Taxpayers across the country are facing a tightening compliance window as the Kenya Revenue Authority moves to enforce settlement of all outstanding tax balances for the 2025 period before the end of April.
The tax agency has cautioned that any unpaid amounts left after April 30 will immediately begin attracting penalties and interest, raising the cost of delay for both individuals and businesses.
While the official deadline for submitting tax returns for the previous year remains June 30, KRA has separated that process from the settlement of arrears, insisting that all pending balances must be cleared much earlier. The authority says the move is meant to improve timely payment and reduce accumulation of tax debts.
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For companies, KRA maintains that tax obligations should be met through four equal payments calculated from the estimated annual tax liability. These instalments are scheduled for payment on or before the 20th day of the 4th, 6th, 9th, and 12th months of the accounting year. Any previous year’s unpaid balance must be fully cleared by April 30.
“If your company has last year’s tax balance, the clearance deadline is April 30,” KRA said.
Individual taxpayers, on the other hand, are expected to clear any outstanding amounts in a single payment. However, those with annual tax obligations above Sh40,000 are allowed to spread payments through instalments under the existing arrangement.
All tax payments are required to go through the official government paybill number 222 222.
“Please make sure you do not make the costly mistake of paying the right amount of money to the wrong receiver. 222 222 is our official paybill number,” KRA said.
To simplify compliance, KRA has also issued a step-by-step guide for settling tax balances through its iTax system, designed to reduce errors during payment registration.
How To Pay Balance of Tax on iTax in 5 Steps
Log in to itax.kra.go.ke using your PIN or National ID and password.
Navigate to Payments, then choose Payment Registration. Confirm the pre-filled details and proceed by clicking Next.
Fill in payment details including Income Tax, relevant category (Resident, Non-Resident or Company), Payment Type as Self-Assessment Tax, and the correct tax period. Enter the amount due and add it.
Select the preferred payment option and submit. A Payment Registration Number (PRN) will be generated, which can be downloaded or printed as a slip.
Complete payment through either bank presentation of the slip at approved KRA banks or via M-Pesa using Paybill number 222222, entering the PRN as the account reference.
Once payment is processed, the transaction is automatically updated in the taxpayer’s ledger.
Beyond iTax, the authority has also introduced a simplified filing channel through WhatsApp under the service named Shuru, targeting individual taxpayers who prefer a faster process without logging into the online portal.
How to file tax returns with Shuru
Send “Hi” to Shuru on WhatsApp 0711 099 999. Select 'view services' and choose 'Employment income'. Enter your KRA PIN or National ID.
Key in the OTP sent to your registered number to verify identity. Access the ITI Employment Income Summary.
Review the details, tap Confirm & Submit, and a confirmation message will be issued once filing is complete.
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