For years, the month of June in Kenya has been synonymous with Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) system downtimes, long queues, and the panic of beating the June 30th deadline. If you’ve ever stared at a loading screen on iTax at 11:50 PM, you know the struggle.
But for the 2026 filing season, the story might finally change.
KRA has announced major tax filing changes aimed at modernizing the experience. Moving away from the “one-size-fits-all” approach, the authority is rolling out a phased, data-driven system that categorizes taxpayers based on the complexity of their income.
Here is everything you need to know about the new smart filing system.
A new “Phased” approach
The core of this update is segmentation. Rather than treating every PIN holder the same, KRA is using data analytics to group taxpayers into three specific categories. This allows them to send you personalized communication at the right time, rather than generic blasts.
The goal? To “treat you like the individual you are, not just another PIN number.”
Which category are you in?
KRA has broken down the 2026 filing season into three distinct groups.
1. Employment income only (the easy path): If your only source of money in 2025 was your salary, this is the best news you’ll hear all day.
- What changes: You won’t have to fill out complex forms from scratch. KRA is introducing prepopulated returns for this category.
- The tech: The system pulls employment details already captured in iTax. All you need to do is log in, verify that the numbers match your P9 form, and click submit. It reduces a process that used to take hours into mere minutes.
2. Employment + side hustles (multiple sources): This category is for the “gig economy” workers or those with diverse portfolios. If you have a salary but also earn from rental income, consultancy, or other revenue streams subject to Withholding Tax (WHT), you fall here.
- What changes: You will receive targeted guidance that highlights specific income categories KRA has detected. This helps ensure you don’t accidentally omit a revenue stream and face penalties later.
3. Nil & non-filers (the cleanup crew): This group targets those who usually file Nil returns or haven’t filed at all, despite having tax data in the system (like withholding tax).
- What changes: Instead of ignoring these accounts, KRA will send personalized info to help these users understand their status. KRA notes that this transparency could actually help people discover they are owed tax refunds they didn’t know about.
Beyond just convenience, the new KRA tax filing changes address a major technical bottleneck: the crash of the iTax system.
By spacing out communications and guiding users based on complexity, KRA hopes to prevent the massive surge of traffic that usually cripples their digital infrastructure in late June. It promises a “smoother experience” where the system actually works when you need it to.
Since the new system relies heavily on “personalized communication,” KRA is urging all taxpayers to log into iTax immediately and ensure their email addresses and phone numbers are up to date. You can expect to receive an SMS or email notification telling you exactly which phase you belong to and when to file.
