FBR further extends tax return filing deadline to October 31

Business Recorder reported that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has moved the income tax return filing date for Tax Year 2026 to October 31, 2026, adding two weeks to the window. The change was announced on Thursday and follows an earlier move from September 30 to October 15. The authority justified the latest move by pointing to appeals from several trade organisations and tax bar bodies.

Trade bodies and business groups had asked for more time, pointing to difficulties in completing returns within the set period. Sheikh Umer Rehan, president of Karachi's Korangi Association of Trade and Industry, sought another month because of recurring problems including technical faults and sluggish handling on the IRIS portal. A joint statement from three office-bearers of the Hyderabad Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industry also pointed to new return forms, extra disclosure requirements and wealth statement reconciliation.

Tax expert Fazal Faraz of Islamabad-Rawalpindi told Business Recorder that the final return form, notified on September 2, 2026, had left taxpayers less than the three months he considers necessary under the law. Some experts went further and said the FBR was obliged to push the filing date to December 2026, whatever the number of returns received by October 15. Returns are filed through the IRIS portal, the FBR's digital tax management system.