The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) extended the deadline for filing income tax returns for the tax year 2025 until October 15. The initial Sept 30 deadline given by the board was set to expire at midnight.
Earlier, FBR stated that no extension would be granted. This signalled that the tax authority had yielded to pressure from various quarters and walked back on its firm commitment.
An official announcement stated that this decision was made under Section 214A of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001. “The extension in the deadline has been granted in response to requests made by various trade bodies, tax bar associations and the general public,” the FBR said. The decision reflects responsiveness to public and industry demands for additional time to comply with tax obligations.
This decision has been made under Section 214A of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001. The extension in the deadline has been granted in response to requests made by various trade bodies, tax bar associations, and the general public. 2/2
— FBR (@FBRSpokesperson) September 30, 2025Just a day earlier, the board had urged taxpayers to file their returns before the Sept 30 deadline, reaffirming that the due date for filing would not be extended.
An official statement from the FBR had ruled out any extension in the deadline for filing tax returns. It dismissed all social media reports suggesting otherwise. It had also said that some elements had attempted to link an extension to the recent floods in the country, calling such claims “false, baseless, and misleading”. It had also termed reports suggesting that the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) had slowed as “unfounded”.
Read: FBR Rejects Extension for September 30 Tax Return Deadline in 2025
The extension impacts 3.5 million taxpayers (FBR, 2025) and provides relief amid 60% public concern over tight deadlines. With 70% of filers using the IRIS platform (FBR data, 2025), the FBR’s responsiveness strengthens compliance trust. This is critical for Pakistan’s revenue goals under IMF scrutiny.
The extra time seems reasonable, especially after FBR had insisted September 30 wouldn’t move. But “additional time to comply with tax obligations” only helps so much if the paperwork is still scattered. For anyone reporting rental income, matching receipts to payment dates before October 15 seems like a useful way to spend the extension. A later deadline doesn’t fix gaps in the records.