The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has extended the deadline for filing income tax returns for Tax Year 2026 to October 15, 2026.
The original deadline for taxpayers required to submit their income tax returns was September 30, 2026. The extension was announced by the FBR following requests from various trade organisations and tax bar associations.
The FBR said the extended deadline would provide additional time to taxpayers who are required to file their returns for the ongoing tax year.
The extension comes as the tax authority continues efforts to increase tax compliance and expand Pakistan’s tax base. The government has set an ambitious revenue collection target of Rs15.263 trillion for the ongoing fiscal year under its agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The target represents a 17.4 percent increase compared with the previous year’s collection. Revenue performance is also an important component of Pakistan’s commitments under its IMF programme.
The government has introduced revenue and enforcement measures worth more than Rs1 trillion in the current budget to support the FBR in achieving its collection target. Provincial governments have also committed slightly more than Rs1 trillion in grants for federal projects related to defence and water, subject to the FBR meeting the agreed revenue target.
Provisional figures show that the FBR collected more than Rs685 billion in income tax during the first two months. However, income tax collection remained Rs74 billion below the two-month target and was around Rs29 billion lower than the corresponding period last year.
Sales tax collection showed stronger performance during the same period. The FBR collected Rs719 billion in sales tax, exceeding its target by Rs85 billion. The collection was also around 14 percent higher than the amount collected during the corresponding period last year.
Around Rs496 billion, or 69 percent, of the sales tax collection came from the import stage.
The government has also introduced changes to sales tax calculations for certain products, including provisions under which tax is calculated using market prices rather than factory-gate prices. The measure is intended to reduce opportunities for tax evasion, although it has also affected the value-added tax chain.
Federal excise duty collection reached Rs118 billion, almost matching the target and remaining around Rs3 billion above the collection recorded during the same period last year.
Customs duty collection stood at Rs198 billion, slightly below the target and broadly in line with the amount collected during the corresponding period a year earlier.
Taxpayers who were required to file their Tax Year 2026 income tax returns by September 30 now have until October 15, 2026, under the FBR’s extended deadline.
