IRIS is FBR’s online portal for filing income tax returns in Pakistan. This guide walks you through every step — from registration and login to entering income, claiming adjustments, completing the wealth statement, and final submission. Screenshot placeholders mark where the portal screens appear.
Salaried slabs verified: Finance Act 2026 (Finance Bill 2026-27 passed National Assembly, June 2026). Business income slabs, withholding rates, and deadlines: confirm with a consultant or at fbr.gov.pk before filing. Individual figures still flagged where not yet confirmed.
Before You Start: What You Need
- Your NTN (or CNIC, which doubles as NTN for individuals) and IRIS password.
- Annual salary certificate / business accounts.
- Bank statements and tax deduction certificates (withholding).
- Details of assets for the wealth statement.
No NTN yet? You must register first. See our NTN registration service or do it through IRIS sign-up.
Step 1: Log in to IRIS
Go to the IRIS portal at iris.fbr.gov.pk and log in with your CNIC/NTN and password.
[Screenshot placeholder: IRIS login screen]
What is the IRIS portal?
IRIS is the Federal Board of Revenue’s online system where individuals and businesses in Pakistan file income tax returns, wealth statements and withholding statements.
Step 2: Open the Return Declaration
From the Declaration menu, select the income tax return for Tax Year 2026, then enter your income sources — salary, business, property, or other. The portal calculates tax using the applicable slabs (cross-check with our income tax calculator).
[Screenshot placeholder: Declaration / income entry]
The most common IRIS mistake is forgetting to claim withholding already deducted — on your salary, bank profit, or mobile bills. Enter every tax-deduction certificate under the adjustable tax tab; it directly reduces what you owe or increases your refund.
Step 3: Complete the Wealth Statement
Individuals must file a wealth statement reconciling assets, liabilities and the year’s inflows/outflows. Your closing wealth minus opening wealth should equal income less expenses.
Step 4: Verify and Submit
Review the computation, ensure the wealth reconciliation balances to zero, then submit. Keep the acknowledgement and confirm you appear on the ATL after processing.
Common IRIS Errors and How to Fix Them
IRIS is a functional but occasionally frustrating portal. These are the five error messages our clients encounter most often, along with the fix for each.
- ‘114(4) return already filed’ error: This message appears when you attempt to submit a return for a year that IRIS already shows as filed — either because you submitted it earlier in the same session or a previous return exists. Do not click Submit again. Log out, log back in, and check ‘Submitted Returns’ under the Declaration menu. If a duplicate submission is genuinely showing, contact your Regional Tax Office (RTO) to have the duplicate entry removed before resubmitting.
- NTN not found / login failure: Usually caused by a digit mismatch between the CNIC you are entering and the CNIC registered with FBR. Double-check that you are entering all 13 digits without dashes. If your NTN was registered under a slightly different CNIC (a common issue after NADRA card renewals), visit your RTO or call the FBR helpline at 051-111-772-772 to get the records corrected.
- Session timeout mid-entry: IRIS logs users out after approximately 20 minutes of inactivity, and any unsaved data is lost. The fix is simple: use the ‘Save as Draft’ button frequently — every time you complete a section. Treat it like an autosave habit. If you are filling in the wealth statement or business accounts (which take longer), save after every major entry to preserve your work.
- Wealth reconciliation shows a negative figure: A negative reconciliation means your declared expenses and asset additions exceed your declared income for the year, which IRIS flags as an inconsistency. Recheck your bank statements for credits that represent income (transfers, business receipts, rental deposits) that you may not have declared. Also confirm that your opening wealth figure matches exactly what you declared in last year’s return. Even a small mismatch compounds into a large negative. Kamboh Associates resolves wealth reconciliation errors as a standard part of our filing service.
- CPR payment not reflecting on IRIS: After making a tax payment through e-payment or over the bank counter, the CPR (Computerized Payment Receipt) may not appear in your IRIS ledger immediately. Wait at least 24 hours after a successful e-payment before attempting to attach the CPR to your return. If it still does not appear after 48 hours, call the FBR helpline with your CPR number and payment date — they can manually post it to your account.
After Submission — What to Do With Your Tax Return
Filing is not complete until you have saved your proof and confirmed you are on the Active Taxpayers List. Here is what to do immediately after IRIS confirms your submission.
As soon as the portal shows your submission is accepted, navigate to ‘Submitted Returns’ under the Declaration menu and download your acknowledgement slip — this is Form 114 (or its equivalent for your return type). Save it as a PDF to at least two locations: your phone and your email drafts or cloud storage. This document is your official proof that you filed. Banks, employers, and property registrars may ask for it when they need to verify your filer status. Note the NTN and acknowledgement number from the document, as these are what most institutions request.
Your name will not appear on the ATL instantly. FBR publishes the Active Taxpayers List every Monday; your return must be processed (not merely submitted) before you appear. For most straightforward returns filed without errors, processing takes between two and seven days. If your bank or employer needs confirmation urgently, share your acknowledgement slip and NTN — most institutions accept this as adequate filer proof while they wait for the weekly ATL update to reflect your name. You can also check the ATL yourself at any time using the ATL verification tool at fbr.gov.pk or via SMS to 9966.