Nearly 2 Million Pakistanis File Their 2026 Tax Returns

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has received nearly 2 million income tax returns for tax year 2026 by September 5, up by ~400,000 from roughly 1.6 million returns received during the same period last year.

Despite the higher number of returns, tax deposited along with the filings stood at Rs. 3.5 billion, almost unchanged from the same period last year. FBR recorded nearly 6 million income tax returns for the tax year 2025.

The statutory deadline for filing income tax returns for tax year 2026 is September 30.

FBR has also recently amended the income tax return form for tax year 2026. Through SRO 1495(I)/2026 issued on Thursday, the tax authority amended the Income Tax Rules, 2002 and introduced new provisions in the Second Schedule.

A tax expert questioned the timing of the changes, saying that introducing a new SRO at this stage is confusing and unjustified, particularly with only a few weeks remaining before the September 30 filing deadline.

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