Pakistan’s FBR dismisses reports of extension to tax return filing deadline — Dawn
Pakistan’s Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on September 30 dismissed reports of an alleged extension to the deadline for filing income tax returns for tax year 2026. The agency said that the document circulated by media outlets and on social media was fake, while the established deadline for filing returns remains September 30.
An FBR spokesperson said on social media platform X that the agency had not issued any circular on changing the deadline. As Dawn reports, the fake notification said the deadline had been moved to October 15. Its authors claimed that the decision had allegedly been made following requests from trade associations, taxpayers and tax associations.
Requests from businesses and specialists
Trade associations and tax specialists had indeed asked for an extension of the filing deadline. Among the reasons, they cited delays in the issuance of return forms and a heavy load on the online system.
Atif Ikram Sheikh, president of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, urged the government to extend the deadline until October 31 to facilitate filing for businesses, industry and other taxpayers. The Karachi Tax Bar Association also sent a five-page letter to an Inland Revenue official responsible for operations. The letter pointed to delays with draft notices and persistent technical failures on the IRIS portal.
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The number of returns increased
According to the FBR, as of September 29, the number of filed returns rose from 3.553 million in tax year 2025 to 5.181 million in tax year 2026. This is 45.8% more.
Pakistan’s legally established annual deadline for filing returns expires on September 30, although it has been repeatedly postponed in previous years, often until the end of October. Last year, the FBR extended the deadline twice — first until October 15 and then until October 31.
Under the Finance Act for 2026–2027, the fee for restoration to the active taxpayers list was increased for companies from 20,000 to 100,000 rupees, for associations of persons from 10,000 to 50,000 rupees, and for individuals from 1,000 to 25,000 rupees.
