Pakistan’s Salaried Class Faces Glitches in Income Tax Return Filing | Waystax 

Thousands of salaried taxpayers across Pakistan are unable to submit their annual income tax returns for Tax Year 2026. This is due to a persistent error in the Federal Board of Revenue’s IRIS portal, with the September 30 filing deadline fast approaching.

The system is displaying a repeated error message at the point of submission, blocking compliant taxpayers from completing their returns. FBR’s helpline has so far failed to offer any concrete resolution, and a formal complaint has now been lodged with the Federal Tax Ombudsman.

If you are affected or need professional filing support, Waystax handles your complete income tax return, navigating portal errors so you don’t have to.

The Error Blocking Salaried Filers

At the point of submission, the IRIS portal repeatedly displays the error message:

“Please enter correct receipt value.”

Tax experts and lawyers have been unable to resolve the error despite multiple attempts. The system provides no clarity on the nature of the problem, leaving salaried taxpayers unable to proceed past the submission stage.

FBR Helpline Unable to Help

Frustrated taxpayers who contacted the FBR helpline received no concrete solution. Support responses have been described as generic and vague, offering no actionable guidance on how to fix or bypass the error.

Tax experts warn that if the glitch is not resolved quickly, it could force thousands of individuals to miss the September 30 filing deadline. It will result in wrongful penalties and inactive taxpayer status under the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001.

Loss of ATL status means higher withholding tax rates on all banking, property, and vehicle transactions for the coming year. It will be a significant financial consequence for taxpayers who attempted to comply but were blocked by a system error.

Formal Complaint Filed With Federal Tax Ombudsman

Tax attorney Khurram Shahzad has formally lodged a complaint with the Federal Tax Ombudsman under Section 10 of the FTO Ordinance, 2000. The complaint directly highlights the incompetence and professional negligence of the FBR IT Wing.

The complainant noted that despite repeated filing attempts, the system provides no explanation for the error and no path to resolution. Supporting documentation has been attached to the complaint.

Tax practitioners have formally urged the FTO to do the following:

• Declare FBR’s conduct as maladministration under Section 2(3) of the FTO Ordinance, citing arbitrary, inefficient, and governance-contrary behavior
• Direct the FBR Chairman to immediately resolve the IRIS portal error
• Extend the return filing deadline if necessary to protect taxpayers’ rights
• Restructure FBR’s IT Wing with qualified technical professionals to prevent future system failures

Potential Revenue Impact

Tax experts warn that if the issue persists beyond the deadline, Pakistan could face substantial revenue loss from delayed filings. While compliant taxpayers suffer undue penalties and stress for a failure that is not their own.

The situation echoes concerns raised during Tax Year 2025, when IRIS login failures and password recovery errors also disrupted mass filing in the days before the deadline. 

Read that update: IRIS FBR Login and Password Issues — Tax Year 2025

What Affected Taxpayers Should Do Now

If you are a salaried employee experiencing the “Please enter correct receipt value” error on IRIS:

1. Screenshot the error and your filing attempt, preserve evidence of good-faith compliance
2. Call the FBR helpline at 051-111-772-772 and log a formal complaint with a reference number
3. Do not wait — file as early as possible once the error is resolved to avoid late penalties
4. If you need professional assistance navigating IRIS or filing once the system is restored, Waystax can file your return within 24–48 hours

For complete filing instructions once IRIS is functional, follow our step-by-step guide: How to File Income Tax Return for Salaried Employees

For deadline updates and extensions, see the following: Tax Filing Deadline in Pakistan — Complete Guide

File With Waystax — Avoid the Portal Entirely

Waystax handles IRIS submissions on your behalf, navigating portal errors, system slowdowns, and submission issues that individual filers face every year near the deadline. 

Our team files your complete income tax return accurately and on time without you touching the IRIS portal at all.