Urdu Report Desk
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has extended the deadline for filing income tax returns for Tax Year 2026 to October 15, 2026, hours before the original deadline was due to expire on September 30.
The extension was announced after trade bodies and tax bar associations requested additional time, citing delays in the issuance of return forms and technical problems with the online filing system.
FBR Announces Deadline Extension
In a notification posted on its official X account, the FBR said the filing date for taxpayers required to submit their returns by September 30, 2026, had been extended to October 15, 2026.
The decision came after various trade bodies and tax bar associations requested an extension to facilitate taxpayers facing difficulties in completing their filings.
Earlier, the FBR had rejected a notification circulating in the media that claimed the filing deadline had already been extended, describing it as “fake.”
Calls for Further Extension
The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) President Atif Ikram Sheikh had formally urged the government to extend the deadline until October 31 to facilitate businesses, industry and other taxpayers.
The Karachi Tax Bar Association (KTBA) also submitted a five-page letter to the Member Inland Revenue (Operations), highlighting several issues affecting the filing process.
The association pointed to delays in issuing draft notifications and persistent technical glitches in the IRIS portal, which it said were creating difficulties for taxpayers.
Tax Filings Rise by 45.8pc
According to the FBR, the number of tax returns filed for Tax Year 2026 had increased significantly.
By September 29, a total of 5.181 million tax returns had been filed, compared with 3.553 million during Tax Year 2025, representing an increase of 45.8 per cent.
Penalties for Late Compliance Increased
The statutory deadline for filing tax returns is September 30 each year. However, the deadline has historically been extended on several occasions, sometimes until the end of October.
The latest budget has also significantly increased penalties associated with returning to the Active Taxpayers List (ATL) after missing the deadline.
Under the Finance Act 2026-27, the penalty for companies has been increased from Rs20,000 to Rs100,000. For associations of persons, it has risen from Rs10,000 to Rs50,000, while the penalty for individuals has increased from Rs1,000 to Rs25,000.
Previous Deadline Extensions
Last year, the FBR extended the tax return filing deadline twice, first from September 30 to October 15 and later to October 31.
Those extensions were granted following requests from trade bodies, tax bar associations and members of the general public.
