In Pakistan, the mention of filing a tax return often brings to mind complicated paperwork, tax consultant fees and repeated visits to government offices. However, salaried individuals no longer need to go through these steps to file their tax returns. They can complete the process themselves from home through the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) online portal, IRIS.
A report published in Dawn explains the procedure in detail, stating that hiring a tax consultant is not mandatory and that, if all the required documents are prepared in advance, a tax return can generally be filed in less than an hour.
The deadline for filing tax returns for Tax Year 2026 is October 31. Therefore, salaried individuals need to compile details of their income and assets and complete the process before the stipulated date.
Why Is Filing a Tax Return Important?
A tax return can be considered an account of a person’s annual income and expenses. Just as a shopkeeper maintains records of financial transactions, a tax return provides details of how much a person earned during the year, how much tax was paid and whether any additional amount remains payable.
In the case of salaried individuals, employers generally deduct tax from their salaries every month and deposit it with the government. However, employees are still required to file their annual tax returns themselves.
Once a tax return is filed and the relevant requirements are fulfilled, the individual’s name is included in the FBR’s Active Taxpayer List (ATL). In common terms, such a person is known as a filer.
One of the major benefits of being a filer is that individuals pay lower tax rates on several financial transactions compared to non-filers, including banking transactions and the purchase of vehicles and property.
Also Read: FBR Grants Another Extension for Filing Tax Returns
