The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Wednesday issued a notification announcing that the deadline for taxpayers filing returns using manual forms rather than its web portal has been extended until November 30.

According to the notification, the tax body stated that it is discontinuing the use of manual forms to file returns in favour of digitising all of its data. However, it recognised that until last year, a “small fraction of people” were still filing tax returns manually.

“As a special dispensation, it has been decided that a cell in each tax office of Pakistan dealing with such taxpayers (manual filers) will provide all legal and technical support to such taxpayers,” the notification read.

“Such taxpayer’s return filing date is hereby extended till [November 30], in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 214A of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, for smooth completion of the process.”

The notification requested that taxpayers filing manually contact their respective tax offices, where they would receive assistance in registration and return filing free of cost.

“Even if they require legal assistance, the FBR field office will provide them [the] service of a lawyer free of any cost this year,” the notification read.

On October 31, the FBR announced that it received a record 5.9 million tax returns for the tax year 2025 compared to 5m returns filed in the same period last year — an increase of 17.6 per cent.

Out of the filed returns, 3.6m taxpayers filed returns with tax payments, reflecting an 18.6pc rise in taxpayers who contributed revenue along with their returns, compared to the same period in 2024.