Sales Tax
Sales Tax Return Filing in KarachiAccurate monthly returns filed on time, with input tax properly reconciled.
Once a business is registered for sales tax, whether with FBR or the Sindh Revenue Board, it takes on a recurring monthly obligation that does not pause for a slow month or a change in staff handling accounts. A sales tax return is due every month on IRIS or the SRB e-portal, and it requires a level of detail — sales invoices, purchase invoices, Annexure C entries, input tax adjustments — that most small and mid-sized businesses in Karachi are not set up to manage in-house without dedicated support.
We prepare and file monthly sales tax returns for retailers in Saddar, manufacturers in SITE and Landhi, wholesalers in Jodia Bazaar, and service providers across DHA and Clifton. Our work covers reconciling sales invoices against declared output tax, matching purchase invoices to claim eligible input tax, and resolving the mismatches that Annexure C throws up when a supplier has not filed their own return correctly.
Late or inaccurate filing is one of the most common sources of FBR and SRB notices, and it is largely avoidable with a disciplined monthly process. We treat return filing as an ongoing relationship rather than a one-off task, tracking your deadlines, reminding you when documents are due, and flagging anomalies before they become the subject of a notice.
Who this is for
Who needs this service
Any business holding an FBR sales tax registration must file a monthly return declaring output tax on sales and claiming input tax on eligible purchases, even in months with no sales activity.
Consultancies, agencies, restaurants, and other service businesses registered with the Sindh Revenue Board have a parallel monthly filing obligation on the SRB e-portal with its own deadlines and format.
Companies whose input tax claims are frequently disallowed or held up due to supplier non-filing need a firm that actively reconciles Annexure C and follows up with vendors, not just files whatever figures are handed over.
If returns have been missed for one or more months, catching up correctly matters, since default surcharge and penalties accrue and unfiled returns can trigger a notice or block your active taxpayer status.
Problems we solve
What we take off your desk
- Missed monthly deadlines leading to default surcharge and penalties
- Input tax disallowed because a supplier failed to file their own sales tax return
- Confusion over Annexure C reconciliation between purchases and supplier declarations
- Nil returns not filed in slow months, resulting in unnecessary notices
- Inconsistent figures between FBR sales tax returns and SRB service tax returns for mixed businesses
- Sales tax withheld by customers not properly accounted for in the return
How it works
Our process, start to finish
Monthly data collection
We collect your sales invoices, purchase invoices, and bank statements each month on a set schedule so return preparation is not left to the last few days before the deadline.
Reconciliation and Annexure C review
We match purchase invoices against supplier filings visible in Annexure C, flag mismatches early, and follow up on invoices from suppliers who have not yet filed so input tax is not lost.
Return preparation and review
We prepare the return on IRIS or the SRB e-portal, calculate net tax payable or refundable, and share a summary with you before submission so nothing is filed without your sign-off.
Filing and record retention
We file the return before the due date, retain a copy of the acknowledgment and supporting workings, and keep a running record that makes annual reconciliation and any future audit far easier.
What we need from you
Documents typically required
- Sales invoices for the tax period
- Purchase invoices from registered suppliers
- Bank statements for the relevant month
- Debit and credit note records, if any
- Details of any tax withheld by or from customers
- Stock or inventory summary, where relevant to the business
- Prior month's return and payment challans for continuity
If a document is missing, tell us — in most matters we can work from what you have and obtain the rest on your behalf.
Two portals, two calendars
A business operating in Karachi that sells both goods and services often has to manage two separate monthly filing obligations: an FBR sales tax return on IRIS and an SRB sales tax on services return on the SRB e-portal. The two systems have different formats, different Annexures, and occasionally different due dates within the same month, and treating them as one combined task is where errors creep in.
We manage both filings for clients who fall under dual jurisdiction, keeping the underlying books consistent so that the figures reported to FBR and SRB do not contradict each other, which is exactly the kind of discrepancy that draws attention during any later review or audit.
Deadlines, default surcharge, and what a missed return actually costs
Sales tax returns are generally due by a fixed date each month, and missing that date does not simply mean a warning — it triggers default surcharge calculated on any tax due, and repeated non-filing can affect your status as an active taxpayer, which in turn affects the rate of tax withheld from your payments by others. Filing a nil return is still required in a month with no taxable activity; skipping it is a common and unnecessary cause of notices.
Where a business comes to us after already missing several months of returns, our first task is to establish exactly which periods are outstanding, prepare accurate returns for each, and file them in the correct sequence, since portals will often not accept a later month's return until the earlier ones are cleared.
Where input tax claims usually get disallowed
The most common reason input tax gets disallowed is not fraud or error on the buyer's side — it is that the supplier did not file their own return, or filed it late, so the purchase never appears correctly in Annexure C. We flag this at the reconciliation stage every month rather than waiting for FBR or SRB to raise it during a review, which gives you time to follow up with the supplier or adjust your position.
We quote our monthly filing fees upfront based on transaction volume and whether dual FBR-SRB filing is involved, so the scope and cost of ongoing support is clear before we start, rather than being negotiated fresh each month.
Questions clients ask
Frequently asked questions
- When is the sales tax return due each month?
- FBR sales tax returns and SRB returns each have their own monthly due dates, generally falling within the first half of the following month, though the exact date can shift slightly and we track it for each client so nothing is missed.
- Do I still need to file a return if I had no sales in a given month?
- Yes. A nil return still needs to be filed for the period, and skipping it is a common reason businesses receive unnecessary notices from FBR or SRB.
- Why was my input tax claim reduced or disallowed?
- This usually happens because the supplier whose invoice you are claiming did not file their own sales tax return, or filed it late, so it does not reconcile against your claim in Annexure C. We identify these gaps during monthly reconciliation.
- What happens if I have missed filing returns for several months?
- We first identify exactly which periods are outstanding, then prepare and file them in the correct chronological order, since portals typically require earlier periods to be cleared before later ones can be submitted. Default surcharge on any tax due will apply for the delay.
- Can you handle both FBR and SRB returns if my business falls under both?
- Yes, we regularly manage dual filings for Karachi businesses that deal in both goods and services, keeping the figures consistent across both portals.
- Do you calculate the tax payable, or do I need to provide that?
- We calculate net tax payable or refundable as part of preparing the return, based on the sales and purchase data you provide, and share our workings with you before anything is filed.
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