How do I check filer status by SMS?

Type ATL, a space, and your 13-digit CNIC without dashes, then send it to 9966 from a Pakistani mobile number. Companies and AOPs send ATL followed by their 7-digit NTN. FBR replies with Active or Inactive for the current list.

Is the FBR filer status check free?

Yes. The online ATL lookup on FBR's e-portal needs no account and no fee. The SMS to 9966 is charged at your mobile operator's standard SMS rate, but FBR charges nothing for the reply.

I filed my return but still show as Inactive. Why?

The list refreshes on a lag, so a return filed today can take a day or two to show. If it is still Inactive after a week, confirm on IRIS that the return was actually submitted rather than left as a draft. A return filed after the due date is added only once the Rs. 25,000 ATL surcharge under Section 182A has been paid.

Filer status kaise check karein?

Apne mobile se ATL likhein, space dein, phir apna 13-digit CNIC bina dash ke likhein, aur 9966 par send karein. FBR ka jawab Active ya Inactive batata hai. Online check ke liye FBR ki Active Taxpayer status page par CNIC daal kar verify karein.

Does having an NTN make me a filer?

No. An NTN is your registration number with FBR; filer status comes from filing your annual income tax return so that your name appears on the Active Taxpayer List. Someone can hold an NTN for years and still be a non-filer if no return was filed.

Check Filer Status by CNIC: FBR ATL Check Online & SMS

Your filer status is a yes-or-no fact: either your name is on the FBR Active Taxpayer List (ATL) right now, or it is not. Everything that makes filing worth doing, the lower withholding tax on property, bank profit, and vehicles, hangs on that one list. Checking takes under a minute, it is free, and you do not need an IRIS login. Here are the three ways FBR provides, what the result means, and what to do if it says Inactive.

The fastest check: SMS to 9966

FBR runs a short-code service for exactly this. From any Pakistani mobile number:

Individual: type ATL (space) your 13-digit CNIC without dashes, and send it to 9966 .
AOP or company: type ATL (space) the 7-digit NTN , and send it to 9966.
Azad Jammu & Kashmir: type AJKATL (space) CNIC without dashes, or AJKATL (space) the 11-digit NTN, and send it to 9966.

The reply tells you whether the CNIC or NTN is Active or Inactive on the current list. FBR publishes the exact formats on its Active Taxpayer status page .

The online check by CNIC

FBR's e-portal has an ATL status lookup that does not require an account. Open the FBR Active Taxpayer status page , choose the online ATL status check, select CNIC as the parameter type, enter your CNIC without dashes, complete the captcha, and verify. The result is read from FBR's live list and shows the status and, for active filers, the tax year of the return that earned it.

If you have an NTN rather than a CNIC in front of you, the same tool accepts an NTN. Companies and AOPs use their 7-digit NTN.

Download the full list

FBR also publishes the whole ATL as a downloadable file on its Download ATL page . It is large and only useful if you need to check many people at once, for example an employer confirming which staff are filers before applying withholding rates.

What Active and Inactive actually mean

FBR describes the ATL as a central record of online income tax return filers for the previous tax year, published on 1 March each year and valid until the last day of February the following year. Since October 2024 FBR has said the list is refreshed daily rather than weekly, so a return filed today should show within a day or two rather than waiting for the next Monday update ( FBR press release , ATL overview ).

Active means your latest return was filed and accepted. You pay the filer withholding rates.
Inactive means the return that would put you on the list has not been filed, or was filed late and the ATL surcharge has not been paid. You pay the non-filer rates.
Not found usually means you are not registered with FBR at all, so the first step is registering for an NTN .

Note that an NTN on its own does not make you a filer. Registration gets you the number; filing the return gets you on the list. Our guide to becoming a filer in Pakistan walks through the whole sequence.

Why the status matters in rupees

The filer vs non-filer gap is the reason to check. On a property purchase a filer pays 1.25% advance tax where a non-filer pays 10.5% on the same transaction; on bank profit it is 20% against 40%. Put your own numbers into the filer vs non-filer savings calculator to see the annual difference.

Inactive? Here is how to fix it

You never filed. File your income tax return for the latest tax year on IRIS. If you file by the due date, 30 September 2026 for Tax Year 2026, you are included in the ATL as soon as the return is processed.
You filed, but after the deadline. A late return goes on the ATL only after you pay the surcharge under Section 182A, which the Finance Act 2026 raised to Rs. 25,000 for individuals. The deadline and ATL surcharge guide explains the amount, the six-month property undertaking that lets you skip it, and how it differs from the late-filing penalty.
You filed recently and still show Inactive. Give it a day or two for the list to refresh, then check again by SMS. If it is still Inactive after a week, log in to IRIS and confirm the return shows as submitted rather than saved as a draft.
Your details changed. A CNIC that was renewed or a mobile number no longer registered in your name can leave the SMS check answering for the wrong record. The online check by CNIC is the safer confirmation.

The rates you pay for the rest of the year follow whichever answer the list gives, so check before any large transaction, and check again after you file. The Budget 2026-27 changes made the filer rates better and the non-filer rates no kinder, which is one more reason to know where you stand today.

How to Check Filer Status Online by CNIC in Pakistan (FBR ATL Check)