Tax Year 2026 runs from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026, and the return covering that period is due on September 30, 2026 for salaried individuals, business individuals, and AOPs. Companies get until December 31, 2026. Missing this date costs more than a fixed penalty — it knocks you off the Active Taxpayer List and doubles your withholding tax for the following year.
Deadlines by Taxpayer Type
| Taxpayer Type | Deadline | Form |
|---|---|---|
| Salaried individuals | September 30, 2026 | 114(I) |
| Business individuals / freelancers | September 30, 2026 | 114(I) |
| AOPs | September 30, 2026 | 114(II) |
| Companies | December 31, 2026 | 114(III) |
| Employer WHT salary statement | September 30, 2026 | Form 24 |
FBR occasionally extends the September 30 deadline by an SRO notification, sometimes by a month or two — but this is never guaranteed, and some years the deadline has held firm regardless of petitions. Treat any extension as a bonus, not a plan, and aim to file in the first half of September while IRIS traffic is still light.
What Late Filing Actually Costs You
| Scenario | Basis | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Late, no tax due | Section 182(1) | Rs. 1,000 per month or part thereof |
| Late, tax also due | Section 182 + 205 | Higher of Rs. 1,000/month or 0.1% of tax/week |
| Not filed at all after notice | Section 114A | Up to Rs. 50,000 plus ex-parte assessment |
| Off the ATL for the year | ATL rules | Double WHT on every transaction |
The last row is where the real money is lost. On a bank deposit earning even a modest annual profit, doubling the withholding rate from 15% to 30% can easily cost tens of thousands of rupees — far more than the flat monthly penalty. The same doubling applies to property purchase and sale withholding under Sections 236C and 236K.
What Happens the Day After the Deadline Passes
- Your ATL entry is not renewed, so banks and property registrars start applying non-filer rates on your very next transaction
- If FBR's data shows a mismatch on your file, a Section 114A notice may follow
- Persistent non-filers with visible assets face a higher probability of being selected for a Section 177 audit
Filing immediately stops the monthly penalty from growing further and restores ATL status within roughly 48–72 hours of submission — the sooner you file, the smaller the eventual bill.
Advance Tax Instalments for TY2026
| Quarter | Period | Due Date |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Jul–Sep 2025 | September 25, 2025 |
| Q2 | Oct–Dec 2025 | December 25, 2025 |
| Q3 | Jan–Mar 2026 | March 25, 2026 |
| Q4 | Apr–Jun 2026 | June 15, 2026 |
These quarterly instalments under Section 147 mainly apply to business owners and freelancers whose withholding from clients falls short of their total liability; salaried employees with full employer deduction usually don't need to pay separately.
Filing a Nil Return — Still Required
Even with zero taxable income, anyone who was previously registered, holds assets, or has received an FBR notice needs to submit a nil return by September 30 to stay on the ATL. It's a quick filing — usually done in under 15 minutes — and skipping it carries the exact same penalty as skipping a full return.
Missed a Previous Year? You Can Still Catch Up
FBR generally allows returns to be filed, or corrected, within a five-year window. If you have gaps going back two or three years, filing them all now in one sitting stops the penalty clock and gets you back on the ATL within days, rather than leaving the exposure open indefinitely.
NTNWaale handles same-day filing for the current year and clears multi-year backlogs in a single session. Send your salary certificate, bank statements, or business summary on WhatsApp and we'll take care of the rest before the clock runs out.