How to Register and Check KRA Pin Number

For that reason, this article seeks to shed light on some of the misgivings that Kenyans might harbor against the taxman.

Why do you need to have KRA PIN?

According to the laws in Kenya, every person that hits 18 years is required to have a KRA Personal Identification Number (PIN).

The KRA PIN is a piece of vital information that every adult should have since it enables them to conduct businesses with the taxman and other government institutions and service providers.

Furthermore, for people who earn an income through employment, business or rental income, the KRA PIN is mandatory as it helps one to file their tax returns.

For job seekers, you should ensure that you already have a PIN just to be on the safe side since some organizations actually consider it a mandatory requirement.

The PIN is also a mandatory requirement for students who would like to obtain loans from the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB).

HELB only offers loans to students who already have the same document as security.

This is because the PIN will enable the board to follow up on payment of the loan after the student completes his or her studies.

Where else can one use a KRA PIN?

The most popular transactions that require the KRA PIN include:

1. Registration of title, stamping of instruments by the Commissioner of Lands, and payment of Land Rent.

2. Approval of plans, payment of water deposits, application for a business permit, payment of Land Rent by Local Authorities.

3. Registration of Motor Vehicles, and licensing under the Traffic Act (Cap 403) by the Registrar of Motor Vehicles.

4. Registration of Business Names and Companies by the Registrars of Business names and companies.

5. Trade licensing by the Ministry of Commerce.

6. Application for Value Added Tax registration.

7. Underwriting policies by Insurance Companies.

8. To facilitate importation of goods, Customs clearing, and forwarding at the offices of Commissioner of Customs and Excise.

9. Payment of Deposits for power connections at Kenya Power and Lighting Co. Ltd.

10. To facilitate all contracts for the supply of goods and services to all Government Ministries and Public Bodies.

What documents do you require When registering for a KRA PIN?

Before you can begin your registration, you need to make sure that you have the following for your registration to be successful:

Residents

1. National ID/Alien ID Card details.

2. Employers’ PIN details for those who are employed.

3. Business registration certificate details for those in business.

Non-Citizen employee or professional (Residing in Kenya)

1. Original Passport and a copy.

2. Letter of introduction by employer or employer’s agent and PIN of Employer/agent. Details must be entered in the e-registration form.

3. Original Kenya special pass and endorsed page of the special pass and a copy.

4.  KRA Acknowledgement Receipt.

5. Diplomat (Residing in Kenya)

6. Original Passport and a copy.

7. Diplomatic card and a copy.

8. Letter of introduction certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

9. Copy of exemption page endorsed on the passport.

10. KRA Acknowledgement Receipt.

Non-Citizen Married to Citizen

1. Original Passport and a copy.

2. Dependent’s Pass and endorsed page of special pass and copies of both documents.

3. Certified copy of Marriage certificate.

4. Kenyan Identity card and PIN of a spouse.

5. KRA Acknowledgement Receipt.

Non-Citizen Students or Interns

1. Original Passport, Student ID and copies of both documents.

2. Letter of introduction from Administration of Institute of learning/Internship letter.

3. Student/internship/research pass and endorsed page of Student/internship/research pass.

4. KRA Acknowledgement Receipt.

Employees of;

      I.   Organizations covered under the Privileges and Immunities Act Cap179.

      II.  Organizations on the list provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

1. Original Passport and identity card for officials and Copies of both documents.

2. Introduction/An Endorsement by the Ministry concerned (where applicable) on the letter from the privileged body

3. KRA or the organization concerned.

4. Copy of exemption page endorsed on the passport.

5. KRA Acknowledgement Receipt.

How do you register for an Individual KRA PIN?

It’s actually very easy. Registration for KRA pin in Kenya is usually done online on iTax.

To begin with, persons who qualify under the Individual section may include students, employees, and any individual person.

Here, we’ve tried to explain a step by step process in order to guide you through your individual registration:

Step one: Access the iTax System

Visit the Kenya Revenue Authority’s(KRA) official website.

Step 2: New PIN Registration

If you are unregistered user and would like to register your PIN, then on the right column you will be able to see a link named “New PIN Registration” under the Unregistered Users. Click on that link to proceed.

Step 3: e-Registration

Once you have reached this point, you will need to select the Taxpayer Type you fit in on the drop-down field. The options available are;

Individual – personal, students, employee, entrepreneurs

Non-Individual – for businesses and companies

You will also be expected to select the Mode of Registration whether it is “Online Form” or “Upload Form”.

Step 4: Basic Information

You will now be required to fill in your information on this form with accurate details. Once you complete inputting your details, you will need to click “Next” in order to proceed.

Step 5: Tax Obligation Details

KRA has made some new improvement on the way you will need to meet the tax obligation requirements. In the previous ITMS, you were only expected to tick a checkbox. However, on the new iTax system, you are expected to put the registration date next to the tax obligation that you have selected.

Step 6: Source of Income

iTax system has brought in a new requirement that will expect all taxpayers to mention their source of income.

This includes Employment Income, Business Income and Rental Income.

Step 7: Agent Details

KRA has introduced a new regulation on the PIN registration which will require that you have an authorized Tax Agent to submit your application on your behalf. This means that you simply can’t finish the PIN registration process by yourself.

Once every field has been filled with correct information, you will be able to submit the information. However, in the event you had forgotten to fill a field, an Error Tab will appear and inform you the uncompleted sections before you can proceed.

Step 8: Download & Print

When you successfully submit your information, you will see a message saying “Registration Application has been Submitted Successfully.” Your new PIN will be displayed on the screen and you will also be to see a link labelled “Click here to download PIN certificate” that will allow you to download your new PIN and print. That’s it.

So how do you check your KRA Pin Using ID Number?

There may be situations where you’ve forgotten your pin number and yet you urgently need it to complete an official business or transaction.

Fortunately for you, KRA PIN retrieval is very easy for everyone as long as you can remember your national Identification Number (ID).

Here are the different methods to quickly retrieve your KRA Pin number:

Method one: KRA PIN search with Social Media

So far, this is the fastest means of retrieving lost pins for immediate use. You can use KRA’s Facebook page, and Twitter handles to obtain any help from KRA.

I have never liked to deal with lengthy delays characterized by KRA email responses or having to visit their offices or Huduma Center for an issue that can be resolved online.

KRA customer care service team is always up and running to answer all your queries on Facebook and Twitter.

Accompanying the scanned ID should be a message informing the social media attendants that you forgot your PIN and are unable to retrieve it through the portal.

Interestingly, the team replies to every Facebook posts, tweets, and other messages received in an average time of fifteen minutes because of enhanced social media engagement on the company’s customer relations management solution.

Method two: PIN search with Email

Some people do not find social media as the right way to make inquiries for their personal details.

In such a case, they are advised to email their scanned copy of the ID to KRA email at callcenter@kra.go.ke.

Disclaimer: Most people who make KRA PIN search through social media receive prompt responses compared to those who email their requests. Email responses take longer than social media ones.

How do you verify your KRA PIN number?

In some cases, you may want to check how genuine a KRA PIN number is.

KRA pin checker is essential in confirming authenticity and ownership of a pin to avoid becoming gullible to fraud.

Kenya Revenue Authority explicitly generates legit PIN number under the Domestic Taxes Department System.

All generated personal identification numbers are safely stored associated with the ID number of the owners.

Note: KRA PIN checkers only limit accessible information to PIN number and ownership names and not KRA Pin certificate.

KRA’s other PIN checker services include:

TCC checker– For tax compliance verification

WHT checker– For withholding certificate verification

Agent checker– For withholding Agent verification

Status checker– For the consulting status of applications

How do you Retrieve your KRA Pin certificate?

Retrieving your KRA PIN certificate is very easy.

All you need to have is your ID card.

You can then visit different Huduma centers where the customer care attendants will retrieve it and send it to your email.