Under the Income Tax Act 1967, whether you are a Malaysian citizen or a foreigner, if you reside in Malaysia for more than 182 days in a year and have income, you are obliged to file a tax return.
Many people are confused about filing and paying taxes. Actually, filing and paying taxes are two different things. Filing a tax return is simply presenting your financial situation to the government for the past year, while paying tax is handing over your income tax to the government. Everyone who has income needs to file a tax return, but you only need to pay taxes if your income meets certain criteria.
Employers must file their employees’ tax returns on Form E by March 31 each year, while ordinary wage earners and non-business people must file their respective tax returns on Form BE, BT, M, MT, TP, TF or TJ by April 30 each year.
If you are a business person, you must complete your tax return on Form B and Form P by June 30.
After filing your tax return, you must keep all relevant documents or receipts in a safe place so that you can produce evidence when the tax office comes to ask questions. It is best to keep all relevant documents for more than 7 years.
Important dates for filing tax returns in 2022 (deadlines)
Form E: March 31, 2022
Form BE, BT, M, MT, TP, TF or TJ: April 30, 2022*.
Forms B and P: June 30, 2022*.
* Use electronic filing (e-Filing) to get an additional 15 days to file your tax return
