The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has confirmed that a circular circulating on social media claiming an extension in the income tax return filing deadline for Tax Year 2026 is fake.
In a statement shared through its official X account, FBR said it has not issued any circular extending the deadline beyond September 30, 2026.
The fake document, titled “Circular No. 4 of 2026-27 IR-Operations” and dated September 30, claimed that the filing deadline had been extended to October 15, 2026. It also cited Section 214A of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, and claimed the extension followed requests from trade bodies, taxpayers and tax bar associations.
FBR advised taxpayers and tax practitioners to rely only on its official communication channels for updates regarding tax filing deadlines and other tax matters.
As no extension has been announced, taxpayers who have not yet filed their Tax Year 2026 returns should follow the existing deadline. Late filing may result in a Rs. 25,000 surcharge, along with possible exclusion from the Active Taxpayer List (ATL) and higher withholding tax rates.
