In a reversal of its earlier stance, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) late on Tuesday night extended the deadline for filing income tax returns for the tax year 2025 until October 15.

The move came just as the initial Sept 30 deadline given by the board was set to expire at midnight.

The move marks a clear departure from the FBR’s previously stated position that no extension would be granted, signalling that the tax authority has yielded to pressure from various quarters and walked back on its firm commitment.

An official announcement said this decision has been made under Section 214A of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001.

“The extension in the deadline has been granted in response to requests made by various trade bodies, tax bar associations and the general public,” the FBR said.

Just a day earlier, the board had urged taxpayers to file their returns before the Sept 30 deadline, reaffirming that the due date for filing would not be extended. An official statement from the FBR had ruled out any extension in the deadline for filing tax returns, dismissing all social media reports suggesting otherwise.

It had also said that some elements had attempted to link an extension to the recent floods in the country, calling such claims “false, baseless, and misleading”. It had also termed reports suggesting that the Integrated Risk Information System (Iris) had slowed as “unfounded”.