NAIROBI, Kenya — The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) will replace its long-standing Excel-based income tax return filing system with a fully web-based platform from 2027 as part of reforms introduced under the Finance Act, 2026.
The new system is expected to simplify tax compliance by allowing taxpayers to complete and submit returns online without downloading and filling Excel forms.
Speaking on July 9, KRA Chief Manager for Tax Policy Josephine Mugure said the authority is modernising its digital tax services to make filing easier and more efficient.
“The first thing is we are introducing web-based returns and these returns we’re not going to require you to fill in the Excel anymore. It will be web-based,” Mugure said.
Auto-Populated Tax Returns
A key feature of the new system will be auto-populated tax returns, with KRA using information already available through its digital platforms to pre-fill sections of taxpayers’ returns.
The authority will draw data from:
- eTIMS invoices
- PAYE records
- Withholding tax certificates
- Customs records
- Other third-party data sources
For businesses using the Electronic Tax Invoice Management System (eTIMS), sales information may already appear in their returns, reducing manual data entry.
Employees could also find their salary details and Pay As You Earn (PAYE) deductions automatically reflected based on information submitted by their employers.
The Finance Act, 2026 amended Section 75 of the Tax Procedures Act, giving KRA the legal authority to generate pre-filled income tax returns using ICT systems and third-party data.
More Tax Services on WhatsApp
KRA is also expanding the capabilities of its artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistant, Shuru, to enable taxpayers to file a wider range of tax returns through WhatsApp.
According to Mugure, the virtual assistant has continued to improve following its rollout.
“Shuru will have stabilized because now, whatever were the cheating problems, she’ll have been here for more than six months, so she’ll be of better use. We want to extend what you can do on WhatsApp, not just what we had for employees. We want to extend this so that you can file a whole range of returns on WhatsApp,” she said.
The initiative forms part of KRA’s broader efforts to improve access to digital tax services and simplify compliance for taxpayers.
New Tax Return Filing Deadlines
The reforms also introduce separate filing deadlines for individuals and companies.
Under the new framework:
- Individual taxpayers will be required to file income tax returns by the end of April each year.
- Companies and other non-natural persons will have until the end of June to submit their returns.
KRA says the staggered deadlines are intended to spread the volume of filings over different periods, reducing congestion on its online systems during peak filing seasons.
The authority is also upgrading its digital infrastructure to improve system stability and accommodate the expected increase in online filings ahead of the new deadlines.