Obtaining a Tax Compliance Certificate from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) used to be a complex process; you could wait days or even months for the KRA to approve or reject your Tax Complication Certificate (TCC).
However, this procedure has been streamlined. If you apply for a KRA Tax Compliance Certificate and you have no outstanding returns, liabilities, or payments at the Kenya Revenue Authority, you will receive one right away (KRA).
The iTax system is now interactive, according to Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), to facilitate the self-service procedure, in which the taxpayer applications and receives a (TCC) without employee assistance.
To continue with the self-service application for a Tax Compliance Certificate on the iTax Portal, the taxpayer must pay any outstanding debt or submit an application for a payment plan, which, if approved, must be paid.
In this article, we’ll go over the streamlined procedure for applying for a KRA Tax Compliance Certificate on iTax. However, we must first clarify what we mean by a “Tax Compliance Certificate” before moving on.
What Is Tax Compliance Certificate?
Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) issues Tax Compliance Certificates to taxpayers who have cooperated, filed their tax returns for a specified time, and paid all taxes owed as required by law. A taxpayer may use the KRA Tax Compliance Certificate for a period of 12 months after it has been provided to them.
If you are in compliance, you don’t owe the Kenya Revenue Authority any money (KRA). Simply put, being compliant means you have no outstanding tax debt with KRA. Therefore, obtaining a Tax Compliance Certificate (TCC) will be simple if you are compliant. After applying, you’ll be able to acquire the TCC in less than 5 minutes.
Read How to Pay KRA Tax And Penalties Through Mpesa
As soon as you have done submitting your application on iTax, KRA will offer you a Tax Compliance Certificate (TCC) if you are tax compliant. If you do not comply, KRA will inform you of the specifics of the outstanding returns and liabilities, including the years in which you failed to file your KRA returns and the years in which you failed to make payments for the accumulated liabilities.
Tax Compliance Certificate Application Requirements
You must first meet the following two conditions in order to proceed with the streamlined TCC application process.
- The KRA PIN
Your KRA PIN Number is the first item you must have on hand. If you have lost or forgotten your KRA PIN, you can retrieve it by sending a ticket to the KRA Facebook page with your ID number requesting the retrieval of your pin.
- KRA iTax Password
Your KRA iTax Password is the next thing you must have on hand. To access your KRA iTax Account, you would need the iTax Password. You can email KRA support to request a new one if you don’t remember or lost your iTax Password. After requesting a password reset, you will receive an email with a new password that you can use to access your iTax Account.
How To Apply For Tax Compliance Certificate
Step 1: Visit KRA iTax Portal
The first thing you must do is make sure you go to the KRA iTax portal by clicking on this link https://itax.kra.go.ke/KRA-Portal/
Step 2: Enter Your KRA PIN Number
You must input your KRA PIN number in this step. To move on to the following stage after entering your KRA PIN, click the “Continue” button.
Step 3: Enter iTax Password and Solve the Security Stamp
In this step, you must enter your KRA iTax Password as well as answer the arithmetic question (security stamp). After entering your iTax Password, click the “Login” button to gain access to your iTax Account.
Step 4: Apply for the Compliance Certificate
You will be able to see and access your iTax Account Dashboard once you have entered the correct iTax Password as instructed in Step 3 above. After selecting the certificates tab, select “Apply for Tax Compliance Certificate (TCC)” from the dropdown menu. You can now begin the TCC application process.
You’ll notice that with this new feature, a popup window will appear, as shown in the image above, saying: “Please be advised that you are entitled to the Tax Compliance Certificate (TCC) without any workflow.” Click OK to continue.
Simply put, if you apply for the Tax Compliance Certificate, it will be issued to you immediately, as the TCC Application will be Auto Approved by the iTax System. Click OK to proceed to state the Reason for the Application.
Once you’ve entered the reason for your Tax Compliance Certificate application, click the “Submit” button to send the request to Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).
Step 5: Download Tax Compliance Certificate
This is the final step in which you must download the Approved Tax Compliance Certificate. You should also keep track of the approval receipt for the KRA Tax Compliance Certificate, which includes an acknowledgment number.
Once you’ve downloaded the KRA Tax Compliance Certificate, you’ll be able to make copies for future reference. You should also keep in mind that the TCC is only valid for 12 months from the date it was issued.
Read also How to File KRA Returns Using P9 Form
Taxpayers Entitled To Get Tax Compliance Certificate Upon Application
As a result, the KRA TCC will be issued to any taxpayer who has filed and complied with Kenyan tax laws. When they apply for a KRA Tax Compliance Certificate, the following people will receive it in 5 minutes:
- New taxpayers are those who have recently received their new KRA PINs.
- Taxpayers who have filed relevant tax returns and paid taxes due as required by law are considered compliant.
In this case, if you do not fall into one of the above two categories of taxpayers, your chances of receiving the Tax Compliance Certificate are slim to none.
Read How to File KRA Nil Returns on iTax Portal in Kenya.
Taxpayers Not Entitled To Get Tax Compliance Certificate Upon Application
This is the category of taxpayers who are unable to apply for a Tax Compliance Certificate on iTax. This includes the two types of taxpayers listed below:
- Taxpayers with Pending Returns, i.e. those who have not filed their KRA Returns on iTax for a specific year(s).
- Pending Payments Taxpayers are those who have not paid their tax liabilities or penalties on iTax.
And there you have it, that is how simple it is to apply and get your tax compliance certificate as long as you have fulfilled all the requirements and follow the procedures correctly.
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is a government Organization formed through a statute passed by the Kenyan parliament, Chapter 469 of the country’s laws, which took effect on July 1st, 1995. KRA is tasked with collecting revenue on behalf of the Kenyan government.
