FAQs

How do I change my password?

  • Go to the “Me” page at the bottom of the application
  • Tap on reset password

What do I do If I select wrong HS Code and submit the declaration?

Report to the Customs Officer for assistance.

I am unable to attach a document from my phone, what do I do?

On your device, allow permission for the eCUSTOMS app attachment from files.

Do Customs officers at the border process declaration through the eCustoms Mobile App?

Currently, the Customs Officers access and process eCustoms data through the iCMS.

What do I do If I select wrong HS Code and submit the declaration?

Report to the Customs Officer for assistance.

1. What is Country-by-Country (CbC) Reporting?

  • CbC reporting is part of Action 13 of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Action Plan. It is intended to promote greater transparency for tax administrations by providing them with relevant and reliable information to conduct high-level transfer pricing risk assessments. To accomplish this, a competent authority will automatically exchange CbC reports prepared by multinational enterprise (MNE) groups with a reporting entity in its jurisdiction with partner jurisdiction competent authorities in all jurisdictions in which the MNE group operates, provided that a legal instrument allowing for the automatic exchange of information (e.g. Double Taxation Agreement  (DTA) or Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) is in force and a Multilateral Competent Authority Arrangement (MCAA) for the exchange of CbC reports is operative with such second-mentioned jurisdictions.

 

  • Kenya is a member of the OECD Inclusive Framework (IF) on BEPS, a group of jurisdictions committed to the implementation of the minimum standard of BEPS-related measures. Kenya introduced Sections 18B, 18C, 18D, 18E and 18F of the Income Tax Act (ITA) through the Finance Act, 2022. These sections provide for CbC reporting filing requirements which apply to returns for the years of income 2022 and subsequent years of income. It requires the ultimate parent entities and constituent entities to comply with CbC reporting obligations and, where applicable, to file a CbC Report, master file, and local file.

2. What is a CbC notification?

  • CbC notification is a formal communication submitted by a reporting entity to the Commissioner informing KRA of the identity and tax residence of the entity within a MNE group that will file the CbC report for a particular reporting period.

 

  • Any constituent entity (CE) that is a member of an MNE Group and is resident in Kenya for tax purposes must notify KRA if it is the ultimate parent entity (UPE). If the entity is not the UPE, it must notify KRA of the identity and tax residence of the reporting entity.

 

  • The CbC notification enables the Commissioner to determine:
  1. Whether the MNE group is subject to CbC reporting requirements;
  2. Which entity within the group will submit the CbC report; and
  3. The jurisdiction in which that report will be filed.

 

 

  • Completed CbC notification forms should be submitted to the Kenyan Competent Authority via email at cbcr@kra.go.ke

 

  • The CbC notification must be filed no later than the last day of the reporting financial year of the MNE Group.

 

3. Is there a threshold for CbC reporting in Kenya?

An MNE Group with a total consolidated group turnover of Kshs.95 billion or more during the financial year immediately preceding the reporting financial year, as reflected in its consolidated financial statements for such preceding financial year, is required to file a CbC report.

4. Who is required to file a CbC report in Kenya?

a) The UPE of an MNE group, where the UPE is resident in Kenya during the reporting financial year (primary reporting mechanism); or

b) A CE of the MNE, other than the UPE, where the CE is resident in Kenya during the reporting financial year, and the prescribed conditions for secondary reporting or local filing are satisfied.

5. What is secondary reporting mechanism or local filing?

Secondary reporting mechanism refers to the requirement for a CE of an MNE group that is resident in Kenya to file a CbC report in Kenya.

6. Under what conditions is a CE required to file a CbC report in Kenya?

A CE that is resident in Kenya, other than the UPE, shall be required to file a CbC report in Kenya where:

  1. The UPE of the MNE is not obligated to file a CbC report in its jurisdiction of tax residence;
  2. The jurisdiction of tax residence of the UPE does not have an effective exchange of information arrangement with Kenya for the automatic exchange of CbC reports; or
  3. There has been a systemic failure in the jurisdiction of tax residence of the UPE that has been notified to the CE by the Commissioner.

7. What happens where there are multiple CEs of the same MNE group resident in Kenya?

  • Where the secondary reporting mechanism applies and more than one CE of the same MNE group is resident in Kenya during a reporting financial year, the group may designate one of the resident CEs to file the CbC report in Kenya on behalf of all the resident CEs of the group.

 

  • The designated entity shall notify the Commissioner of the designation in the prescribed manner and shall be responsible for filing the CbC report in accordance with the applicable requirements.

8. What is a surrogate parent entity (SPE) for purposes of CbC reporting?

  • An MNE group may avoid having the secondary reporting requirement imposed on multiple CEs in multiple jurisdictions by designating one of its CEs to be an SPE for filing purposes. The SPE will file the CbC report on behalf of the UPE.

 

  • The SPE will be appointed by the group to file the CbC report in its jurisdiction of tax residence on behalf of the UPE and other CEs of the group.

9. When can a SPE file a CbC report on behalf of a MNE group?

  • There are conditions that must be met for an SPE to file a CbC report on behalf of the UPE. If the conditions are met, the Kenyan resident CE is not required to file a CbC report with the KRA with respect to a reporting financial year under the secondary reporting mechanism.

 

  • To qualify, an SPE of the MNE group must file a CbC report in respect of the reporting financial year with the tax authority of its jurisdiction of tax residence on or before the time for filing. In addition, the jurisdiction of tax residence of the SPE must meet certain requirements. In particular, it must:
  1. Require filing of CbC reports;
  2. Have a qualifying competent authority agreement (QCAA) in effect to which Kenya is a party on or before the time for filing the CbC report; or
  3. Not be in a position of systemic failure.

10. What is systemic failure?

A systemic failure refers to a situation where the jurisdiction of tax residence of the UPE or SPE has an agreement with Kenya for the automatic exchange of CbC reports but has suspended or persistently failed to automatically provide such reports to the Commissioner. A systemic failure shall be considered to exist only where the Commissioner has notified the CE resident in Kenya of the failure.

11. What is a reporting financial year for purpose of CbC reporting?

A reporting financial year means the accounting period of a MNE group for which the financial results are prepared and reported in the consolidated financial statements of the group.

 

12. When is the effective date for CbC reporting in Kenya?

CbC reporting requirements in Kenya apply to reporting financial years of MNE groups commencing on or after 1st January 2022.

13. When is the due date for filing a CbC Report?

A CbC report shall be filed not later than 12 months after the last day of the reporting financial year of the MNE group.

14. Who is required to file a master file and local file?

  • UPE or CE of a MNE group is required to file a master file and local file with the KRA not later than six (6) months after the last day of the reporting financial year of the MNE group. This requirement applies irrespective of the gross turnover of the MNE Group in the financial year to which the master file and local file relates.

 

  • The master files and local files should be submitted to the Kenyan Competent Authority via email at cbcr@kra.go.ke.

15. What is the content that must be contained in a master file and local file?

  • There is no prescribed or mandatory format for preparing the master file and local file under the OECD Action Plan 13 (2015) final report. This approach is intentional to provide flexibility to MNE entities to prepare the master file in a manner that best reflects their specific business operations and organizational structures.

 

  • CEs are required to ensure that the master file and local file contains, at a minimum, the information outlined in section 18D (6) & (7) of the ITA as well as any other information as may be required by the Commissioner.