Who must file
Companies, trusts and anyone with income from trade or investment, all on self-assessment under s.37A of the Income Tax Act. Dormant companies file nil returns. Employees generally do not file, because PAYE is final — unless during the year they worked under 12 months, changed employer, had more than one employer, or drew a pension alongside employment, in which case they file an ITF1. Taxpayers with related-party transactions attach a transfer pricing return (ITF 12C2). From 1 January 2026, larger omnibus and goods-vehicle operators and commercial waterborne vessel operators moved off presumptive tax onto self-assessment (Finance Act (No. 7) of 2025, s.7) and file and pay QPDs like everyone else.
Tax year and deadline
The tax year is the calendar year and the ITF12C is due by 30 April following it. For the year ended 31 December 2025 ZIMRA extended the date to 30 May 2026 by Public Notice 26 of 2026; treat 30 April as the rule and the extension as a one-off. An approved accounting year other than 31 December gives you four months after your year end. Tax is paid during the year on quarterly payment dates, not at filing: 10% for the first quarter, 25% for the second, 30% for the third, 35% for the fourth. Since Statutory Instrument 81 of 2025 the QPD return is due five days before the money: returns by 20 March, 20 June, 20 September and 15 December, payments by 25 March, 25 June, 25 September and 20 December.
Filing step by step
- Work out whether you split by currency. If more than 50% of estimated total income is in foreign currency, account for tax on a 50-50 basis in foreign and local currency. If foreign currency is 50% or less of the total, account proportionately in the currency of trade.
- Pay the four QPDs through the year, filing each provisional return by the 20th and paying by the 25th (15th and 20th for the fourth quarter).
- Log in to TaRMS at mytaxselfservice.zimra.co.zw, select your TIN and open the pending ITF12C. Taxpayers with income in both currencies file two separate returns, one in USD and one in ZiG, under s.37AA of the Income Tax Act.
- Attach the financial statements, and the transfer pricing return ITF 12C2 if you had domestic or international related-party transactions. File a nil return if you had no income.
- Pay any balance into the ZIMRA bank account through your linked bank, quoting only your TIN and name. The bank validates the TIN against TaRMS. Nothing posts to your ledger until the matching return is in, which also holds up your tax clearance.
Penalties for filing or paying late
Failing to submit an income tax return has two separate costs. First, the Commissioner can charge additional tax equal to the tax chargeable on your taxable income for that year, or an amount equal to the maximum fine in section 81(1) of the Income Tax Act, whichever is greater (section 46(1)(a)). Second, failing without just cause to furnish a return is an offence liable to a fine up to level seven, up to three months in prison, or both (section 81(1)). A person already convicted of failing to file the same return can also face a fine up to level one for each day of default, or up to twelve months in prison (section 83). Check the current late-payment interest rate with ZIMRA, because it is set outside the section quoted here.