ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has introduced a new facility allowing eligible people in Pakistan to pay sales tax on imported mobile phones in monthly instalments instead of paying the full amount at once.
Under the revised rules, people who need to register imported mobile phones through the Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) can apply to pay the tax in instalments.
According to an FBR notification, the total sales tax will be divided into equal monthly payments based on the number of months remaining in the financial year, including the month in which the application is submitted.
Applicants must pay the first instalment through a Payment Slip Identification (PSID) generated when they apply through DIRBS. A separate PSID will be required for each following monthly payment.
If a month does not have the same date as the original application date, the payment slip will be generated for the last day of that month. The FBR has directed applicants to clear all instalments by June 30, the end of the financial year. They can also pay some or all of the remaining amount before the due dates.
However, those who fail to pay an instalment on time will be declared defaulters. Their mobile phones may then be treated as unregistered devices and blocked through DIRBS. The notification states that if a payment is missed, the remaining sales tax will become payable in full. The applicant will also lose the facility to pay in installments.
People applying to register imported mobile phones in June will have to pay the full sales tax before the end of that month.
For example, if a person applies to register an imported mobile phone in October 2026 and owes Rs60,000 in sales tax, the amount would be divided into nine monthly instalments of approximately Rs6,666.67 each.
The payments would cover October 2026 to June 2027, with the full amount due by June 30, 2027. The new facility provides eligible applicants with an option to spread their mobile phone tax payments over several months, but they must follow the payment schedule to avoid losing the facility and risking the blocking of their devices.
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