KRA’s Tax Filing Gets a Digital Makeover

Starting January 2025, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) will automate income tax returns for salaried individuals and nil filers. Using your National ID, the iTax system will auto-fill your tax data, no more manual entry.

 

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By Leah Waithera, Tax Associate at Grant Thornton Kenya.

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has taken a bold step toward simplifying tax compliance by automating the annual income tax return process for salaried employees. This marks a significant shift in tax administration, aligning with global trends in digital tax transformation.

Under the new framework, individuals whose sole source of income is employment—and those qualifying as nil filers (earning below KES 24,000 monthly)—will no longer be required to manually input income details into the iTax system. Upon keying in the National Identification Number into the iTax platform, the system will retrieve and auto-fill the taxpayer’s annual income and tax data from integrated internal and third party sources, requiring only validation from the taxpayer.

This initiative is a product of enhanced data interoperability across government systems and reflects KRA’s strategic pivot toward data-driven compliance. As Commissioner-General Humphrey Wattanga aptly put it, “Data has become our greatest asset.” The move is expected to reduce administrative burdens, improve accuracy, and enhance voluntary compliance.

Key Highlights:

  • Pre-populated returns for employment income and nil filers starting January for the financial year 2025.
  • Reduced risk of penalties (KES 2,000) due to filing errors or omissions.
  • System upgrades underway to address iTax downtimes and improve scalability.
  • KRA retains discretion to waive penalties where non-compliance is due to system failures.