ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has started issuing income tax return forms for Tax Year 2026 on the IRIS 2.0 portal.
However, taxpayers are facing difficulties as several return forms remain inaccessible due to ongoing development work.
Despite the forms appearing under the “Return Statements (Original for TY 2026 and onwards)” section, many users are unable to open or submit their returns because the forms are still under development.
The issue is creating unnecessary delays at the very beginning of the filing season, preventing taxpayers and tax practitioners from preparing and filing returns promptly.
Adding to the inconvenience, once a return is initiated, it remains in the Draft folder for approximately 7 to 10 days before the form becomes fully functional and ready for completion. This prolonged draft stage is slowing down the filing process and causing uncertainty among taxpayers eager to comply with their tax obligations.
Tax consultants have expressed concern that the premature release of incomplete return forms may increase confusion, especially for salaried individuals, businesses, and tax practitioners who rely on early filing to avoid last-minute pressure.
A screenshot from the IRIS portal shows a draft income tax declaration under Section 114(1), while the newly introduced return options for Tax Year 2026 remain inaccessible, indicating that development and testing are still in progress.
With the tax filing season underway, stakeholders have urged the FBR to complete the development of all return forms as soon as possible and ensure that taxpayers can access a fully operational filing system without unnecessary waiting periods.
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FBR has released Tax Year 2026 income tax return forms on IRIS 2.0, but many remain under development, leaving taxpayers unable to open forms and forcing returns to stay in draft for 7–10 days.
