Circular about tax returns extension is fake, FBR clarifies

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Tuesday dismissed as fake a circular circulating on social media regarding the extension of the deadline for filing income tax returns for tax year 2026.

“The circular circulating in the media regarding the extension of the date for submitting income tax returns for the tax year 2026 is fake. No such circular has been issued by the FBR,” the authority said in a post on a social media platform.

A day ago, the Pakistan Chemicals & Dyes Merchants Association (PCDMA) urged the FBR to extend the deadline for filing Income Tax Returns for the tax period ending September 30, 2026, by one month, citing persistent malfunctioning and instability of the IRIS portal.

In a letter addressed to FBR Chairman Rashid Mehmood Langrial, PCDMA Chairman Salim Valimuhammad said tax practitioners and taxpayers were facing serious difficulties in transmitting their Income Tax Returns within the stipulated deadline due to the continued technical problems with the IRIS portal.

FBR has so far received around 4.7 million income tax returns for Tax Year 2026, against 3.2 million returns received during the corresponding period of last fiscal year.

The number of returns filed till now is around 1.52 million higher than the previous year’s figure.