ZRA CLARIFIES TAXONLINE ACCOUNT CHANGES AFTER HISTORICAL DATA MIGRATION
8 October 2026
The Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) would like to inform taxpayers that their TaxOnline account statements may look different following the migration of historical tax account transactions, completed on 6 October 2026.
The data migration transferred historical records from decommissioned legacy systems to TaxOnline, consolidating both historical and current transactions in a single system. The records include returns, payments, offsets, assessments, penalties, fines, interest, and refunds.
ZRA recognises that changes to an account balance or the appearance of unfamiliar transaction references can cause concern, particularly where taxpayers believe they have already settled the obligations in question.
The Authority encourages taxpayers to review their statements and submit any discrepancies, along with supporting documents, for verification and reconciliation.
After the migration, some taxpayers may see their account balances increase or decrease as historical transactions become visible on TaxOnline.
The migration itself does not introduce a new tax. It brings historical transactions into the current system. A transaction appearing for the first time on a TaxOnline statement is not necessarily a newly incurred obligation.
Equally, a changed balance should not automatically be treated as proof of an error. Where a taxpayer disputes an entry, the underlying assessment, return, payment, credit or adjustment needs to be checked against the relevant records.
Before migration, ZRA reviewed the historical records and, where necessary, corrected tax periods, removed duplicates and addressed posting errors. Transactions already reflected on TaxOnline were excluded from the migration to avoid duplicating charges or credits.
Migrated transactions are tagged “Legacy” and include information identifying the original narration and references. Some migrated payments may also display a new TaxOnline payment reference number. The original payment reference is included in the description as “legacy PRN” to assist with tracing and reconciliation.
Taxpayers should therefore retain their original receipts and use the legacy references when submitting inquiries.
Taxpayers who identify a missing payment, an unfamiliar assessment, a potentially duplicated transaction or another discrepancy should contact the ZRA Call Centre or visit their nearest ZRA office for assistance with documents that can support the verification.
Taxpayers should not repay a payment already made or file a return already submitted solely because it appears missing or different following migration. Taxpayers should first refer such cases to ZRA with supporting evidence.
Bringing historical and current records together is intended to give taxpayers a more complete view of their accounts, reduce reliance on decommissioned systems, and make account verification and query resolution easier.
ZRA encourages taxpayers with concerns to seek assistance so that their account queries can be examined using the relevant transaction history and supporting evidence.
