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Dividend and withholding tax tracker

Record dividends paid to shareholders, withhold the right tax for residents and non-residents and track what you have paid to KRA.

Dividend and withholding tax tracker template

When a company pays a dividend, it usually has to withhold tax and pay it to KRA. This tracker records each dividend, applies the rate for resident or non-resident shareholders, shows the net dividend and keeps a record of when the tax was paid, so nothing is left outstanding.

Company secretaries, directors and accountants of private companies that pay dividends, and shareholders who want to check the tax taken from their dividend.

What is included

  • Resident and non-resident withholding rates
  • Tax withheld and net dividend for each payment
  • Due or paid status for the tax
  • Totals of dividends, tax withheld and tax still due
  • Summary by residency with a chart

Screenshots

  • Dividends and withholding tax of Dividend and withholding tax tracker
  • Tax withheld by residency of Dividend and withholding tax tracker

How to use it

  1. Check the resident and non-resident rates on the Rates sheet.
  2. Record each dividend with its date, the shareholder and whether they are resident.
  3. Read the tax to withhold and the net dividend to pay.
  4. Enter the date you paid the tax to KRA; the status changes from due to paid.

Templates are tools to help with your own records. They are not tax or legal advice. Check the figures against official sources before filing or paying.

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What the dividend and withholding tax tracker does

When a company pays a dividend, it usually has to withhold tax and pay it to KRA. This tracker records each dividend, applies the rate for resident or non-resident shareholders, shows the net dividend and keeps a record of when the tax was paid, so nothing is left outstanding.

Who it is for

Company secretaries, directors and accountants of private companies that pay dividends, and shareholders who want to check the tax taken from their dividend.

How to use the workbook

  1. Check the resident and non-resident rates on the Rates sheet.
  2. Record each dividend with its date, the shareholder and whether they are resident.
  3. Read the tax to withhold and the net dividend to pay.
  4. Enter the date you paid the tax to KRA; the status changes from due to paid.
  5. Save a copy under a new name for each month or year, so earlier records stay as they were.

What is inside

  • Resident and non-resident withholding rates
  • Tax withheld and net dividend for each payment
  • Due or paid status for the tax
  • Totals of dividends, tax withheld and tax still due
  • Summary by residency with a chart

The workbook has these sheets: Instructions, Dividends, By residency, Rates. The main table has the columns Date; Shareholder; Residency; Gross dividend; Withholding rate; Tax withheld; Net dividend; Tax paid to KRA on. Yellow cells are for you to fill in and grey cells calculate by themselves, so leave the grey cells alone. The example rows show how it works; type over them with your own entries.

Tips for getting it right

  • Confirm there are distributable profits and that the board has approved the dividend.
  • Remit the tax by the 20th of the month after payment.
  • Give each shareholder a certificate showing the tax withheld.
  • Check whether a tax treaty lowers the rate for a non-resident shareholder.

Why keep this record

Most tax trouble comes from late or missing records rather than from the tax itself. When the figures are collected as they happen, preparing a return becomes a matter of copying totals, not of searching for receipts. A workbook that follows the same layout as the return also makes it easier to spot a number that looks wrong before KRA does, and to explain it if asked.

Questions people ask

Do I need to know Excel formulas? No. Type into the yellow cells and the rest is worked out for you. The formulas are visible if you want to see how a figure is reached.

Can I add rows or change the layout? You can add your own columns to the right and your own notes. If you insert rows inside a table, copy the grey formula cells down so the new rows calculate too.

Will it work on my phone or in Google Sheets? Yes for viewing and typing, but dropdown lists and the charts look best in desktop Excel or LibreOffice.

Keeping it safe and up to date

Tax figures change with each Finance Act, so check the Rates sheet against KRA's current guidance before you file. Keep the supporting documents with the workbook, and keep each year's copy for at least five years in case KRA asks for proof.

Read the KRA filing calendar for small businesses for the wider picture. Free calculators that go with it: Dividend interest tax calculator, Withholding tax calculator. See more tax templates or ask us for a custom one.

The workbook works in Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets. It is a tool to help you work out and record figures, not tax, legal or accounting advice, and it is not affiliated with the Kenya Revenue Authority. If something does not work as described, contact us and we will put it right.

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