Every person, as long as they have a KRA Pin, are supposed to file tax returns every year. Failure to do the returns attracts a defaulting fee that varies with your tax obligation.
As a student, before you applied for helb, the govt indirectly ensured that you have a KRA Pin. This automatically registers you as a tax payer. Tax Concerns for Students. Whether you are earning or just consuming, you are already a tax payer.
The cyber man or your pin agent may not have told you, just as mine didn’t, but failure to file your returns by the 30th of every year attracts 1000 per year, for the years defaulted. For students, the law has been quite loose but as from this June 30, all student defaulters will be charged a Punitive 10,000 per defaulted year.
This is ofcourse a rise from the former 1000. To avoid such cases, you need to file your returns for 2015. But for those who applied for KRA Pin This year, you are safe. You shall file the returns next year’s. For those who applied in 2015 and backwards, you need to act before 30 June To file:
Just log into the KRA Itax portal, Google the portal and select itax login. When you open the portal, you will see a place asking for PIN,
1. Enter your pin number.
2. Select Log in then Update details. These should launch your itax page / profile.
3. Update your basic info. For tax payer, choose KENYAN, RESIDENT INDIVIDUAL, in tax obligation, see that only the first is marked. You are not a VAT payer. For e-agent, do not change anything in that page.
Where we have your own details, for example, the following you can just write N/A for Not Applicable: LR no. Street Number. Etc. For Bonds and affiliate companies, say no. Do not declare your bank ACC number. Tick NO.
Ensure you put in your email address and phone number. That will come in handy in the next stage. When you reach source of income, tick all the three sources: rental, income and employment as NO, NO, NO. After that, in the remarks page, click SUBMIT, any mistakes will be highlighted in a pop up message, click on the mistake and rectify it in its page.
When everything is ready, submit. The itax system will send an email to your email which should contain your: PIN Password. You are ready for step two now. STEP TWO Using the details from your email, Log in again to the KRA portal into your profile.
Change your password and give the security question. I advise you use either your former highschool or your mom’s maiden name. Update your details.
After that your will have migrated fully and successfully to the itax system. You are then ready for step three. STEP 3. Click on “Returns” and from the drop down, select File Nil Returns.
In the Nil return form, remember to use Resident Individual as your tax obligation. Fill in the other small details hapo. For the tax period: FILL ONLY 1/1/2015 DONOT MAKE A MISTAKE AND FILL THERE 2014 OR 2013, UTAOGA FOR REAL. ( This is for students only) OTHERWISE YOU WILL BE PENALIZED FOR 2013&2014 LATE RETURNS @1000. When you have filled in 2015, click the space below the 2015 and it will autofill the “To” dates.
Well, submit now. Uko sawa sasa? After steps 1 and 3, there are some receipts to download, Get them downloaded and see how your tax details look like.
