How To File Nil Returns For Students

Are you a student in Kenya looking to file Nil Returns on KRA Portal before the 30th June Deadline reaches? Learn How To File Nil Returns For Students.

As the deadline to file Nil Returns approaches, there is a rise in the number of Returns that students are filing each and every day. If you are a student and have an active KRA PIN, you need to ensure that you file your KRA Returns before the 30th June deadline reaches.

In this article, I am going to share with you the main steps that you need to follow on How To File Nil Returns For Students. This article will be of great benefit to the students in Kenya both whom are in Vocational Schools, Polytechnics, Colleges or Universities and need to file their Nil Returns on KRA Portal.

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In this article, I will be highlighting on some important terms and concepts related to Filing Nil Returns for Students in Kenya using KRA Portal. This will cover: What Is Nil Returns, Who Is Supposed To File Nil Returns, Deadline For Filing Nil Returns For Students, Requirements Needed In Filing Nil Returns For Students and How To File Nil Returns For Students. 

To be able to file Nil Returns for Students, you need to ensure that you have with you the KRA Portal Login Credentials i.e. KRA PIN Number and iTax Password, and once Logged in under the Returns menu tab, you click on File Nil Returns, select the Return Period, submit Nil Return and download the Nil Returns Acknowledgement Receipt. 

In simple terms, How To File Nil Returns for Students is a process that all students in Kenya need to follow keenly so as to file their KRA Nil Returns on time before the deadline for filing KRA Returns in Kenya reaches. The earlier the students file their Nil Returns the better for them. This is because any student who does not file his or her Nil Returns by 30th June of each year will receive a penalty from Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). 

What Is Nil Returns?

Nil Returns refers to the type of KRA Return that is filed by individuals who do not have any active source of income i.e. Employment, Business or Rental. Students in Kenya normally fall into this category, and the Tax Laws in Kenya states that anyone one who has an active KRA PIN Number needs to file his or her KRA Returns before the 30th June Deadline. 

Failure to file your KRA Returns normally attracts a penalty of Kshs. 2,000.00 which is a huge sum of money in Kenya today. So, if you are a student in Kenya, always remember to file Nil Returns before the Tax Returns Deadline reaches so as not be caught offside and end up paying the KRA Penalty for failing to file your Nil Returns as a student. 

Who Is Supposed To File Nil Returns?

Having looked at what we mean by Nil Returns above, we now need to address the important question on Who is supposed to File Nil Returns? To be able to answer this question, you need to understand that 3 groups fall into this category. This includes those who do not have Employment Income, those who do not have Rental Income and those who do not have Business income. 

• Those Who Do Not Have Employment Income

The first category of people who are supposed to file Nil Returns on KRA Portal are those who do not have Employment Income. Just as the name suggests, this means the individuals that are unemployed or do not have jobs in Kenya. This forms the largest group of people in Kenya. So, if you know that you do not have any Employment Income, then you need to file Nil Returns on iTax. 

• Those Who Do Not Have Rental Income

The next category of people who are supposed to file Nil Returns on iTax, are those who do not have or drive income from Rental units. In this scenario, Rental Income is that Income that is derived from Rents i.e. houses, apartments, estates e.t.c. So if you do not have Rental as a source of income, then you need to file Nil Returns on iTax before the deadline reaches. 

• Those Who Do Not Have Business Income

Last but definitely not the least, is those who do not have any business income. This simply means that if you do not own any registered business in Kenya, then you need to file Nil Returns on KRA Portal. If you fit into this group, then prepare yourself to start filing your Nil Returns before the 30th June deadline reaches. 

Deadline For Filing Nil Returns For Students

For many years now, there has never been an extension on the deadline to filing KRA Nil Returns for both students and employees in Kenya. So, KRA normally gives all taxpayers a window period of 180 days to ensure that all taxpayers file their KRA Returns on KRA Portal or simply File Returns on iTax. You have 6 months from January to June to file Nil Returns and KRA accepts no excuses for failing to file KRA Returns. 

The deadline always stands at 30th June of each year meaning that students in Kenya need to file their Nil Returns between 1st January to 30th June of each year failure to which you will end up paying penalties for not filing your KRA Returns on time. To avoid that, ensure that you file your Nil Returns as early as possible to avoid the last minute rush. 

Requirements Needed In Filing Nil Returns For Students

There are a set of requirements that students in Kenya need to have in order to file their Nil Returns in KRA Portal. This includes KRA PIN Number and KRA iTax Password. These are the two main requirements that are needed in the process of Filing Nil Returns for Students on iTax in Kenya. 

• KRA PIN Number

KRA PIN Number is the most important requirement that you need to have with you. If by any chance you have forgotten or you don’t remember your KRA PIN, you can submit KRA PIN Retrieval order online here at Cyber.co.ke Portal and our team of experts will be able to assist with with PIN Retrieval request.

At the same time, if you are looking for a new KRA PIN, you can get it here in 3 minutes by submitting your KRA PIN Registration order today at Cyber.co.ke Portal. Your KRA PIN Certificate will be sent to your Email Address once the Request for PIN Registration has been done and processed from our Support team.

• KRA iTax Password

The next requirement that you need to have with you is your KRA iTax Password. You will need the iTax Password to access your KRA iTax Account. If you don’t know or have forgotten your iTax Password, you can check our article on How To Reset KRA iTax Password. Once you have requested for password reset, a new password will be emailed to you and you can use it to log into your iTax Account.

You can only change or reset your iTax Password if the email used in KRA iTax Portal is the same that you currently have. If you don’t remember or need to change your KRA Email Address, you can submit KRA PIN Change of Email Address order online at Cyber.co.ke Portal and have your Email Address changed so as to enable your Reset KRA iTax Password.

Now that you have an understanding of the requirements needed in Filing Nil Returns on KRA Portal, we can go ahead and look at the steps that all students in Kenya need take on How To File Nil Returns For Students.

How To File Nil Returns For Students

Step 1: Visit KRA Portal

The first step that you need to take in the process of How To File Nil Returns for Students is to ensure that you visit the KRA Portal using the link provided above in the above description. Note, the above is an external link that will take you to the KRA Portal.

Step 2: Enter Your KRA PIN Number 

In this step, you will need to enter your KRA PIN Number. If you have forgotten your KRA PIN, you can request for KRA PIN Retrieval here at Cyber.co.ke Portal and your KRA PIN will be sent to your email address immediately. Once you have entered your KRA PIN, click on the “Continue” botton to proceed to the next step.

Step 3: Enter KRA iTax Password and Solve Arithmetic Question (Security Stamp)

In this step, you will be required to enter your KRA iTax Password and also solve the arithmetic question (security stamp). If you have forgotten your iTax Password, you can check our article on How To Reset KRA iTax Password. A new password will be sent to your email and you can use it to login. Once you have entered your iTax Password, click on the “Login” button to access your iTax Account.

Step 4: KRA Portal Account Dashboard

Once you have entered the correct iTax Password and solved the arithmetic question (security stamp) as illustrated in Step 3 above, you will be logged in successfully and be able to see and access your KRA iTax Web Portal Account Dashboard. Since we need to file Nil Returns for Students, we proceed to Step 5 below. 

Step 5: Click On The Returns Menu And File Nil Returns

In this step, on the iTax Account menu list, navigate to “Returns” menu tab and click on “File Nil Return” from the drop down menu list. This is as illustrated in the screenshot below.

Step 6: Select Tax Obligation 

In the Nil e-Return Form, under the Tax Obligation part, select Income Tax Resident Individual since we are filing KRA Nil Return for a Resident Individual. The other two fields i.e Type and Taxpayer are automatically pre-filled by the system.

Step 7: Fill In The Income Tax Resident Individual Nil Returns Form

In this step, on the KRA Nil e-Return Form, you need to select the date for the Return Period From part. Since we are in 2020, we are filing KRA Nil Returns for 2019. So the Return Period From date will be 01/01/2019 and the Return Period To date will be automatically pre-filled by the system to 31/12/2019.

Once you have entered the dates and clicked on the “Submit” button, you will see a pop up from ita.kra.go.ke asking you: “Dear taxpayer, filing of Nil Returns is only applicable in cases where you have no transactions to declare for the period. Are you sure you want file Nil Return? Since that is what we are filing here, click on the “Yes” button. 

Step 8: Download Nil Returns For Students Receipt

In this last step, you will need to download the Nil Returns for Students Receipt that has been generated by the iTax system successfully. This is a final confirming that your Nil Returns as a student in Kenya have been successfully submitted to Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). An Acknowledgement Number will also be generated for that Nil Return that we have just filed.

Below is the Nil Returns Acknowledgement Receipt for Students that is a final confirmation that we have successfully filed Nil Returns for Students using KRA Portal. 

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To wrap things up, if you are a student in Kenya and don’t have any source of income, you need to ensure that you file your Nil Returns on KRA Portal as soon as possible before the deadline set by KRA elapses. All you need to ensure that you have with you in the process of How To File Nil Returns for Students is your KRA PIN Number and KRA iTax Password. If you require help in filing Nil Returns for Students in Kenya, here at Cyber.co.ke Portal we can file your Nil Returns for you. Just submit your order online at our KRA Nil Returns Filing page.