ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has extended the deadline for filing income tax returns for Tax Year 2026 to October 31, giving taxpayers two more weeks to complete their filings.
The extension applies to taxpayers who were originally required to file by September 30 and whose deadline had already been pushed to October 15. It was granted under Section 214A of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, through Circular No. 04 of 2026-27 issued by the FBR’s Inland Revenue wing.
The revenue body said the latest extension followed requests from various trade bodies and bar associations. The earlier extension, from September 30 to October 15, had been granted through Circular No. 3 of 2026-27, dated September 30.
Trade groups had pressed hard for more time. The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry formally urged the government to extend the deadline to October 31 to provide relief to businesses, industry and other taxpayers. The Karachi Tax Bar Association wrote a five-page letter to the Member Inland Revenue (Operations), pointing to delays in the return forms and recurring technical faults on the IRIS portal. The Korangi Association of Trade and Industry sought a full month’s extension, citing persistent glitches and slow processing on the portal.
Filing numbers have already climbed sharply. Official data showed 6.71 million returns filed by October 14, compared with 4.99 million in the same period last year, a rise of 34.38 per cent. Tax paid with returns stood at Rs66.81 billion, up 14.61 per cent from Rs58.29 billion last year.
Non-salaried filers led the increase, with returns from traders, shopkeepers, professionals and the self-employed rising 46.35 per cent to 4.446 million. Salaried returns rose 16.16 per cent to 2.178 million. Company returns, however, fell 22.41 per cent to 11,089, which officials attribute to timing, as many companies held back expecting a further extension.
Tax experts have also questioned the original timeline, noting that the final return form was notified on September 2, and arguing that taxpayers should have been allowed three months from that date to file.
