PTA Tax Calculator Pakistan 2026-2027

This is PTA tax calculator which is based on the budget presented by the government of Pakistan 2026-2027

Note: if any of the mobile is imported to Pakistan, you should pay PTA tax otherwise your mobile will be blocked within 2 months.

What Is PTA Tax?

PTA tax is the everyday name for the duties and taxes you pay to register a mobile phone that was brought into Pakistan from abroad. The name is slightly misleading, because the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) does not collect this money. PTA runs DIRBS, the system that checks your phone’s IMEI number and blocks devices that are not registered.

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) sets and collects the charges through Customs. When you apply, DIRBS passes your details to FBR’s WeBOC system, which calculates the amount and issues a Payment Slip ID (PSID). You pay the PSID through a bank, ATM, online banking or mobile banking, and the phone is then registered.

Since July 2019 there has been no duty-free allowance for phones carried by travellers. Every phone that connects to a Pakistani network needs to be registered and paid for. A phone bought from an authorised seller inside Pakistan is already compliant and does not need registration.

How to Use the PTA Tax Calculator

One point catches many people out. Your tax is not worked out from the price you paid in a shop. It is worked out from the customs value that FBR assigns to your exact model, which is usually lower than the retail price. A calculator that starts from the shop price will make your bill look bigger than it really is.

What Makes Up Your PTA Tax

PTA tax is not one charge. It is a bundle of five, and only one of them is a percentage.

In simple terms: Total = regulatory duty + handset levy + income tax (CNIC only) + sales tax on the customs value. Sales tax is the only part that moves when the dollar rate changes. The income tax here is a small import charge and is separate from your yearly salary tax. For that, use our income tax calculator for Pakistan.

PTA Tax Rates for 2026-27

These rates apply from 1 July 2026. Brackets use the phone’s customs (C&F) value in US dollars, and the figures are for smartphones.

Official texts leave one-dollar gaps at some bracket edges, so if your phone sits right on a boundary, trust the amount on your payment slip.

What changed this year

Regulatory duty was cut by about 20% across all brackets (SRO 1064(I)/2026).

In the $101 to $200 bracket, the CNIC income tax fell from Rs 930 to Rs 100, and the handset levy fell from Rs 600 to Rs 200.

Sales tax rates did not change. The 25% rate above $500 stays.

You may still come across an older FBR table with figures like Rs 27,600 plus 17% sales tax. That is the 2021-22 schedule and no longer applies.

Passport vs CNIC: Which Route Costs Less?

The passport route is cheaper because it skips the income tax charge. Every other charge is the same on both routes.

Passport route: this is for a phone you carried in your own accompanied baggage. You must apply within 60 days of arriving in Pakistan. There is no income tax charge and no fine.

CNIC route: this is for phones bought locally, phones registered after the 60-day window, and other cases where the passport route does not apply. It adds the income tax line from the table above. Registering late also adds a fine set by FBR, and the amount appears on your payment slip.

The saving is small on cheaper phones and larger on expensive ones. On a phone in the $101 to $200 bracket it is only Rs 100. Above $500 it is Rs 11,500. There is no discount for registering early within the 60 days, so the route matters, not the speed.

Worked Examples

These examples use an assumed rate of Rs 280 per US dollar. Use the rate on your own customs assessment for a real figure. CNIC totals below exclude any fine.

How the $281 example works:

1. Customs value: $281 x 280 = Rs 78,680.

2. Regulatory duty for $201 to $350: Rs 8,800.

3. Sales tax at 18%: Rs 14,162.

4. Handset levy: Rs 1,800.

5. Passport total: Rs 24,762. Add Rs 970 income tax for the CNIC total: Rs 25,732.

The $500 Sales Tax Jump

Look at the $490 and $510 rows above. The second phone is worth only $20 more, yet the passport total rises by roughly Rs 20,600. Once the customs value passes $500, sales tax rises from 18% to 25% on the whole value, not just the part above $500. The regulatory duty and handset levy also step up at the same point.

If a phone you like sits just above $500, check the exact figure before you buy. A model just under the line can cost far less to register.

Used Phones, New Models and Valuation Rulings

If you carry a used phone in yourself, it is generally valued on the same FBR list as a new one. FBR’s separate used-phone valuation rulings are meant for traders importing in commercial quantities. Ruling No. 2035 of 2026 was replaced in April by Ruling No. 2070 of 2026, which raised values. Articles claiming the January ruling cut your personal tax are out of date.

Very new models may not have an official published value yet. If your model is missing from the calculator, enter the value from your customs paperwork or PSID. Do not use the shop price. If a website gives you a confident figure for a phone released this year, treat it as an estimate until you see your own payment slip.

How to Check Your Exact PTA Tax

A calculator gives an estimate. The amount that counts is the one on your PSID.

FBR WeBOC: use the Mobile Device Duty Information page, where you can look up the duty for your phone’s IMEI.

DIRBS portal: apply at dirbs.pta.gov.pk/drs and the system shows the tax before you pay.

USSD: dial *8484# from a phone with a local SIM.

Status check: send your 15-digit IMEI to 8484 to see whether the phone is registered.

To find your IMEI, dial *#06# on the phone or look on the box. A dual-SIM phone has two IMEI numbers, and DIRBS validates them together.

Check PTA tax by IMEI online

you can also check PTA tax on your mobile by imei. if you want to check pta tax on your mobile using imei then click here.

PTA approve status check online

you also can check your mobile status by checking mobile IMEI online. this will check your mobile pta registration online.

Deadlines and Limits

The temporary option needs a passport, your arrival date, your planned departure date and a SIM issued in your own name. The same phone cannot use this option again under a different person’s passport.

Can You Pay in Instalments?

Possibly, but not yet in practice. The Finance Act 2026 allows an individual to pay the sales tax on an imported phone in instalments through DIRBS. Every instalment must be paid before the end of the financial year in which the phone is imported, which means 30 June. FBR explained the rule in Circular No. 1 of 2026, issued on 11 September 2026.

As of late September 2026, DIRBS had not added an instalment option, and the number of instalments and any conditions had not been announced. Only the sales tax portion is covered, so the other charges still need to be paid. Until the option appears, plan to pay the full amount on your PSID within 7 days. Ignore messages saying instalments are already live; PTA rejected a fake notification to that effect in July.

Do Filers Pay Less?

For the regulatory duty, sales tax and handset levy, there is no separate filer rate. On the CNIC route, the small income tax line (Rs 100 to Rs 11,500) is the only place filer status could matter. Published tables show a single figure, so check that line on your payment slip.

Common Mistakes

Entering the shop price instead of the customs value.

Assuming your first phone of the year is free. It is not.

Ignoring the $500 line.

Using an old table, such as the 2021-22 figures or last year’s regulatory duty.

Letting the PSID expire after 7 days.

Waiting until day 60, when a late CNIC registration adds a fine.

PTA Tax FAQ

Official Sources

Official Sources

FBR: Mobile Devices Regularization (DIRBS)

FBR WeBOC: Mobile Device Duty Information

SRO 1064(I)/2026, regulatory duty

Customs General Order 01 of 2024

PTA DIRBS FAQs