FBR Extends Tax Year 2026 Return Deadline to October 31

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has extended the deadline for submitting income tax returns for Tax Year 2026 to October 31, allowing taxpayers an additional two weeks to complete their filings.

The latest extension follows an earlier change that moved the original September 30 deadline to October 15.

In its notification, the FBR said the decision was made in response to requests submitted by various trade bodies and tax bar associations.

The extension comes after business organisations and tax professionals highlighted technical problems and compliance-related hurdles that had disrupted the filing process.

The Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) had requested a further one-month extension, pointing to persistent technical glitches and slow processing on the FBR's online IRIS portal.

Likewise, the Hyderabad Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industry (HCSTSI) had appealed to Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and the FBR chairman to grant taxpayers more time.

According to the chamber, traders, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and tax consultants were still encountering difficulties despite the previous extension.

It identified newly introduced tax return forms, expanded disclosure obligations, wealth statement reconciliation and technical problems with the IRIS portal as key barriers to completing submissions on time.

Tax experts had also criticised the original filing schedule, maintaining that taxpayers should have been given three months to file their returns after the final income tax return form was officially notified.

Fazal Faraz, a tax expert based in Islamabad-Rawalpindi, noted that the draft return form was issued under SRO 835(I)/2026 on May 7, while the final version was notified through SRO 1495(I)/2026 on September 2.

He argued that the delayed issuance of the final form warranted an extension of the filing deadline until December 2026 under the relevant legal provisions.

The IRIS portal serves as the FBR's online tax management system, enabling taxpayers to submit income tax returns and associated declarations.

Under the latest decision, eligible taxpayers now have until October 31 to file their income tax returns for Tax Year 2026.