Income tax return last date extended to 15 October 2026: FBR gives 15 more days

Update, 30 September 2026, 10:40 pm PKT: the income tax return last date for Tax Year 2026 is now 15 October 2026. The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) extended the 30 September deadline on Wednesday night, a few hours before it was due to expire.

Income tax return last date 2026: what the FBR said

• New deadline: 15 October 2026, for returns and wealth statements for Tax Year 2026 (income earned from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026).
• Legal basis: the FBR used its powers under Section 214A of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, which lets it extend the filing date.
• Why: "in view of the requests from various trade bodies and tax bar associations". The Karachi Tax Bar Association and the FPCCI had both asked for more time, the FPCCI for 31 October. Filers and practitioners had complained of heavy traffic on the IRIS portal in the final days.
• Earlier the same day: the FBR had called a circular about an extension that was going around on social media fake. The extension that counts is the one the FBR itself announced on Wednesday night.

That gives you 15 more days. There is no sign the FBR will move the date again, so treat 15 October as final.

How many people have filed so far

By 29 September, 5.181 million returns had been filed for Tax Year 2026, up 45.8% from 3.553 million by the same point last year, according to FBR figures reported by Dawn. That rush is one reason IRIS slowed down in the last week.

What filing on time gets you

Filing by 15 October keeps you on the Active Taxpayers List (ATL), which the FBR updates every Monday. Being on the ATL means:

• lower withholding tax when you buy or register a car and when you buy or sell property;
• no withholding tax on cash withdrawals from your bank (check what a non-filer pays with the cash withdrawal tax calculator);
• lower tax on profit from National Savings and bank deposits;
• the right to adjust or claim a refund of tax already deducted from your salary, bills or bank profit.

A salaried person in Lahore, Karachi or Islamabad whose employer has deducted tax all year often owes little or nothing extra. The return puts that on record and is how you claim any excess back. Our guide to withholding tax rates for filers and non-filers shows the gap in rupees.

What to do before 15 October

1. Work out your tax for 2025-26 with the income tax calculator. Freelancers can use the freelancer tax calculator.
2. Collect your certificates: the salary tax certificate from your employer, bank profit and withholding certificates, and tax paid on your phone bill, electricity bill and vehicle token.
3. Log in to IRIS on the FBR website or use the Tax Asaan app. FBR facilitation centres and tax offices help walk-in filers.
4. Fill in the wealth statement with the return: bank balances, property, vehicles and gold.
5. Check your status after filing with our guide to NTN and ATL check online.
6. Do not leave it to the last three days. The same portal jam that forced this extension will come back around 13 to 15 October.

If you miss 15 October

A late return is still better than none, but it does not put you on the ATL for free: late filers pay a surcharge before they are added, and the FBR can impose penalties under the Income Tax Ordinance. The Finance Act 2026-27 raised the penalties for late filing, so the cost of missing this date is higher than in past years.

Earlier on this page

16 September 2026: the FBR had set 30 September 2026 as the deadline on 14 September. The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) asked for a one-month extension to 31 October, citing high operating costs. On 4 September the FBR also issued SRO 1495(I)/2026, adding Parts II-ZE to II-ZH to the Second Schedule of the Income Tax Ordinance, and practitioners asked for clarity on returns already being prepared.