KRA Announces Waiver of Interest and Penalties on Late Filing of Returns, Issues Conditions
- The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) extended the deadline for the filing of tax returns from June 30, 2025
- KRA also announced waiver of penalties and interest charged on late filing of returns, only for taxpayers who will meet the new set deadline
- Commissioner General Humphrey Wattanga said the decision was arrived at after taxpayers faced challenges because of system downtime
Wycliffe Musalia has over six years of experience in financial, business, technology, climate, and health reporting, providing deep insights into Kenyan and global economic trends. He currently works as a business editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Taxpayers who failed to meet the June 30, 2025, deadline for the filing of tax returns can now breathe a sigh of relief.
Source: Twitter
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has announced a waiver of penalties and interest charged on late filing of returns.
Who will benefit from KRA's waiver of interest?
KRA extended the filing of the returns to Saturday, July 5, after system challenges logged out the majority of taxpayers, despite the initial extension to Tuesday, July 1.
However, only taxpayers who will have completed filing returns by July 5 will benefit from the interest and penalty waiver.
KRA Commissioner General Humphrey Wattanga said the decision to waive the penalties was informed by the challenges faced by taxpayers during the filing period.
"We assure taxpayers that we will undertake to waive any interest or penalties that may accrue due to late filing of the end-of-year returns for the year of income ending December 31, 2024, provided that such returns are filed by July 5, 2025," said Wattanga.
Wattanga urged Kenyans to take advantage of the extension to file all their returns and pay any taxes that are due before the specified deadline expires.
He also applauded all taxpayers for their overwhelming turnout in filing 2024 income tax returns.
What's the penalty for late filing of KRA returns?
Taxpayers who fail to meet the deadline for filing returns face penalties categorised under the PIN-related offences.
According to KRA, the PIN-related offences attract a penalty of KSh 2,000 per offence.
This means that taxpayers who fail to meet the new deadline of July 5, 2025, will still face the penalty of KSh 2,000.
What to know about KRA
- KRA announced a new and simplified Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax filing process set to take effect from Tuesday, July 1, 2025.
- The changes KRA is undertaking are part of the efforts to increase compliance and meet revenue targets of KSh 3.316 trillion.
What Kenyans said about KRA's tax deadline
KRA had earlier announced a one-day extension of the deadline for filing tax returns, citing technical challenges with its systems affecting many taxpayers.
The taxman also extended the working hours for the customer care desk until midnight on Monday, June 30, to ease responses to taxpayers' questions.
The announcement sparked debate among Kenyans who took to social media, some sharing their experiences, frustration, while others expressed their feeling via funny memes.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
