The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has reiterated that all working Kenyans must continue filing their annual tax returns based on income earned, despite the temporary suspension of nil return filings.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, January 28, KRA clarified that employed taxpayers should file their returns using the annual tax deduction card, commonly known as the P9 form. The Authority emphasized that employment during the year automatically requires income-based filing.
“Kindly note that you are required to file your return based on your income. If you were employed during the year, please file using your P9 form,” KRA stated.
Taxpayers were advised to submit their returns through the Excel sheet upload option or the pre-populated Individual Tax Return (ITR) feature available on the iTax platform. Similarly, individuals who earned business income were urged to ensure their returns accurately reflect actual business invoices.
KRA further noted that all declared income and expenses must comply with validations generated from eTIMS invoices, warning that inconsistencies could trigger compliance issues.
The clarification follows complaints from some Kenyans over recent changes on the iTax platform, particularly difficulties encountered when attempting to file nil returns.
Last week, KRA suspended nil return filings for unemployed Kenyans until the end of March to allow for data validation. Deputy Commissioner Patience Njau explained that the exercise aims to identify individuals earning income but filing nil returns. During the suspension, KRA will audit transactions linked to income tax, withholding tax, eTIMS and customs records to improve tax compliance.