The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has once again extended the deadline for submitting income tax returns, now pushed to October 31, 2024.

According to a notification issued late Monday, the FBR used its authority under Section 214A of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, to extend the filing date.

This new deadline applies to those who were initially required to file their returns by September 30, 2024, which had already been extended to October 14, 2024, through an earlier circular.

The decision comes in response to requests from various trade organizations, tax bar associations, and due to recent banking holidays in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

These holidays were declared ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting, scheduled for October 15 and 16.

It’s worth noting that the FBR has made it a regular practice to extend tax return deadlines. Last year, the deadline was also moved to October 31.

This comes after the government, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, passed a tax-heavy budget in June 2024 to strengthen the country’s chances of securing a new bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).