KRA iTax glitch locks out hundreds as deadline passes, taxman rules out extension

KRA staffers assist clients in filing returns at its Nyeri office. [File, Standard]

The Kenya Revenue Authority’s online tax filing portal experienced a system breakdown in the final hours before the June 30 deadline, locking out hundreds of taxpayers who were unable to submit their 2025 income tax returns despite the authority having ruled out any extension. 

The iTax platform, which handles filings for more than 22 million registered personal identification number holders, suffered “intermittent delays” and “significant surge in traffic” as millions rushed to beat the midnight deadline.  

Some users told The Standard they encountered broken links and error messages when attempting to access the portal, while others reported that the system repeatedly timed out or failed to load after they entered their credentials. 

Several taxpayers said they struggled to submit their mandatory annual income tax returns through the iTax system ahead of the June 30 deadline due to increased traffic on the platform. 

The high demand led to “slow response times, temporary system lags and, in some cases, difficulty accessing the platform altogether”. KRA acknowledged the disruptions in a public statement, saying its technical teams were “working around the clock to maintain system stability and support”. 

Yet even as the system faltered, the tax authority has held firm on its earlier position by press time Wednesday. 

In a notice published Monday, KRA ruled out extending the deadline. “No extension of the filing deadline will be granted. Taxpayers who fail to file their 2025 income tax returns by the due date will be liable for the applicable penalties and may be subject to default assessments in accordance with the law,” said KRA.  

The authority had previously ruled out any extension days earlier, issuing a statement on June 27 urging taxpayers to file early and warning that “those who fail to meet the statutory deadline will face penalties”. 

For affected taxpayers, the consequences are immediate, analysts warned. 

Under the law, individuals who miss the deadline face late-filing penalties and, in some cases, default tax assessments by KRA. The penalty structure includes the higher of Sh2,000 or 5 per cent of tax due, plus additional late-payment charges and compounding monthly interest. 

Social media platforms were flooded with complaints from frustrated taxpayers. Some posted screenshots showing they could not access the portal, while others appealed to KRA to extend the filing deadline, arguing that the outage was beyond their control. 

“The website went down on Friday. No one has been responding to complaints, then boom on the final day someone is acting like they are doing something,” one user posted on X. 

Another wrote: “For the better part of the day, your system has been lagging, same for the USSD. You are going to charge innocent Kenyans a penalty on account of your own shortcomings.” 

The congestion is not new. Since iTax was rolled out in 2013, the electronic platform has routinely experienced heavy traffic in the final days of the filing season. The authority has previously responded to technical challenges by extending the filing deadline by 24 hours – but this year, it has declined to do so. 

Tax experts say the recurring failures point to deeper structural issues. “The long-term solution is a major upgrade of iTax, which, as you know, is about 11 years old,” said a tax expert.  

KRA had listed alternative channels for filing, including WhatsApp, eCitizen, and a USSD code. 

But with the portal inaccessible and the deadline now passed, hundreds of taxpayers remain locked out and face hefty penalties.