FBR reports over 17% increase in tax return filings

• 3.6 million taxpayers filed returns with payments.
• Individual tax payments increased by nearly Rs 9 billion.
• FBR credits outreach campaigns for growth.

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has recorded a significant increase in income tax returns for the tax year 2025, marking a new milestone in voluntary compliance and awareness among taxpayers.

By October 31, 2025, a total of 5.9 million tax returns have been submitted, compared to 5 million returns in the corresponding period last year, showing an increase of 17.6%.

Of these, 3.6 million taxpayers filed returns with tax payments, reflecting an 18.6% increase in taxpayers who contributed income with their returns, compared to the same period in 2024.

In addition, individual taxpayers have paid almost Rs 9 billion more than last year, rising from Rs 60 billion to Rs 69 billion, representing a 15% increase in tax payments by individuals.

FBR said it appreciates the increasing cooperation of citizens and reiterated its commitment to facilitate honest taxpayers through simplified procedures, digital tools and responsive communication, ensuring that Pakistan’s tax system becomes more fair, transparent and inclusive.

The increase in returns is the result of a comprehensive awareness campaign jointly undertaken by the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Information and the FBR.

As part of these efforts, automated calls and WhatsApp messages were rolled out nationwide to remind citizens of their civic duty to file tax returns.

In addition, the FBR sent a series of push notifications to taxpayers using third-party data, starting with congratulatory notes, followed by push notifications about rights and obligations and finally warning reminders, with nearly 800,000 such pushes across the country.

Complementing these initiatives, targeted emails were also sent to approximately 70,000 taxpayers highlighting indicative income levels of comparable peers to encourage accurate and timely filing.

These concerted efforts have been well received by citizens. The figures reported are as of 7 p.m. today and the FBR expects the numbers to improve further by the midnight deadline as more returns continue to be filed across the country.

As per the Prime Minister’s instructions, no general extension has been given to the filing deadline. However, taxpayers facing genuine difficulties can approach their respective field formations through FBR’s IRIS system for extension in filing their returns.