Bangladesh Tax Compliance Checklist for Companies (2026)

Tax compliance checklist Bangladesh: the 2026-27 corporate calendar

A tax compliance checklist Bangladesh companies can actually run from is a calendar, not a list of good intentions. Under the Income Tax Act 2023 a company files one annual return, pays advance tax in four instalments, deposits tax deducted at source every month, files a withholding tax return every quarter and keeps its audited accounts, proof of submission of return and transfer pricing records ready for inspection.[1] The Finance Act 2026 has tightened the edges of that calendar for 2026-27: the National Board of Revenue (NBR) can no longer extend the return date by a month, early filers earn a rebate, late filers pay additional tax, and a return filed without the withholding return acknowledgement is incomplete.[2]

This guide sets out the corporate income tax calendar for the financial year 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, explains each obligation briefly and shows where the penalties sit. It is written for finance directors, company secretaries and in-house counsel. Rates, the mechanics of the return itself and withholding rates are covered in TRW's companion guides, which we link to rather than repeat.

Summary: For a company with a 30 June year end, FY2026-27 brings advance tax instalments on 15 September, 15 December, 15 March and 15 June; monthly deposits of tax deducted at source within two weeks of each month end (with shorter windows in June); quarterly withholding tax returns by the 25th of the month after each quarter; and the annual return for income year 2025-26 by 15 March 2027, with no NBR extension. Audited financial statements, a certified computation sheet, the withholding return acknowledgement and, where relevant, a statement of international transactions must accompany the return.

Key point: 15 March 2027 is a hard date. Last year the NBR moved the company deadline from 15 March to 15 April 2026; the Finance Act 2026 has repealed that power to extend. A return filed after the due date but before 30 June 2027 now costs additional tax of 2% of tax payable, with a minimum of Tk 25,000, and a return filed after that is a delayed return.

At a glance

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Table of Contents

How the corporate tax year works in 2026-27

Every date in a tax compliance checklist Bangladesh companies use hangs on two definitions. The income year is the year in which profits are earned; the assessment year, or tax year, is the twelve months starting on 1 July after it.[1] Most companies use a 1 July to 30 June income year. Banks, insurers and financial institutions use the calendar year, and a subsidiary or holding company of a foreign group may keep its parent's accounting year with approval.[3] [4]

The practical consequence is that a finance team works on two years at once. During FY2026-27 a June year-end company pays advance tax and deducts tax at source on its 2026-27 income, while preparing, auditing and filing the return for income year 2025-26, which is assessment year 2026-27. A December year-end bank filed its return for calendar 2025 by 15 September 2026 and is now paying advance tax on calendar 2026 income.[3]

Self-assessment and payment before filing

Every company files under the self-assessment procedure.[1] Section 173 requires the tax payable on the return, after credit for tax deducted at source and advance tax, to be paid on or before the date of filing; a company that fails to pay without reasonable cause is an assessee-in-default.[1] Section 173 is therefore a payment rule for the company's own tax. It is not the withholding return provision, which is section 177.

Where this checklist fits in TRW's tax coverage

Rates for each type of company are in our guide to corporate income tax in Bangladesh and in income tax rates in Bangladesh. The return form, e-return mechanics and revised returns are in income tax return filing in Bangladesh. Withholding rates by section are in withholding tax in Bangladesh. New companies should start with company tax registration in Bangladesh.

The tax compliance checklist Bangladesh companies need for FY2026-27

The table below is the core of this guide. It assumes a resident company with a 30 June year end that is a specified person for withholding purposes and was assessed for the previous year. On a phone, scroll it sideways.

Three rules qualify every date. First, where an advance tax date falls on a public holiday, the instalment is paid on the next working day, and the same rule applies to the 25th-day withholding return deadline.[1] Second, the dates are statutory or prescribed and do not move because an accountant or auditor is late. Third, the Finance Act each June can change any of them from 1 July, so the calendar must be rebuilt every year rather than rolled forward.[2]

Monthly items

Each month the company deducts tax at source when it pays or credits salaries, suppliers, contractors, service providers, landlords and non-residents, deposits that tax by the prescribed date and issues certificates to payees. Where it is a VAT withholding entity, VAT deducted at source runs on a parallel monthly track, which is explained in our guide to VAT deduction at source.

Quarterly items

Advance tax and the withholding tax return both run quarterly, but on different days: advance tax on the 15th of the last month of each quarter, the withholding tax return on the 25th of the month after the quarter closes.[1] [5] Diarising them separately avoids the most common mix-up we see.

Annual items

The annual cycle starts with the year-end close on 30 June, moves through the statutory audit and annual general meeting, and ends with the return and its attachments. The Companies Act deadlines for accounts and the AGM fall in the same months as the tax return, so the audit timetable drives both.

Tax Day for companies: the 2026-27 return deadline

A company must file by the later of the 15th day of the ninth month following the end of its income year and 15 September following that year.[3] [4] For a 30 June year end that is 15 March; for a 31 December year end it is 15 September. The authentic English text of the Act, published in October 2025, still shows the seventh month in its definition of Tax Day, so older calendars and template engagement letters may carry the wrong date.[1]

Is Tax Day still extendable?

No. For assessment year 2025-26 the NBR extended the company deadline from 15 March to 15 April 2026 after requests from business groups.[12] The Finance Act 2026 repealed the NBR's power to extend the return filing date by one month.[2] For assessment year 2026-27, a June year-end company should treat 15 March 2027 as final.

Rebate and additional tax windows

The Finance Act 2026 priced the filing date for companies. Rahman Rahman Huq summarises the windows as follows:[3]

• Filed more than two months before the due date: rebate of 5% of tax payable or Tk 25,000, whichever is lower.
• Filed within the two months before the due date: no rebate and no additional tax.
• Filed after the due date but by 30 June: additional tax of 2% of tax payable or Tk 25,000, whichever is higher.

For a June year end, that puts the rebate cut-off in mid-January 2027. PwC's summary words the rebate window differently, so check the figure the e-return system calculates before relying on the rebate in a cash forecast.[2] [4] Certain tax incentives and deductions also depend on filing within these timelines.[4]

After 30 June 2027: delayed returns

A return filed after the end of the tax year is a delayed return. Filed voluntarily, it attracts additional tax of 10% of tax payable or Tk 5,000, whichever is higher; filed in response to a reassessment notice, 15% or Tk 10,000.[2] Assessment is mandatory for delayed returns, so a late filer also loses the comparative safety of simple processing.[4]

Advance tax under section 155

Advance tax is the instalment system that collects corporate tax during the year in which profits are earned, and it is the item on a tax compliance checklist Bangladesh companies most often get wrong. The Finance Act 2026 raised the threshold for compulsory advance tax from Tk 0.6 million to Tk 1 million; Rahman Rahman Huq describes it as applying to existing taxpayers whose last assessed income exceeds Tk 1 million.[2] [3] Almost every trading company crosses it.

How much and when

Section 155 sets the minimum advance tax as A minus B, where A is the tax on total income of the last income year at the current year's rates and B is tax deducted or collected at source and advance tax already paid.[1] The result is payable in four equal instalments of 25% on 15 September, 15 December, 15 March and 15 June, moving to the next working day if the date is a public holiday.[1] An unpaid instalment is compounded with the next one.[1]

A company that expects lower profits may submit an estimate to the Deputy Commissioner of Taxes (DCT) and pay on that basis, adjusting instalments already paid.[1] The estimate must be honest: section 269 allows a penalty of up to the shortfall where a company files an estimate it knew or had reason to believe was untrue, or fails to pay advance tax without reasonable cause.[1]

New companies

A company never assessed before must, before 15 June, submit an estimate and pay the instalments that have not yet expired if its income for the period is likely to exceed the threshold in section 156.[1] A new company with a strong first year should model advance tax from its first quarter rather than meet the obligation at its first assessment.

Interest on shortfall

Where advance tax and tax at source together fall below 75% of the tax determined on regular assessment, section 162 charges simple interest at 10% a year on the gap, running from 1 July after the financial year for up to two years.[1] The statute raises the rate by 50% if the return is not filed on time; the Finance Act 2026 limits that uplift to cases where the return is filed after the end of the assessment year.[1] [2] A missed instalment also makes the company an assessee-in-default under section 157.[1]

TDS deposits, certificates and the withholding tax return

For most companies, withholding is the heaviest part of any tax compliance checklist Bangladesh finance teams maintain, because it recurs every month and the liability falls on the payer. The rates are in our withholding tax guide; this section deals only with the calendar.

Depositing tax deducted at source

Section 146 requires all tax deducted or collected to be deposited within the prescribed time.[1] Under rule 8 of the Income Tax Rules 2023, tax deducted from July to May is due within two weeks after the end of the month of deduction; tax deducted in June is due within seven days for 1 to 20 June, the following day for 21 to 29 June, and the same day for 30 June.[3] [11] In August 2026 Bangladesh Bank reminded banks of these deadlines after finding delayed deposits.[11]

Certificates to payees

Section 145 requires the deductor to give each payee a certificate showing the payee's name and TIN, the amount, the section applied and the deposit particulars.[1] A missing certificate can be penalised at up to Tk 5,000, plus Tk 1,000 for each month the default continues.[1]

The section 177 withholding tax return

Section 177 requires companies, firms, associations of persons, private hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centres to file a return of tax deducted or collected at source.[1] The list now extends to public-private partnerships, non-farmer tobacco businesses, e-commerce, hospitality and transport businesses with turnover above Tk 10 million, and individuals with business turnover above Tk 100 million.[3] The statutory text fixes the filing date by reference to the 25th of the month, moving to the next working day where the 25th is a holiday.[1] In current practice the withholding tax return is filed quarterly, by the 25th of the month after each quarter, with no opportunity for extension.[3] [5]

Two features make the withholding tax return more than a formality. The Finance Act 2026 treats an income tax return as incomplete unless it is accompanied by the acknowledgement copy of the withholding tax return.[2] And failure to file it carries its own penalty: the higher of 10% of tax on last assessed income or Tk 5,000, plus Tk 1,000 a month while the default continues.[1]

Withholder identification

Section 263 requires every person who deducts or collects tax at source to hold a withholder identification number (WIN).[1] From 2026-27 a company's TIN serves as its WIN.[2]

Annual accounts and audit requirements

The tax return cannot be filed without audited accounts, and the audited accounts are governed by the Companies Act 1994. A tax compliance checklist Bangladesh boards sign off should therefore track the corporate and the tax deadlines together. Our guides to annual return filing and corporate secretarial compliance cover the RJSC side in detail.

Books of account

Section 181 of the Companies Act requires every company to keep proper books recording receipts and payments, purchases and sales, and assets and liabilities, and, for manufacturing and similar businesses, cost records. Books are proper only if they give a true and fair view and explain the transactions.[6]

Auditors, AGM and filing

• First auditors: appointed by the board within one month of registration; thereafter auditors are appointed at each AGM and hold office until the close of the next.[10]
• AGM timing: the first AGM within 18 months of incorporation, then one AGM in every calendar year with no more than 15 months between meetings.[7]
• Accounts at the AGM: the balance sheet and profit and loss account must be made up to a date no more than nine months before the meeting, or twelve months for companies with business abroad.[8] For a 30 June 2026 year end, that points to an AGM by 31 March 2027.
• RJSC filing: copies of the balance sheet and profit and loss account go to the Registrar within 30 days of the AGM; private companies file them separately.[9]

What the tax return must attach

Section 169(2) requires a company return to attach audited financial statements, evidence of compliance with the NBR's verification criteria and a computation sheet reconciling accounting profit with the income shown in the return.[1] The income computation sheet must be certified by authorised professionals.[3] Rahman Rahman Huq's filing checklist adds bank statements, proof of any reduced rate or exemption, rental agreements, tax payment documents and the withholding return acknowledgement.[3]

The NBR checks audited statements through the Document Verification System of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB), mandatory since 2020, which gives each company one verifiable set of statements.[13] A company that files an audit report not signed by a chartered accountant, or one believed false, faces a penalty of Tk 1 lakh for the year; the accountant faces a separate penalty of Tk 50,000 to Tk 2 lakh for an incorrect or false report.[1]

Proof of submission of return: where the PSR is used

Filing on time matters because the acknowledgement becomes a licence to trade, which is why the PSR belongs on any tax compliance checklist Bangladesh businesses use. Section 264 defines proof of submission of return (PSR) as an acknowledgement receipt or certificate of return, a system-generated certificate showing name, TIN and assessment year, or a DCT certificate.[1] The fuller list of 45 transactions, and what the PSR means for individuals, is in our return filing guide.

Transactions that stall without a PSR

For a company, the items that matter most are:[1]

• obtaining or renewing a trade licence in a city corporation or paurashava, and import or export registration certificates;
• opening an import letter of credit and submitting a bill of entry;
• applying for a loan above Tk 20 lakh;
• renewing drug, fire, environment and BSTI licences, and commercial gas and electricity connections;
• submitting tender documents, and supplying goods or services to a company or firm;
• obtaining or continuing a distributorship, and trade body membership.

The Finance Act 2026 rationalised the PSR list, so confirm the current version of any item before relying on it.[2] A newly formed company may show a certificate with its name and TIN instead of a PSR in its year of incorporation and the following year.[1]

PSR duties on the company itself

A business assessee must display its PSR at a conspicuous place in its premises, on pain of a penalty of Tk 20,000 to Tk 50,000, and the PSR displayed must now be for the latest tax year.[1] [2] When the company is the payer, it must also collect PSRs from suppliers: tax deducted at source rises by 50% where the payee cannot produce evidence of filing, and by 50% again where payment is not made by bank transfer.[1] A person who processes a PSR transaction without verifying the PSR can be fined up to Tk 10 lakh.[1]

Transfer pricing documentation

Any company with cross-border related-party dealings needs a transfer pricing line in its tax compliance checklist Bangladesh auditors will test. The rules in sections 233 to 239 apply to international transactions between associated enterprises, either or both of which are non-residents, measured against the arm's length price.[1] [3]

The three documentation duties

• Records (section 237): keep the information, documents and records prescribed for each international transaction, and produce them on the DCT's written notice.[1]
• Statement (section 238): file a statement of international transactions with the return of income.[1]
• Accountant's report (section 239): where international transactions recorded in the books exceed Tk 3 crore in an income year, the DCT may require a report from a chartered accountant or cost and management accountant.[1]

Penalties and audit

The penalties are calculated on transaction value, not on tax: up to 1% of the value of each international transaction for failing to comply with a notice under section 235 or to keep records under section 237, up to 2% for failing to file the section 238 statement, and up to Tk 3 lakh for failing to furnish the section 239 report.[1] With prior NBR approval the DCT may refer the arm's length price to the Transfer Pricing Officer, and any adjustment is taxed at the regular rate even for an exempt or reduced-rate business.[1] Downward adjustments are not permitted.[3] Our international tax practice prepares and defends transfer pricing files.

Penalties, interest and additional tax

The Act separates late filing, late payment, withholding failures and inaccuracy, and each carries its own charge. The ones a corporate tax compliance checklist should track are:

Filing failures

• No income tax return: 10% of tax on last assessed income, minimum Tk 1,000, plus Tk 50 a day while the default continues (section 266(1)), alongside the additional tax for late and delayed returns.[1] [2]
• No withholding tax return: the higher of 10% of tax on last assessed income or Tk 5,000, plus Tk 1,000 a month (section 266(2)(a)).[1]
• Incomplete return: a return that omits section 169 attachments is incomplete, and if the company does not cure it after notice it can be treated as void or selected for audit.[1]
• Ignoring a notice: up to the tax chargeable on total income for failure to comply with notices under sections such as 179 and 183 (section 270).[1]

Payment failures

• Advance tax: interest under section 162 and a penalty of up to the shortfall under section 269.[1]
• Admitted tax not paid: up to 25% of the unpaid tax (section 271), and up to the unpaid tax again on default in payment (section 275).[1]

Withholding failures

A company that fails to deduct, deducts too little or fails to deposit is an assessee-in-default under section 143. It must pay the tax itself plus an additional amount of 2% a month from the date deduction was due to the date of deposit, capped at 24 months.[1] From 2026-27 the Finance Act replaces disallowance of the related expense with additional tax of 150% of the default for business, professional and agricultural payments.[2]

Accuracy failures

Concealment under section 272 costs 15% of the tax evaded plus 10% of the tax evaded for each year between the year of evasion and the year of discovery.[1] No penalty may be imposed without a hearing, and outside sections 266 and 275 to 279 the DCT needs the prior approval of the Inspecting Additional Commissioner of Taxes.[1]

The authorities a company deals with in this cycle are summarised below.

Record retention and audit windows

The Finance Act 2026 tied income tax record keeping to company law. Taxpayers must keep agreements, bills, vouchers, statements, invoices and other evidence supporting their books, in analogue or digital form under the Information and Communication Technology Act 2006: companies for the period the Companies Act prescribes, and other taxpayers for six years.[2] [4]

Section 181(5) of the Companies Act sets that period at not less than twelve years before the current year, covering books and the vouchers for every entry; a younger company keeps everything since incorporation.[6] Officers who fail to take reasonable steps to secure compliance face imprisonment of up to six months, a fine of up to Tk 5,000, or both.[6]

Why the long period matters

The NBR may select a return for audit within two years after the end of the assessment year, and the audit must finish within one year after the year of selection.[4] Withholding tax returns may be selected for audit within four years of filing, and verification of deduction at source covers the current year and up to two prior years.[3] A notice for assessment may issue within six preceding tax years, or at any time if no return was filed; the Finance Act 2026 also allows undisclosed income found on reassessment to be assessed even if older than six years.[2] [3] Twelve years of records is the only safe answer to those windows.

Common tax issues and how to avoid them

Most corporate tax problems in Bangladesh come from process, not from difficult law, and a working tax compliance checklist Bangladesh finance teams follow prevents nearly all of them. These are the issues that recur in the reviews and disputes we handle, with the control that prevents each one.

• Using last year's dates. Calendars built on the seventh-month Tax Day, on monthly withholding returns or on an expected NBR extension are wrong for 2026-27. Rebuild the calendar each July from the Finance Act.
• Filing without the withholding acknowledgement. The income tax return is incomplete without it.[2] File the fourth-quarter withholding return well before the annual return.
• Holding deducted tax in a suspense account. The 2% monthly additional amount runs from the deposit due date.[1] Reconcile deductions to challans every month.
• Paying vendors without a PSR or outside the banking channel. Each triggers a 50% higher rate that the company bears if it under-deducts.[1] Make PSR and bank details a condition of vendor onboarding.
• Underestimating advance tax. An optimistic estimate invites interest and a section 269 penalty.[1] Document the basis of any reduced estimate.
• Late audits. An audit that slips past February makes the 15 March return and the nine-month AGM rule both difficult. Fix the audit timetable at the year-end close.
• Missing transfer pricing files. Penalties of up to 2% of transaction value dwarf the cost of preparing the statement.[1]
• Discarding records early. Six-year habits from other jurisdictions fall short of the twelve-year rule.[6]

Where a demand has already been raised, our tax disputes practice handles audits, appeals and alternative dispute resolution.

NBR tax and VAT compliance: keeping the two tracks aligned

The NBR administers both income tax and VAT, but the statutes, forms and deadlines are separate, and this checklist covers income tax only. VAT registration, Mushak forms, input tax credit and VAT returns are covered in our new guide to VAT compliance in Bangladesh. Note one recent change that affects calendars: the VAT and Supplementary Duty (Amendment) Ordinance 2026, gazetted on 14 October 2026, restored monthly VAT returns due within 15 days after each tax period.[14]

The two tracks meet in three places: the same payment may require both income tax and VAT deduction at source, the trade licence renewal tests both the PSR and the VAT registration number, and the NBR increasingly matches income tax, withholding and VAT data. Keep separate ledgers but one calendar.

Compliance resources

A finance team needs a short, reliable shelf of resources rather than a folder of circulars. The essentials are:

• the authentic English text of the Income Tax Act 2023, published by the NBR in October 2025, read with the Finance Act 2026;[1] [2]
• the NBR's e-return and e-TIN portals for filing and PSR verification, and ICAB's Document Verification System for audited statements;[13]
• the annual tax guides of the Big Four firms, which summarise each Finance Act;[3] [4]
• the Companies Act 1994 on the bdlaws website for accounts, audit and AGM rules;[6]
• TRW's hub on tax law in Bangladesh, which links each topic guide.

Building an annual tax compliance checklist Bangladesh teams can run

A tax compliance checklist Bangladesh regulators would recognise assigns an owner and evidence to each date. The sequence below is the one we use when rebuilding a client's calendar at the start of the year.

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Two habits make the most difference. First, close each quarter with a three-way reconciliation between the withholding ledger, the deposit challans and the certificates issued. Second, hold a board-level review in January of the audit timetable, the advance tax position and the return, so that the company can still choose to file early. Our tax compliance practice runs these reviews, and our corporate tax practice advises on the computation behind the return.

What to watch in 2026-27

Three developments will shape the year. First, with the extension power repealed and a 2% minimum Tk 25,000 charge for late returns, 15 March 2027 will be the first real test of the new company deadline.[2] Second, the end of expense disallowance for withholding failures replaces one risk with another: additional tax of 150% of the default.[2] Third, digital record-keeping and the NBR's new power to seek information in digital form will make data mismatches between returns, withholding returns and audited accounts easier to find.[2]

The next Finance Act, expected in June 2027, may change any date in this tax compliance checklist Bangladesh companies rely on. Confirm the current rule before each filing, and keep the evidence for every figure.

Frequently asked questions

What is the first date on a tax compliance checklist Bangladesh companies use?

By the later of the 15th day of the ninth month after the income year and 15 September. For a 30 June 2026 year end that is 15 March 2027; for a 31 December 2025 year end it was 15 September 2026.[3] [4]

Can the NBR extend the company deadline in 2027?

No. The Finance Act 2026 repealed the NBR's power to extend the return filing date by one month. The 2025-26 deadline had been extended to 15 April 2026.[2] [12]

What does a late company return cost?

Additional tax of 2% of tax payable, minimum Tk 25,000, if filed after the due date but within the tax year; 10% or Tk 5,000 for a voluntary delayed return; and 15% or Tk 10,000 after a reassessment notice.[2] [3]

When are advance tax instalments due?

Under section 155, in four equal instalments on 15 September, 15 December, 15 March and 15 June, or the next working day if the date is a public holiday.[1]

Is section 173 the withholding return provision?

No. Section 173 requires a taxpayer to pay the tax due on its return on or before filing. The withholding tax return is filed under section 177.[1]

How often is the withholding tax return filed?

Quarterly, by the 25th of the month after each quarter, with no extension. The income tax return is incomplete without its acknowledgement.[2] [5]

When must tax deducted at source be deposited?

Within two weeks after the end of the month for deductions from July to May; within seven days for 1 to 20 June; the next day for 21 to 29 June; and the same day for 30 June.[3] [11]

What must a company attach to its return?

Audited financial statements, evidence of compliance with NBR verification criteria, a certified computation sheet, the withholding return acknowledgement and, if it has international transactions, a statement of international transactions.[1] [2] [3]

What are the transfer pricing penalties?

Up to 1% of the value of each international transaction for record or notice failures, up to 2% for not filing the statement of international transactions, and up to Tk 3 lakh for not furnishing a required accountant's report.[1]

How long must a company keep its tax records?

For the Companies Act period, which section 181 sets at not less than twelve years for books and vouchers. Non-company taxpayers keep records for six years.[2] [6]