The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has terminated the process of manual income tax returns and made it mandatory for all individuals to file their income tax returns and withholding statements electronically.
According to reports, the directive was issued on Monday through SRO 2107 of 2025. The FBR had released a draft of this amendment last week to seek feedback from stakeholders before giving it final approval.
The amendment, introduced under Rule 73 of the Income Tax Rules, 2002, adds a new sub-rule (2DD), which makes it compulsory for individuals to submit their returns and withholding statements only through electronic means.
According to the notification, manual filing will no longer be accepted. The move aims to enhance transparency, improve compliance with tax regulations, and make the tax filing process simpler and more efficient across the country.
Last Wednesday, the federal tax body extended the deadline for taxpayers filing returns using manual forms rather than its web portal until November 30.
According to the notification, the tax body said that it is discontinuing the use of manual forms to file returns in favor of digitizing all of its data. However, it recognized that until last year, a “small fraction of people” were still filing tax returns manually.
