ISLAMABAD (The Thursday Times) — Whether you are a filer decides how much tax a bank deducts from your cash withdrawals and profits, and how much you pay when you register a car or buy property. Here is how to check your status on the Federal Board of Revenue’s Active Taxpayer List, based on the FBR’s own guidance as of 12 November 2026.
What the list is
The Active Taxpayer List (ATL) is the FBR’s record of people and businesses that filed an income tax return for the previous tax year. It is published on 1 March every year and stays valid until the last day of February the following year, according to the FBR. The list published on 1 March 2026 therefore covers returns for tax year 2025.
The FBR updates the list every Monday, so a status can change during the year.
Four ways to check
- Send an SMS: type ATL, a space, and your 13-digit CNIC number, and send it to 9966.
- For a company or an association of persons, type ATL, a space, and the 7-digit National Tax Number (NTN), and send it to 9966.
- Check online: open the Active Taxpayer List section on fbr.gov.pk and use its ATL status check link.
- Download the list: the full Active Taxpayer List can be downloaded from the same section of the FBR website.
In Azad Jammu and Kashmir, type AJKATL, a space, and your CNIC without dashes, and send it to 9966. With an NTN, type AJKATL, a space, and the 11-digit NTN without dashes. The FBR says the AJK list counts the same as the national one.
If you are not on the list
You appear on the current list only if you filed a return for the tax year it covers. Late filers can still be added, but only after paying a surcharge, which the FBR says is paid through a payment slip (PSID) under the “Misc” head on its IRIS portal.
A newer route, Form ATL-U, lets individuals who filed late get back on the list without that charge if they promise not to buy property for six months.
Amounts are set by each year’s Finance Act and change often, so check the current figure on IRIS before you pay anything.
What being a filer gets you
The FBR lists these benefits: lower tax deducted by banks on profit and cash withdrawals, lower withholding tax when registering or transferring a vehicle, a lower rate when buying and selling property, lower tax on capital gains from shares and on dividends, a lower rate on prize bond winnings, and the right to claim back tax that was deducted in excess.
