FBR extends income tax return deadline by 15 days

Pakistan's Federal Board of Revenue on Wednesday extended the deadline for filing income tax returns by 15 days, following requests from business and tax groups.

Taxpayers who were required to file their Tax Year 2026 returns by September 30 now have until October 15, the FBR said in a statement.

The statement read that “the Federal Board of Revenue is pleased to communicate that the date of filing of Income Tax Return for Tax Year 2026, for the persons who are required to file their returns by September 30th, 2026, is hereby extended up to October 15th, 2026.”

The agency said it made the decision after requests from various trade bodies and tax bar associations.

The extension came a day after the FBR warned taxpayers that failing to file on time could result in heavy penalties, additional tax liabilities and possible legal action.

By noon Wednesday, about 5.5 million people had filed returns, the FBR said. About 3.553 million Pakistanis filed returns in the previous year.

Eyes on this years tax revenue target

The FBR tax collection is expected to reach PKR 1.321 trillion, while collection for the July-September quarter is expected at PKR 3.072 trillion.

Pakistan has one of the lowest tax-to-GDP ratios in the region despite a population of more than 240 million, and it has often missed its collection targets.

The government has set a tax revenue target of PKR 15.26 trillion (USD 54.8 billion) for the current fiscal year, an increase of 8.2% over the previous year, which ended in June.