Withholding tax annual summary
Keep both sides of withholding tax in one workbook: tax you withhold from suppliers and tax customers withhold from you, with the net position.
Withholding tax runs in two directions for most businesses. You withhold from the suppliers you pay and owe that tax to KRA, and your customers withhold from you and give you a credit. This workbook records both, totals each by type and for the year, and shows the net position, so your returns and your credits agree.
Companies, agencies, consultants and contractors who both pay and receive payments subject to withholding, and the accountants who reconcile the certificates.
What is included
- Tax withheld from suppliers, by type
- Tax withheld from you, with certificate numbers
- Totals for owed and credits
- Net position at the top
- Chart of tax withheld by type
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How to use it
- List each payment you made where you withheld tax, with the gross payment and rate.
- List each customer payment where tax was withheld from you, with the certificate number.
- Read the tax you owe KRA and the credits you hold.
- Use the net position when you prepare your annual return.
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 withholding tax annual summary does
Withholding tax runs in two directions for most businesses. You withhold from the suppliers you pay and owe that tax to KRA, and your customers withhold from you and give you a credit. This workbook records both, totals each by type and for the year, and shows the net position, so your returns and your credits agree.
Who it is for
Companies, agencies, consultants and contractors who both pay and receive payments subject to withholding, and the accountants who reconcile the certificates.
How to use the workbook
- List each payment you made where you withheld tax, with the gross payment and rate.
- List each customer payment where tax was withheld from you, with the certificate number.
- Read the tax you owe KRA and the credits you hold.
- Use the net position when you prepare your annual return.
- Save a copy under a new name for each month or year, so earlier records stay as they were.
What is inside
- Tax withheld from suppliers, by type
- Tax withheld from you, with certificate numbers
- Totals for owed and credits
- Net position at the top
- Chart of tax withheld by type
The workbook has these sheets: Instructions, Withheld by us, Withheld from us, Summary. The main table has the columns Date; Supplier; Type of payment; Gross payment; Rate; Tax withheld. 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
- Pay what you withheld by the 20th of the following month.
- Chase customers for certificates; without one you cannot claim the credit.
- Check each credit appears in your iTax ledger.
- Match the certificate amounts to the gross invoices.
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: Withholding tax calculator, Withholding vat 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.
Related guides, calculators and templates
- Free calculator: Withholding Tax Calculator
- Free calculator: Withholding VAT Calculator
- Guide: Withholding tax in Kenya explained: rates, agents and credits
- Guide: How to get a KRA PIN
- Guide: The KRA filing calendar for small businesses: every monthly and yearly deadline
- Another template: Withholding tax certificate register
- Another template: Withholding tax schedule
- Another template: Annual income tax estimator
Need something different? Request a custom template, browse all guides or see every Excel template.
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