File your return,
one step at a time.

Documents to gather before you start

Create a folder for the year you are filing. Keep each original document alongside a note of the figure it supports. A bank deposit alone does not tell you whether money is salary, a transfer between your accounts, a loan or something else.

• Employment: annual employer certificates and payslips. Keep gross salary and tax withheld separately so a net bank credit is not mistaken for gross pay.
• Bank accounts: statements, closing balances, profit certificates and tax deduction certificates for each account. Mark transfers between your own accounts to avoid counting them twice as receipts.
• Other receipts: invoices, rent records, remittance evidence, sale documents and loan agreements explaining the source of money. Keep the source and any deducted tax with each receipt.
• Assets and debts: property and vehicle purchase records, investment statements and outstanding loan balances. Note what you owned and owed at the relevant year end, rather than using today's balance.
• Earlier filing: last year's submitted return and wealth statement, if available. Compare opening figures with those records before building the current year's statement.
• Spending and payments: household expenses, major purchases and tax payment receipts. Separate a purchase of an asset from everyday consumption in your working notes.

The complete ten-step workflow

1. 1. Pick the right year

   Before you write numbers, make sure TaxAible is working on the correct tax year. Open the Tax Tool and look at the tax year at the top.

   Tax rates change by year. The wrong year means the wrong answer.

   Example: If you are filing for Tax Year 2026, the page should say 2026.

2. 2. Tell it what you earned

   Add your salary, business income, rent income, bank profit, and other money you received. Type or speak your income in simple words.

   Your return starts with money coming in. Everything else depends on this.

   Example: My salary was Rs. 150,000 per month and my employer deducted tax.

3. 3. List your property

   Tell TaxAible about land, houses, apartments, or plots you own. Add each property with the price you paid for it.

   Property affects your wealth statement and must match your records.

   Example: I bought a plot in 2021 for Rs. 4,000,000.

4. 4. Make the money story balance

   Check that money in, money out, and assets all make sense together. Investigate the unreconciled amount and correct entries using your records. Never invent a figure to force a balance.

   FBR can question a return when the wealth story does not add up.

   Example: If you bought a car, your bank balance or cash should explain it.

5. 5. Let the helper find missing pieces

   Run Auto-Reconciler to find common missing income, deductions, or expenses. Read each suggestion and apply only the ones that match your records.

   Small missing items can stop the wealth statement from balancing.

   Example: You may have forgotten mobile tax, bank profit tax, or rent paid.

6. 6. Check for red flags

   Run Audit Shield before filing so obvious mistakes are caught early. Start the scan and fix high-risk items first.

   It is easier to fix issues before the return is submitted.

   Example: A sudden big asset increase may need an explanation.

7. 7. Read the final summary

   Check the return summary before anything goes to IRIS. Review income, tax deducted, payable or refund, and wealth balance.

   This is the last chance to catch wrong numbers.

   Example: Salary tax should match your employer certificate.

8. 8. Connect to FBR

   Add IRIS login details so the prepared return can move to the official portal. Enter CNIC or NTN, password, and run the connection test.

   A failed login near the deadline can delay filing.

   Example: If your IRIS password changed, update it before syncing.

9. 9. Send it to IRIS

   Use the TaxAible connector to move your finished draft into the FBR portal. Sync to IRIS, then review the official portal screen.

   You should see the same numbers in IRIS before final submission.

   Example: If TaxAible says tax payable is Rs. 0, IRIS should also match.

10. 10. Save proof and track status

    After filing, keep your return, payment proof, and status in one place. Confirm the applicable forms are in IRIS Completed Task, then save the submitted return, wealth statement and any payment receipt.

    Good records make future questions and next year filing easier.

    Example: Save your filed return and CPR in your tax folder.

A worked wealth reconciliation

Reconciliation explains the change in net wealth, not just the amount of tax due. FBR's filing guidance connects that change with income and expenses. This simplified example illustrates the arithmetic; it does not calculate tax or decide how a receipt should be treated.

Opening net assets

Rs. 1,000,000

Recorded inflows

Rs. 1,800,000

Recorded outflows, including expenses and tax paid

Rs. 1,200,000

Expected increase in net assets

Rs. 600,000

Expected closing net assets

Rs. 1,600,000

If the listed closing assets less liabilities total Rs. 1,500,000, there is a Rs. 100,000 difference to investigate. Check opening balances, missing accounts, debt balances, duplicate receipts and omitted outflows. Do not insert an unsupported gift, expense or cash balance merely to make the difference disappear.

Buying a car with existing bank funds changes the mix of assets: bank funds fall while the car is added. Recording the car while keeping the old bank balance can overstate wealth. Borrowing needs both the receipt of funds and the outstanding liability. These working checks help explain discrepancies; follow the year's actual form when entering the figures.

When the numbers do not match

1. Identify the exact disagreement: income, deducted tax, an asset balance, a liability or the reconciliation difference.
2. Find the supporting document. Confirm its year, account and whether it shows a gross amount, a net receipt or a closing balance.
3. Correct the underlying entry and recalculate. Recheck related figures, especially when a changed receipt also affects reconciliation.
4. Compare the reviewed TaxAible draft with the official IRIS draft. A successful transfer is a reason to check the portal, not evidence of final submission.

For uncertain classification, special tax years or conflicting documents, get an explanation before filing. Keep your supporting records; an automated suggestion cannot replace evidence of what happened.

How to confirm submission

FBR describes completed filing by the income return and wealth statement appearing under Completed Task rather than Draft. Check both applicable forms in IRIS, save the submitted copies and keep any payment receipt. A TaxAible progress indicator or an IRIS draft alone is not proof that filing is complete.

About this guide

Published by TaxAible, an independent tax preparation software service for Pakistan. TaxAible is not FBR and this page does not imply government endorsement. The workflow describes our product; the examples are illustrative and use no real taxpayer data. Updated 8 October 2026.

For official filing and reconciliation instructions, read FBR's income tax return guidance. Use FBR IRIS to check your official status. Rates, deadlines and eligibility depend on the applicable year and circumstances; this reference does not determine them.

Report a broken step or suggest a correction at [email protected]. Explain the page and step involved without emailing passwords or complete financial documents.