and push required documents to Form 26Q / 27Q workflow
From the TDS payable data auto prepared from your ERP, you can now select required documents that you want to report for Filing instead of reporting all documents. For example, this allows you to select and exclude documents that you do not want to report for Filing for the specific Quarter.
Minor Issue Fixes and Improvements
Validations for the applicability of Return Filing quarter has been modified in-line with Govt RPU utilities
Deductions are allowed to be reported for the Return filing Quarter pertaining to the Date of Credit/Payment.
Example: Deduction with Date of Credit: 13-03-2024 are allowed to be reported only for Jan-Mar 2024 Quarter.
Date of Deduction / Date of Collection - this date should be same or after the Date of credit. There are no return period specific validations for this date.
26AS Algorithm improvements- TAN based matching followed by PAN Currently, TANs in 26AS data are converted to PANs before matching them with PANs in TRL data. However, using TAN as the primary level of detail would yield more accurate results. To make the algorithm more robust, we now prioritize direct matching on TANs wherever they are available in TRL data, and for remaining records, we perform matching based on PAN.
Direct TAN Matching: Matching TANs directly between 26AS and TRL data eliminates conversion errors and API failures that can occur when transforming TANs into PANs. This approach is particularly valuable when multiple entries linked to different TANs fall under a single PAN.
Improved Traceability: Using TAN as the primary matching key enables tracing deductions back to their exact sources, making it easier to identify discrepancies associated with specific deductors.
Second-Level Matching on PAN: For records not matched on TAN, performing a secondary matching based on PAN provides an additional layer of reconciliation.
26AS Enhancements
Explaining sub-buckets: This feature provides users with explanations of the different sub-buckets used for the categorization of data.
Bucket restructing and renaming: We have introduced new bucket, "TRL Entries with Unknown Deductor PAN/TANs," to capture TRL entries missing PAN or TAN details. Additionally, "26AS TANs without PANs in TRL" and "TRL PANs without TANs in 26AS" have been moved to the "Missing" bucket for streamlined classification. The "Negative and Zero TDS Entries Not Knocked Off" bucket now includes zero TDS entries as well, ensuring accurate capture of all unmatched values.
Group Segregation: Implemented visual segregation for groups by first adding color coding and borders to distinguish the groups matched in document view.
Merging Reports into a Single Spreadsheet: The new functionality will enable users to download all three reports as a single merged file under the same name. Currently, these reports are downloaded as separate files, all titled "26AS vs TDS Receivable Recon Report," making it challenging for users to identify them. Furthermore, if a filter is applied, the same filter will be applied across all three reports before downloading the filtered version.
Summary Table on Document view: Adding a summary table to the Document View allows users to see an overview of the documents currently being worked on or analyzed
Warnings for selected return period: Prompts user if data is older than 30 days or missing data
PAN selection in recon screen: PAN level selection on recon screen allows users to change business details, return period and provides a medium to run-recon again.
Merged Headers on deductor/document view
GCC
CLEARTAX E-INV
New Features:
Search and download specific invoices/documents from archives to answer audits
Search any document from archives and download the document in xml or pdf format to answer any audit queries
Search a maximum of 5 documents at a time, select the type of file and download
Download documents as a PDF similar to the print shared with the buyer to validate
Or download them as a native xml that is submitted to the government to compare against original data in the ERP
Enhancements:
Updated validations on tax amount and total invoice amount calculations to reduce ZATCA error rate
Tolerance of +- 1 SAR on the calculations of tax amount and total invoice amount has been removed to match the validation exactly with ZATCA
This will reduce the errors from ZATCA and all calculation mistakes would be caught at CT
E-Invoice activity email alert made simpler in case of no errors
The weekly email with a summary of last week’s email activity has been updated with a simpler version when there are no errors
Users get a shorter version of the alert with 100% success report for quick validation
Validation on seller and buyer other ID based on ZATCA list
ZATCA is analysing the commercial registration number that is part of invoices and issuing notices wherever it is incorrect
Implementing a new validation to check the seller other ID and buyer other ID as per the prescribed list of ZATCA
List of values accepted in ‘Other buyer ID’ type - TIN, CRN, MOM, MLS, 700, SAG, NAT, GCC, IQA, PAS, OTH
List of values accepted in ‘Other seller ID’ type - CRN, MOM, MLS, 700, SAG, OTH
Updated response for Reporting API with reporting time and time difference
The Reporting API to submit store-generated xmls to ZATCA has an updated response
The response will now have the submission time along with status and the difference between signing time and reporting time
Additionally a warning message has been included in case the reporting is delayed by more than 24 hours compared to generation. This will help taxpayers take retrospective action
This will help users in identifying invoices that have been submitted after 24 hours which are being scrutinized by ZATCA.
Download large reports in multiple files without any restrictions on number of rows
The restriction of 5L rows that can be downloaded in e-Invoice reports has been removed to support larger file downloads to help with reconciliation and reports preparation
The systems have been scaled up to process larger reports faster with high success rate
Bug Fixes:
Auto-population for invoices with Multiple tax categories in allowance at line items
Invoice payload creation logic for invoices with multiple tax categories in allowance has been updated to avoid any warnings from ZATCA
Multiple tax rates or categories are auto-detected and payloads are correctly created with the correct objects as required by ZATCA
Updated error message on date fields in data upload for easier understanding
Error message shown while uploading data via excel is updated to help faster corrections
Required format is highlighted upfront for easy understanding of the user
Displaying VAT exemption reason and code in the invoice edit flow
In some cases VAT exemption reason and code were not displayed in the invoice edit flow for line items with that info
Updated logic to pick the correct values to help users validate info
Malaysia
CLEARTAX E-INV
New Product features
Fetch Purchase Documents
Users can now fetch and download purchase invoices from the LHDN portal
The invoices can be fetched for the last 3 days and the feature allows the users to fetch the documents once in 8 hours
Rejection of Purchase Invoice
Users can now reject purchase e-invoices directly from the ClearTax portal, without the need to log into the MyInvois Portal
Purchase invoices can be downloaded from LHDN portal can be selected and rejection request can be raised from “Actions” on the purchase documents section
Document Audit Trail
An audit trail is now available for tracking all the actions taken on an invoice with user and timestamp details
The invoice audit trail can be accessed by clicking on the icon under “Action” column for the invoice
Cancellation of Consolidated Invoice
The invoices that have been consolidated and submitted to LHDN can now be canceled from the ClearTax portal
The consolidated e-invoices can be cancelled from the “Consolidated” screen and selecting “Cancel e-inv” option under “Actions”
Re-generation of canceled E-Invoices
Users can now resubmit canceled e-invoices for B2B, self-billed, and B2C transactions to LHDN and generate an e-invoice on the same invoice again
Updating Status from MyInvois portal
User can now sync the status of an invoice directly from the MyInvois portal. This helps in updating the correct invoice status for the activities done outside of ClearTax portal
The invoice status can be synced by selecting “Sync document status” under “Actions” on the documents screen
SFTP Email Report
Users can receive reports via email in their mailbox for all the activities done via SFTP on ClearTax
The reports has details of the file and invoice level activity along with the invoice count in various state
Enhancements
CSV Report
The CSV reports download have been revamped to include and omit certain fields, with changes to the sequencing for better alignment with reporting needs.
Fetching of Invoices Based on Additional Custom Fields on B2C customer portal
Invoices can now be retrieved using additional custom fields apart from the 4 standard details asked on the B2C customer portal.
This feature allows businesses to customize invoice retrieval based on specific transaction criteria, improving tracking and management of particular transactions like promotions or refunds.
Oct 2024 | Smarter actions with GL-Recon sub-bucketing
We’re excited to announce this month's key updates aimed at enhancing efficiency and compliance. Notice Management now features automatic case status updates and case linking for improved demand tracking. GL-Recons introduces Sub-Bucketing for better mismatch categorization, while the GST module adds three new reconciliation logics for IMPG documents. Additionally, User Access Management now supports multiple workspace admins.
Key Highlights of This Release
Notice Management now auto-assigns case statuses based on issued notices and links related cases for a unified view, enhancing reporting accuracy and preventing double counting of demands. (NOTICE MANAGEMENT)
Introducing Sub-Bucketing in GL-Recons for detailed categorization of mismatches and missing data, enabling quicker identification and resolution. (GL-STREAM)
The GST now features three new reconciliation logics for IMPG documents, enhancing matching accuracy. (GST)
Workspaces now allow multiple admins, reducing reliance on one person. Admins can invite new users via User Access settings. (USER ACCESS MANAGEMENT)
Now, 26AS reconciliation can process 300,000 records in just 20 minutes, achieving a 300x improvement from the previous capacity of 400 records in 9 minutes. (TDS)
The Vendor Portal now provides real-time payment visibility, custom fields for vendor updates, and rejection reason tracking. (VENDOR MANAGEMENT & VENDOR PORTAL)
Accounts Payable now offers configurable invoice fields, and a summarizing option to enhance efficiency. (ACCOUNTS PAYABLE)
GCC now offers ZATCA-compliant e-Invoice updates with additional charge fields, duty-free sales codes, and improved notifications. (GCC) (CLEARTAX E-INV)
India
Clear Compliance Cloud
NOTICE MANAGEMENT
Automatic Case Status Updates for GST Notices
Notice Management now auto-assigns case statuses based on issued notices and replies, improving reporting accuracy and demand tracking. The following rules have been implemented (this is an indicative list, not exhaustive):
Cases requiring no taxpayer action (e.g., Letter of Undertaking, Registration Certificate) are marked as Closed.
Cases with a Drop Proceedings order issued are also marked as Closed.
Cases closed on the GST portal without an appeal filed are marked as Closed.
Case Statuses automatically update at the time of syncing, requiring no user action.
Case Linking
Case Linking allows users to link multiple related cases, creating an end-to-end audit trail of communications, from ASMT-10 / ADT-01 to Appeals and beyond. This feature addresses the fragmented experience caused by separate cases created for Assessments, Audits, show-cause notices, and appeals on the GST Portal.
Benefits:
Provides a unified view of related cases, ensuring users have a complete picture of all outstanding cases.
Prevents double counting of cases and demand amounts.
GL STREAM
Sub-Bucketing in Tax GL Reconciliation
Sub-Bucketing offers a fine-grained categorization of mismatches and missing data, giving users the power to segregate discrepancies based on their nature, allowing for easier identification and action.
Examples of Sub-Buckets:
Missing in Registers (SR/PR):
Accounting - Adjustment/Rectification Entries: Represents corrections that should not be part of Sales/Purchase registers as they do not reflect actual transactions.
Accounting - Inter Tax Type Transfers: Entries adjusting taxes between types, such as IGST to CGST+SGST transfers.
Accounting - ITC Expensed Out Entries: Represents unclaimed Input Tax Credit (ITC) written off as an expense due to GST restrictions.
Accounting - Holding Entries: Adjustments to previously claimed ITC, either reversing or reclaiming it based on new data.
Accounting - GST Payment Entries: Entries showing the offsetting of input tax against output tax, reducing tax liability.
Reversed/Cancelled Documents: Cancelled documents that negate prior transactions for error correction.
Expense/Revenue Line Item Not Present: Transactions missing expense / revenue details, risking inaccurate ITC claims or inaccurate revenue reporting.
Business Place Missing: Entries missing critical information, such as the business location/entity.
Mismatch between GL and Registers:
≤1 Rs Difference: Documents with negligible mismatches, where the tax or amount difference is ₹1 or less.
Tax Type Difference: Instances where taxes like IGST are recorded instead of CGST/SGST, or vice versa, due to misclassification.
Missing in General Ledgers:
Zero Tax Value Documents: Documents with no tax impact (e.g., Nil Rated, Non-GST, Exempt) that do not affect Tax GLs.
Quick Look
Navigate to the Reconciliation section in GL Stream.
Select the relevant reconciliation process and input the period and company code/PAN.
Upon recon completion, discrepancies will be bucketed and sub-bucketed into logical categories based on configuration.
Access these breakdowns in Document View for a detailed audit trail.
Benefits:
Gain in-depth visibility into reconciliation discrepancies with logical sub-buckets.
Improve the efficiency of reconciliation by quickly identifying and resolving the root causes of mismatches.
Streamline the resolution of tax compliance issues by having a clearer picture of GL vs. Compliance Registers' data.
By implementing Sub-Bucketing, we are simplifying the process of managing and resolving mismatches and missing data, providing users with greater transparency and control over their financial reconciliations.
GST
IMPG Documents- New Reconciliation Logics
3 New Reconciliation Logics have been introduced for IMPG to increase the matching %. This will save time on your end to reconcile the IMPG documents that had some anomalies.
Suggested Match (LR1 IMPG)
Condition:
Bill of Entry (BoE) Number, Port Code, MyGSTIN, and Vendor PAN are matching exactly.
Tax and taxable value are within the set threshold.
Document date is within 15 days of the PR Document
Bucket: They will fall into Suggested bucket.
Mismatch Identified (MR1 IMPG)
Condition:
BoE Number, Port Code, MyGSTIN, and Vendor PAN are matching exactly.
Tax and taxable value are within the set threshold.
Document dates fall within the same financial year.
Bucket: They will fall into Mismatch bucket.
Mismatch Identified (MR2 IMPG)
Condition:
BoE Number, Port Code, MyGSTIN, Vendor PAN, and BoE Date are matching exactly.
Tax and taxable value do not match at all.
Bucket: They will fall into Mismatch bucket.
Benefits:
Enhances accuracy in matching documents with 0 false positives.
Save time
USER ACCESS MANAGEMENT
Support for multiple workspace Admin for a workspace
This functionality enables having more than one admin for any workspace. This is supported now to reduce the dependency on a single Workspace Admin to perform any critical action.
In order to add a new Workspace Admin, the current workspace admin can go to User Access under Settings, click ‘Invite New User’ and enter the details of the new user, select the product as ‘Workspace’ and role as ‘Workspace Admin’ and click ‘Invite User’
The new user can now accept the invite through the link sent to their email and start accessing the workspace as Workspace Admin
TDS
26AS Performance Optimizations
Previously, processing 400 records took 9 minutes using a single system, and each task was done one after the other. Now, we can process 3 lakh records in just 20 minutes by:
Grouping tasks into batches and automatically adjusting resources based on demand.
Running tasks simultaneously for different sections (like TAN/PAN).
Automated alerts to instantly notify of any service failures, ensuring quick response and minimal downtime.
26AS Download
With the 26AS automation flow, taxpayers can request their 26AS file for specific years directly from the TRACES portal. They can track the status of the request, and once the file is ready, it is automatically imported into Cleartax. This simplifies the process, saving time by reducing manual steps and ensuring easy access to important tax data
26AS and TRL views
This enhancement allow users to easily view the downloaded 26AS file and the ingested TRL file and provides user a quick access to their data, making it simpler to review latest files in one place.
Clear Supply Chain
VENDOR MANAGEMENT & VENDOR PORTAL
Payment Due Date