The short answer
Almost always one of three things, and they have different answers: you cannot get in, you can get in but cannot issue, or an invoice went out wrong. Narrowing which one you have is the first and most useful step.
What this usually means
Our reading, not a rule. Nothing below is a statement of what KRA requires.
This describes a symptom rather than a fault, and the useful first move is to narrow it. "Not working" covers three different situations: you cannot get in, you can get in but cannot issue an invoice, or an invoice went out and something is wrong with it. Each has a different answer, and the rest of this section splits them out.
What to suspect first
Our reading, not a rule. Nothing below is a statement of what KRA requires.
- The connection at the business, which is the commonest explanation and the easiest to rule out
- Access: the sign-in is not working, or the person who set it up is no longer there
- A problem on the eTIMS side, which is real, happens, and is not something a business can fix
- A local install that stopped being current while nobody was watching
What you can check yourself
Our reading, not a rule. Nothing below is a statement of what KRA requires.
- Narrow it: can you sign in, and separately, can you issue an invoice? Those are different failures.
- Check whether anything else on the same connection works. If nothing does, it is the connection, not eTIMS.
- Try from a different device or a different network if you have one. Same failure everywhere points away from your setup.
- Note the exact wording of any message, and the time. You will need both if you contact KRA.
- Check whether you can sign in to iTax with the business PIN, which tells you whether this is an access problem or something narrower.
When to stop and contact KRA. Anything that happens inside eTIMS itself - a rejection, a code, a screen that will not proceed - is KRA's to answer. Contact KRA support with your PIN, the date and time, and what you were doing when it happened. We do not publish click-paths through KRA software, because we would be guessing.
What the rules say
Tax rules in Kenya change with each Finance Act and with regulations made during the year. Before acting on any figure, deadline or threshold, check the current position on KRA's own website.
This page explains how a requirement generally works. It is not tax advice, and it cannot account for the specifics of any one business. For a position you intend to rely on, confirm with KRA directly or with a registered tax agent.
Common questions
Why is eTIMS not working?
Almost always one of three things, and they have different answers: you cannot get in, you can get in but cannot issue, or an invoice went out wrong. Narrowing which one you have is the first and most useful step.
What should I check first when etims is not working?
Narrow it: can you sign in, and separately, can you issue an invoice? Those are different failures.
Can you tell me the exact steps to fix it?
Not for anything inside KRA's own software, no. We do not publish click-paths through screens we have not seen documented, because a confident wrong instruction sends you to fix the wrong thing while you are already stuck. What we can do is narrow the cause and tell you when to contact KRA.
How do I know this information is current?
Tax rules in Kenya change with each Finance Act and with regulations made during the year. Before acting on any figure, deadline or threshold, check the current position on KRA's own website.
Related problems
Sources
- officialeTIMS (Electronic Tax Invoice Management System) — Kenya Revenue Authority, checked 2026-09-18
- officialeTIMS taxpayer portal — Kenya Revenue Authority, checked 2026-09-18
- officialKenya Revenue Authority — Kenya Revenue Authority, checked 2026-09-18