How to Check Your Income Tax Return Was Filed on FBR IRIS

Your 2026 income tax return is filed only when both the return and the wealth statement have moved from the Draft folder to Completed Tasks on IRIS. If either one is still in Draft, it has not been filed. Once both are submitted on time, FBR's rules put your name on the Active Taxpayers List, which is now updated daily.

Many people filed in a rush on 30 September 2026 while IRIS was slow. If you pressed Submit, saw an error and closed the browser, check now. A return stuck in Draft is the same as no return at all.

A filed return sits in Completed Tasks, not in Draft

FBR's own filing page says a return is successfully submitted when the return form and the wealth statement have both moved from the Draft folder to Completed Tasks. Check both forms. A return without its wealth statement is not complete.

FBR's IRIS FAQs give four more signs that a form went through. We read them on FBR's site, and they are the quickest test you can run:

• The Submit button is greyed out and cannot be pressed again.
• A submission date shows on the screen and on the printed copy.
• The printed copy does not carry the "Draft Copy" watermark.
• The form is no longer in Draft.

The FAQs were written for the older IRIS screens, so IRIS 2.0 folder names may differ a little. If you could not log in at all, fix the IRIS 2.0 login errors first.

Check your return on IRIS in six steps

Log in to IRIS, open Completed Tasks, and find the tax year 2026 return and the 2026 wealth statement. Open each one, check the submission date, then print or save both as PDF. Finish by checking the tax computation screen.

1. Log in at iris.fbr.gov.pk with your CNIC and password. Use a computer if you can.
2. Open the Draft folder first. If the 2026 return or wealth statement is still there, it was not submitted. Open it, finish it and submit it.
3. Open Completed Tasks. Look for two items for tax year 2026: the return of income and the wealth statement under section 116.
4. Open each item and read the submission date. For an on-time return it must be 15 October 2026 or earlier, the date FBR extended the deadline to, unless you had a written extension.
5. Print both forms or save them as PDF. This printed copy with its submission date is your proof of filing. Keep it with your bank and property papers.
6. Open the computation part of the return. Check the tax chargeable, the tax already deducted and the final line: tax payable or refundable.

If you filed the return but the wealth statement is still in Draft, do not wait. FBR says an unreconciled wealth statement will not let the return go through. So the usual reason for a stuck form is a wealth statement reconciliation that does not add up to zero.

The computation screen shows what you still owe or get back

The computation part of your return compares the tax on your income with the tax already taken from you. If it shows tax payable, pay it through a PSID. If it shows a refund, you can apply for it on IRIS.

If the numbers look wrong, you can fix them. The law lets you revise a filed return, and it is simpler in the first 60 days. A refundable amount needs a separate income tax refund application on IRIS.

An incomplete return can still be thrown out later

Submitting is not always the end. Under section 120 of the Income Tax Ordinance, the Commissioner can send a notice about missing details. If you do not fully answer it by the date given, the return is treated as if it was never filed.

We read section 120 in FBR's consolidated copy of the Ordinance, amended up to 30 June 2026. A complete return is treated as an assessment order on the day you filed it. An incomplete one gets a deficiency notice under section 120(3). If you answer it in full by the due date, the return counts as complete from the day you first filed. If you do not, section 120(4) makes it invalid.

The Commissioner cannot send this notice forever. Section 120(6) stops it 180 days after the end of the financial year in which you filed. For a return filed in September 2026, the financial year ends on 30 June 2027, so by our count the window closes on 27 December 2027. Keep an eye on your IRIS inbox, email and phone until then.

Your name joins the Active Taxpayers List once you file on time

FBR's rules say a person goes on the Active Taxpayers List after filing the latest year's return by the due date. Since October 2024 the list is updated daily, not weekly, so you should not wait until March.

This is rule 81B of the Income Tax Rules 2002, changed by S.R.O. 1638(I)/2024 of 18 October 2024. We read the rules as amended up to 15 September 2026 on FBR's site. Sub-rule (2) links the list to filing by the due date, or by a date extended by the Commissioner under section 119 or by FBR under section 214A. Sub-rule (4) says the list "shall be updated on daily basis".

To check your status, send an SMS: type ATL, a space and your 13 digit CNIC, and send it to 9966. For a company or an association of persons, type ATL, a space and the 7 digit NTN. The reply tells you whether your filer status is active.

If you file after 15 October, the rules treat you differently. Sub-rule (2A) says a late filer goes on the list only after paying the section 182A surcharge. For an individual the ATL surcharge is now Rs 25,000. Section 182A(3) also lets an individual give an undertaking not to buy any property for six months instead of paying.

One warning. Some of FBR's own information pages about the list still show the old Rs 1,000 surcharge and the old 1 March date. The Ordinance and the rules have since changed, and those are what apply.

What to do if IRIS shows no submitted return

If nothing is in Completed Tasks, your return has not been filed. FBR extended the deadline to 15 October 2026, so file it before then. The penalty is cut the sooner you file, and you need the surcharge to get back on the list.

• File the return today. Section 182 cuts the late penalty by 75% if you file within one month of the due date.
• Do not submit twice. If a return is in Completed Tasks already, a second submission is a revision, which has its own rules.

A late tax return goes through the same IRIS screens as an on-time one, and the steps to file your income tax return do not change after the deadline.

Common questions

How do I know my tax return was submitted on IRIS?

Both the return and the wealth statement must be in Completed Tasks, not in Draft. The Submit button will be greyed out, and a submission date will show on the screen and on the printout.

How long does it take to appear on the Active Taxpayers List?

The rules say the list is updated daily, since S.R.O. 1638(I)/2024. If you filed on time, check with the ATL SMS after a day or two.

What is the SMS to check ATL status?

Type ATL, a space and your 13 digit CNIC without dashes, and send it to 9966. Companies and AOPs use their 7 digit NTN instead of a CNIC.

My wealth statement is still in Draft. Is my return filed?

No. FBR says both forms must move to Completed Tasks. Reconcile and submit the wealth statement as soon as you can.

Can FBR reject a return I already submitted?

Yes, if it is incomplete. The Commissioner can send a deficiency notice under section 120(3). If you do not answer it fully by the due date, the return is treated as not filed.

Where do I get proof that I filed?

Print the submitted return and wealth statement from Completed Tasks, or save them as PDF. The printout shows the submission date and has no "Draft Copy" watermark.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 30 September 2026. We read FBR's page on completing an income tax return, which says both forms must move from Draft to Completed Tasks, and FBR's IRIS FAQs for the four signs of a submitted form. We read sections 114, 120 and 182A of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 in FBR's consolidated copy amended up to 30 June 2026, and rule 81B in the Income Tax Rules 2002 amended up to 15 September 2026. The SMS format is from FBR's ATL status page. We did not log in to IRIS 2.0 for this check, so the exact folder names on the new screens may differ from the FAQs, which were written for the older interface. FBR's online ATL search did not open for us from a script, so we could not test it.