LAHORE – Taxpayers in Pakistan are perplexed and irritated by the prolongation of receiving their Real-Time Assessments (RTAs) after filing their income tax returns. In contrast to last year, when RTAs were provided nearly right away through the IRIS system, this year it is taking 20 to 25 days for most to receive their assessments.
In 2024, the system generated RTAs automatically as soon as the return was filed. Although it appeared quick, it created issues such as mixed CPR (challan payments), discrepancies in wealth statements, and withholding tax data issues. These errors translated into an increased number of notices being issued to taxpayers.
These issues are sought to be tackled by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) with a new Batch Processing System for tax year 2025. The system does not print RTAs in real-time anymore. Rather, filed returns pass through multiple verification processes. These verification processes entail verification of challan payments for correctness, withholding tax statements for accuracy, and wealth statements and annexures for their accuracy. Once all data are verified, the RTA is generated, typically within 10 to 15 days.
FBR officials say that the shift is designed to eliminate errors and make the process more precise. The new system is risk profiling, and it is ensuring that higher-risk cases are more carefully handled while cutting down on unnecessary notices to taxpayers.
The time lag to get the RTA should not be interpreted as a reflection of a problem with your return. It is just a new system aimed at increased accuracy and compliance. Taxpayers are expected to receive their RTAs automatically following verification, typically within two weeks.
Experts recommend that taxpayers recheck their wealth statements, CPR, and withholding tax information to prevent any delay or problem in the assessment.
