KRA Announces Disruption Of iTax Starting Tonight

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has notified taxpayers of a scheduled four-hour downtime on the iTax portal to facilitate system maintenance.

According to a notice released on Thursday, September 18, the exercise will run from 10 p.m. on Thursday to 2 a.m. on Friday, September 19.

"Please be advised that there will be a scheduled maintenance of iTax from Thursday, 18th September 2025, 10:00 PM to Friday, 19th September 2025, 2:00 AM. We regret any inconvenience caused," announced KRA.

KRA noted that all online services connected to iTax would be inaccessible during the maintenance window.

The iTax platform, designed to streamline tax processes, allows taxpayers to update registration details, file returns, register payments, and track their ledger accounts in real time.

The upgrade is intended to enhance KRA’s capacity to host and manage more digital services.

Last month, KRA fully automated the filing of tax returns on iTax, eliminating manual submissions. Under the new system, salaried employees only need to enter their National ID number, after which the platform automatically fills in their annual income details, including gross pay and statutory deductions, for the relevant financial year.

"Data is going to become, or has become, our greatest asset, so we want to see how we integrate it into various data systems internally so that we do not have siloed systems but integrated systems," said KRA Commissioner General Humphrey Wattang'a.

KRA noted that many users complained about forgetting or losing their Personal Identification Numbers (PINs), which were previously the only means of logging in.

Until the update, access to the iTax system was strictly PIN-based—a process many found cumbersome, especially during the busy tax filing season.

However, the authority clarified that the PIN login option will remain available. The newly introduced ID-based login was expected to offer a more convenient alternative for many taxpayers, especially during the peak return filing period.

The introduction of the ID-based login is part of ongoing reforms aimed at modernising tax administration and creating a more taxpayer-friendly system. 

KRA is working to streamline its digital infrastructure, simplify procedures, and enhance accessibility through the use of technology.

To access iTax using the new login option, individual taxpayers must have a valid Kenyan ID and a mobile number that is already registered and linked to their iTax profile. The system will authenticate the ID information before granting access.