Tax Year 2026: KTBA raises its concerns over income tax return form

The Karachi Tax Bar Association has written to a senior Inland Revenue official to flag problems with the TY2026 return form, which FBR has not yet notified in final form. According to Business Recorder, the group argues that a form being live on IRIS does not meet the legal requirement for prior formal notification. It cautions that this shortfall might leave filers facing later challenges about whether their returns are valid.

Several functional faults were listed, including an inactive refund application facility, no downloadable acknowledgement slip after filing, and no field for advances paid on property deals that were not completed within the year. The association also cited a restriction on amending TY2026 returns during the 60-day window under Section 114(6), auto-fetched withholding figures under Section 153(1)(b) that cannot be corrected, and a rule rejecting partner profit shares that do not total exactly 100 percent. Other complaints include the inability to claim amounts withheld under Section 235 from domestic power bills and the lack of a bulk Excel upload option.

The bar is pressing the FBR to finalise and formally notify the TY2026 form, to correct the technical faults, and to release a repaired version, while signalling readiness for further talks. It further seeks to make typing in financial statement figures optional for filers who have already sent the statements electronically, citing sections 19DA and 114(2A). Finally, it recommends a step-by-step question set that would help settle residency under sections 82 to 84.