Tool 04
NTN Verification & Filer Status Check
Verify an NTN or CNIC with FBR and see whether you are on the Active Taxpayer List.
NTN verification is the free check that confirms whether a CNIC or National Tax Number is registered with the Federal Board of Revenue, and whether that taxpayer currently appears on FBR's Active Taxpayer List (ATL) as a filer.
Two questions
Who is being checked?
Used only to format your check and, if you send it to us, to look your record up. It is not stored here.
Was a return filed for the latest completed tax year?
Active Taxpayer List status follows the return for the latest completed tax year — not the year you are currently in.
Check the list directly — then we can read the result with you
Status depends on whether a return was filed for the latest completed tax year and whether it was on time. The two checks below give you the answer in a minute; if the result is not what you expected, the cause is usually a missed year, a late filing or a return filed under a different profile.
- 01Send the SMS check or search the online list below.
- 02If your name is not there, find out which year is missing.
- 03Send us the result and we'll tell you what it takes to fix it.
What filer status actually changes
Lower withholding tax on banking transactions, dividends, prize bonds and profit on debt.
Lower withholding on property purchase and sale, and on vehicle registration and token tax.
Fewer refused or restricted transactions where active status is a condition.
It does not reduce the tax you owe — it changes the rate deducted from you along the way.
Why a filed return is not always enough
The return must be for the latest completed tax year — an old year does not carry you.
A return filed after the deadline needs the ATL surcharge paid before the name returns.
A return filed under a different profile or an inactive NTN will not show against yours.
Status appears at the next list update, not the moment you file.
If you are not registered at all
No NTN means no return, and no return means no active status. Registration comes first, then the return for the latest completed year.
What FILERWISE does here
We confirm which year is missing, prepare and file it, handle the surcharge where a filing was late, and tell you when to expect the status to change.
What NTN verification is
NTN verification is the free check that confirms a National Tax Number or CNIC is registered with the Federal Board of Revenue, and shows the taxpayer profile recorded against it — the registered name, the registration date and the tax office the record sits under. It answers one question: does this person or business exist in FBR's records?
Businesses run it before paying a supplier, signing a contract or claiming input tax, and individuals run it to confirm their own record is correct before filing.
NTN status and ATL status are not the same thing
NTN status — are you registered?
Confirms the number exists in FBR's records and whose it is.
Issued once, at registration. It does not expire when you stop filing.
Holding an NTN does not make you a filer.
ATL status — are you a filer?
Confirms your name is on the Active Taxpayer List published by FBR for the current list period.
Follows from filing a return for the latest completed tax year.
This is the status banks, registries and withholding agents check.
How to check your NTN or filer status by CNIC
- 01Open FBR's online verification serviceGo to FBR's e-portal verification page. No login or account is needed for the Active Taxpayer List and taxpayer profile checks.
- 02Choose the right checkUse 'Active Taxpayer List (Income Tax)' for filer status, or 'Taxpayer Profile Inquiry' to see the registration record held against a CNIC or NTN.
- 03Enter your CNIC or NTNIndividuals enter the 13-digit CNIC with no dashes. Businesses enter the 7-digit NTN. Choose the date if the form asks for one — this is the list date the answer is given against.
- 04Complete the captcha and submitThe result shows whether the name appears on the list for that date, along with the registration number and the tax office where the profile sits.
- 05Read the result'Active' means you are a filer for that period. 'Inactive' or no record means a return for the latest completed tax year is missing, was filed late without the surcharge paid, or sits under a different profile.
The SMS route is quicker: text ATL followed by your 13-digit CNIC, with no dashes, to 9966.
Filer vs non-filer: what actually changes
| Where it applies | Filer (on the ATL) | Non-filer (not on the ATL) |
|---|---|---|
| Property purchase and sale | Advance tax at the standard Section 236K / 236C rate | A substantially higher rate on the same transaction value |
| Banking transactions | Standard withholding on cash withdrawals and transfers | Higher withholding, and in some cases a deduction a filer does not face at all |
| Vehicle registration and token tax | Standard rate at registration and at yearly token | Higher rate, charged again each year the status stays inactive |
| Rental income (Section 155) | Tenant deducts at the standard rent slab rate | Tenant deducts at the higher non-filer rate |
| Dividends and profit on debt | Standard withholding rate | Higher withholding rate |
| Claiming the tax back | Excess deductions can be adjusted or refunded through the yearly return | No return filed means nothing is adjusted or reclaimed |
| Proof for banks and tenders | Name shown on the published Active Taxpayer List | Not listed — which some counterparties treat as a reason to refuse |
Rates change with each Finance Act. Use the calculators for the current figure on your own amount, and confirm the rate that applies on the transaction date.
NTN verification and filer status questions
NTN verification is the free FBR check that confirms whether a National Tax Number or CNIC is registered with the Federal Board of Revenue and shows the taxpayer profile held against it — the registered name, registration date and tax office.
Text ATL followed by your CNIC or NTN to 9966, or search the Active Taxpayer List on FBR's online verification page. Both are free and need no login.
An NTN check confirms you are registered with FBR. An ATL status check confirms you are currently a filer, which depends on having filed a return for the latest completed tax year. You can hold a valid NTN and still be inactive on the ATL.
Taxpayer profile inquiry is the option on FBR's verification page that returns the registration details recorded against a CNIC or NTN — registered name, registration date, and the regional tax office the record belongs to.
Yes — 'filler check' is a common misspelling of filer check. Both refer to confirming whether a person or business appears on FBR's Active Taxpayer List.
It means your name appears on the Active Taxpayer List published by FBR. That listing follows from filing your income tax return for the latest completed tax year — holding an NTN by itself does not make you a filer.
Text ATL followed by your CNIC — or your NTN for a business — to 9966, or search the Active Taxpayer List through FBR's online verification service. Both are free.
The most common reasons are that the return was for an earlier year rather than the latest completed one, that it was filed after the deadline and the ATL surcharge has not been paid, that the list has not been refreshed since you filed, or that the return sits under a different profile or NTN.
A late return does not restore active status on its own. The ATL surcharge under section 182A has to be paid on a PSID generated in the FBR portal — the amounts set in the Ordinance are Rs. 1,000 for an individual, Rs. 10,000 for a partnership and Rs. 20,000 for a company. Confirm the current amount before you pay, then re-check at the next list update.
It is refreshed regularly rather than once a year, and a fresh list for the new tax year is issued on 1 March each year based on returns filed for the tax year that ended.
Higher withholding rates on property, vehicles, banking transactions and several other payments, and in some cases restrictions on carrying out the transaction at all. The extra deduction is often more over a year than the cost of filing.
Yes. Send us your CNIC or NTN and we confirm the current position, tell you which year is missing if any, and quote what it takes to be listed again before anything is filed.
Where these figures come from
Every rate in this tool is read from the official documents below. Open any of them to check a figure yourself.
Active Taxpayer ListFBR's list that decides whether filer or non-filer rates apply to you.- FBR Online VerificationThe free FBR service that confirms an NTN, CNIC and Active Taxpayer status.
- Income Tax Ordinance 2001The main law behind the rates, allowances and sections used in this calculation.
FBR IRIS PortalWhere returns are filed and tax already deducted or collected is reported.
Rates last reviewed 20 August 2026 against the sources above. Found a figure that does not match the source? Report a correction.
Want the full plain-language explanation of who must file, what non-filer rates cost, and how status is restored? Read the Active Taxpayer List guide.
This tool explains your likely position from the answers you give — it does not query FBR records and is not tax or legal advice. Only the Active Taxpayer List published by FBR confirms your status.
Not sure where to start?
Pick what you're trying to accomplish. We'll show you the FILERWISE service that fits.
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NTN registration & filer status
We register you and file the return that puts you on the Active Taxpayer List.
See this service