PTA Mobile Tax Calculator — Pakistan 2026-27
Before you buy a phone from abroad, know what PTA registration will actually cost. Enter the phone’s value in USD and see the full DIRBS tax — passport vs CNIC, filer vs non-filer — with every charge shown line by line, on the 2026-27 rates in force since 1 July 2026.
Calculate your PTA tax
Use FBR’s assessed customs value for your model if you know it — not the shop price. DIRBS uses its own valuation, so this is an estimate: the PSID figure at registration is final.
FBR’s assessed (C&F) value for your exact model, in US dollars.
DIRBS uses the customs rate on the day you register — edit this if yours differs.
On CNIC the income tax line applies; on passport it is exempt under the baggage rules, so passport is cheaper by exactly that line.
The rate table this calculator uses
Rates in force from 1 July 2026. Regulatory duty per SRO 1064(I)/2026; sales tax per the Ninth Schedule to the Sales Tax Act 1990 (18% up to US$500, 25% above); income tax per the Income Tax Ordinance 2001; handset levy per the Finance Act 2018 as amended. Customs duty is Rs 250 per set in every band. Sales tax = (rupee value + customs duty + regulatory duty) × rate.
| Phone value (USD) | Regulatory duty | Sales tax | Income tax (CNIC, filer) | Handset levy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to $30 | Rs 240 | 18% | Rs 100 | Rs 100 |
| $31 – $100 | Rs 2,400 | 18% | Rs 100 | Rs 200 |
| $101 – $200 | Rs 6,000 | 18% | Rs 100 | Rs 200 |
| $201 – $350 | Rs 8,800 | 18% | Rs 970 | Rs 1,800 |
| $351 – $500 | Rs 12,000 | 18% | Rs 5,000 | Rs 4,000 |
| $501 – $700 | Rs 17,600 | 25% | Rs 11,500 | Rs 8,000 |
| Above $700 | Rs 17,600 | 25% | Rs 11,500 | Rs 16,000 |
Watch the $500 line: at PKR 280, a phone valued at $500 pays about PKR 48,655 on CNIC (filer) — but one valued at $501 pays about PKR 76,883, because sales tax jumps to 25% and the fixed charges step up together. The same cliff exists at $700, where the handset levy doubles from Rs 8,000 to Rs 16,000.
Try it: a $600 phone at PKR 276.76 on CNIC (filer) = PKR 83,327 — the published worked example for these rates — and PKR 71,827 on passport, exactly the Rs 11,500 income tax less. Change the rate to 280 and the same phone is PKR 83,813 on CNIC (filer).
Four steps to your real registration cost
Enter the phone’s USD value
Use FBR’s assessed value for your model where you can find it — the shop price or launch price is only a starting point.
Set the exchange rate
DIRBS converts at the customs rate on registration day. The default here is PKR 280 — change it to the current rate for a closer estimate.
Pick your route
CNIC filer, CNIC non-filer, or passport (within 60 days of arrival). The comparison below always shows all three, so you can see what each route costs.
Confirm on DIRBS before paying
Check your IMEI on DIRBS (dirbs.pta.gov.pk) or by SMS to 8484. The PSID it issues is the final amount — this calculator is for planning, not payment.
Most PTA calculators are running on stale numbers
Old flat tables. Many ranking pages still show single “passport vs CNIC” totals built on a 17% sales tax that no longer exists, with no breakdown — so you cannot tell which charge moved when the total looks wrong. This tool shows all five charges separately, on the 18%/25% sales tax in force since 1 July 2026.
Merged top bands. Some calculators lump everything above $500 into one band and drop the handset levy entirely, missing the $700 levy doubling (Rs 8,000 → Rs 16,000). This tool keeps the $501–$700 and above-$700 bands separate.
Hidden exchange rate. Other tools bake in one fixed rupee rate, so their totals silently go stale as the rupee moves. Here the rate is a visible, editable field — and sales tax, the only percentage charge, moves with it.
Honest limitation: FBR values your exact model, and customs may add landing charges to the value. If DIRBS shows a different figure for your IMEI, DIRBS is right and this estimate is wrong — use the PSID figure for payment, and use this tool to compare routes and budget before you buy.
PTA tax questions, answered
Five charges are added: a fixed customs duty of Rs 250 per set, a fixed regulatory duty for the phone’s value band, sales tax of 18% (up to US$500) or 25% (above US$500) on the rupee value plus customs duty and regulatory duty, a fixed income tax on CNIC registration, and a mobile handset levy on smartphones. The band is set by FBR’s assessed customs value in US dollars, not the price you paid.
Yes, by exactly the income tax line. Phones brought in personal baggage and registered on a passport within 60 days of arrival are exempt from income tax under section 148, so passport registration skips that charge. Customs duty, regulatory duty, sales tax and the handset levy are the same on both routes.
Only on CNIC: the income tax line is doubled for people not on FBR’s Active Taxpayers List. On passport there is no income tax at all, so filer status makes no difference there.
Two thresholds hit at once above US$500: sales tax jumps from 18% to 25%, and the regulatory duty, income tax and handset levy all step up to their top bands. A phone valued at US$501 can therefore cost roughly Rs 28,000 more to register than one valued at US$500 at the same exchange rate.
No — it is an estimate for planning. The final amount is the one PTA’s DIRBS system shows on your Payment Slip ID (PSID), because DIRBS uses FBR’s assessed value for your exact model and the customs exchange rate on the day. Always confirm there before paying.
Overseas Pakistanis and short-term visitors can register one personal phone for up to 120 days from arrival, tax-free, through DIRBS — it is a temporary registration, not a permanent one, and it cannot later be registered again under another person’s passport.
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