Kenya tax, payroll and business guides

Plain-English articles on Kenyan taxes, payroll and compliance.

• 24 Oct 2026 A year of tax deadlines for individuals in KenyaIndividuals have fewer deadlines than businesses, but missing one still costs money. Here is a month-by-month view of what to file, pay and check through the year.
• 23 Oct 2026 How to calculate your take-home pay from your gross salary in KenyaA step-by-step method: NSSF, SHIF and housing levy, taxable pay, PAYE bands, personal relief, then net pay, with a full worked example you can follow.
• 22 Oct 2026 How to file your annual income tax return for business income as a sole traderA step-by-step guide for sole traders and freelancers: gather records, compute profit, file on iTax by 30 June, claim credits and pay any balance.
• 21 Oct 2026 How to register for turnover tax and file monthly returns on iTaxWho qualifies, how to add the turnover tax obligation, how to file by the 20th each month, what to put as gross sales and what penalties apply.
• 20 Oct 2026 Tax mistakes Kenyans make and how to avoid themMost tax problems come from a small number of repeated mistakes: late filing, wrong figures, missing records and ignored letters. Here is how to avoid each one.
• 20 Oct 2026 How to read your iTax ledger and statement of accountUnderstand the entries on your KRA ledger, what the debit and credit columns mean, how to spot unallocated payments and penalties, and how to ask KRA to correct errors.
• 20 Oct 2026 When to hire an accountant or tax agent, and what to expectYou can do a lot of your own tax, but some situations need a professional. Here is how to decide, what an accountant or tax agent does, what it costs and how to work with one.
• 20 Oct 2026 How to use M-Pesa statements to prove income and expensesM-Pesa now carries much of Kenyan business and personal money. Here is how to download statements, read them and turn them into proof for tax, loans and audits.
• 20 Oct 2026 How to track a KRA refund claim and follow upA refund claim can take weeks or months. Here is how to submit a clean claim, track its progress on iTax, respond to queries and escalate when it stalls.
• 20 Oct 2026 How to organise your tax documents through the yearTax time is easy when your papers are in order all year. Here is a simple system for filing receipts, payslips, statements and certificates so nothing goes missing.
• 19 Oct 2026 How to object to a KRA assessment and appeal to the Tax Appeals TribunalWhat to do when KRA issues an assessment you disagree with: the objection deadline, what to include, how to pay the undisputed tax and when to appeal.
• 18 Oct 2026 How to register as an employer and file PAYE returns on iTaxAdd the PAYE obligation, prepare payroll data, upload the monthly return, pay with a PRN and fix common upload errors.