The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has cautioned Kenyans to be watchful as they fill their annual income tax returns for 2026.
In a notice released on Wednesday, KRA reminded both individuals and businesses to be keen as they fill their income tax returns through the iTax system.
The taxman asked Kenyans to ensure that all statutory deductions are well captured in their tax returns. These include the Housing Levy, among others. KRA warned that failure to do this might result in errors and possible penalties.
Kenyans were also cautioned to ensure their Social Health Authority (SHA) contributions are well captured and reflect the information already captured in the system. This is because iTax will automatically verify the information provided with the information already captured by KRA.
“KRA validates income and expenses declared against information already recorded, which includes electronic tax invoices and withholding tax records,” KRA said.
This implies that when an individual files their returns, the system validates the information given regarding the income and expenses claimed by comparing it with information already available to KRA. It checks whether all income earned within the year has been claimed, whether the expenses claimed are valid, and whether the withholding tax credits are correctly claimed.
KRA has encouraged taxpayers to take their time and go through their records before clicking the submit button. It says that making a mistake may cause an individual to pay a penalty or even be required to file an amendment later.
Before filing, the citizens are encouraged to confirm whether they have claimed all their income, including salary, business income, and other income. They are also encouraged to confirm whether the expenses claimed are supported by valid documents.
For those individuals who notice that they made a mistake after filing, KRA encourages them to quickly submit an amended return.
The tax authority says that the validation process is meant to modernise the system and ensure fairness so that all Kenyans pay the right amount of tax.
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