If you have an imported phone sitting in a drawer because the PTA tax bill is too big to pay in one go, you have probably heard the exciting news: the government has approved paying the phone tax in instalments. That news is real.
But there is one detail that most social media posts skip — you cannot actually use instalments yet. In this article, we explain exactly what the FBR approved on 11 September 2026, what the current status is, what you can and cannot do today, and what to watch for in the coming months.
What FBR Approved on 11 September 2026
On 11 September 2026, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) issued Circular No. 1 of 2026. The circular added a new provision to the Ninth Schedule of the Sales Tax Act 1990, through the Finance Act 2026.
Under this provision, individuals may pay the sales tax on an imported mobile phone in instalments through PTA’s DIRBS system, instead of paying the whole amount in a single upfront payment.
One condition is built into the provision: all instalments must be cleared before the end of the financial year in which the phone was imported. So this is not an open-ended loan that stretches for years. The full tax still has to be paid within that financial year, and the approval only covers the sales tax part of the registration bill.
The Honest Status: Approved, But Not Live Yet
This is the most important section of this article, so let us say it plainly: the instalment option is not available on DIRBS today.
The law has been changed. But a law being changed and a payment option appearing on a website are two different things. PTA still has to build the instalment mechanism inside DIRBS, and until PTA switches it on, the portal works exactly as before: when you generate your payment slip, it demands the full amount in one payment.
Here is the status, point by point:
| Question | Status today |
|---|---|
| Is instalment payment legal? | Yes — approved by FBR Circular No. 1 of 2026 (11 Sep 2026) |
| Can you pay in instalments on DIRBS right now? | No — PTA has not built the option into the portal yet |
| How many instalments will there be? | Not announced |
| Will there be markup or extra charges? | Not announced |
| When will it go live? | No launch date has been announced |
| Final deadline for instalments | Before the end of the financial year in which the phone was imported |
Be careful with anyone who offers to “arrange” PTA tax instalments for you today for a fee. There is no working instalment option in DIRBS to arrange — the facility simply has not been switched on.
What You Can and Cannot Do Today
What you can do today:
- Register your phone in DIRBS and generate your payment slip as usual.
- Pay the full tax amount in one payment — this is currently the only working way to register.
- Check the final rates before you pay. The Finance Act 2026 rates are now fixed for this year, so the figure on your slip will not shrink if you wait.
What you cannot do today:
- You cannot select an instalment plan inside DIRBS, because the option does not exist in the portal yet.
- You cannot pay part of a slip and consider the phone registered. A partially paid slip does not register the device.
- You cannot safely delay registration while counting on instalments. Normal registration deadlines still apply, and an unregistered phone risks being blocked on Pakistani networks.
About the “Rs 8,000 to Rs 17,000 Per Month” Figures
You may have seen posts claiming the PTA tax will now cost only Rs 8,000 to Rs 17,000 per month. Those numbers come from an MNA who had pushed for the instalment plan. Describing typical lump sums of Rs 100,000 to Rs 250,000, he illustrated them as roughly Rs 8,000 to Rs 17,000 a month.
Treat those figures as a politician’s illustration, not an official schedule. FBR and PTA have not announced how many instalments there will be, over how many months they will run, or whether any markup will apply. The real monthly figures will only be known when PTA publishes the actual mechanism.
Who Will Benefit Most When It Goes Live
The people waiting for this facility the most are buyers of expensive imported phones. On a flagship device, the one-time registration bill can run from Rs 100,000 to Rs 250,000 — an amount many people simply cannot pay in a single day, even when they can afford the phone itself over time.
Instalments will also help anyone who imported a higher-value phone and has been delaying registration because the one-shot bill was unaffordable. Once the mechanism goes live, that group will finally have a legal middle path between “pay everything now” and “leave the phone unregistered.”
What to Watch For
Until the facility launches, keep an eye on three things:
- PTA announcements about the DIRBS instalment mechanism going live.
- The missing details: the number of instalments, any markup, and what happens if someone misses a payment. None of this has been announced yet.
- The DIRBS portal itself. When an instalment option appears at the slip-generation stage, that is the real launch — not a rumour.
And one last reminder: the approval covers instalments of the tax, but it does not reduce the tax. Combined with the government’s confirmation that no further rate cuts are coming this year, the amount on your slip is the amount you will pay — the only question is whether you will soon be allowed to split it.
FAQs
Q: Can I pay my PTA phone tax in instalments right now?
No. FBR approved instalment payments in law on 11 September 2026 through Circular No. 1 of 2026, but PTA has not yet built the option into DIRBS. The portal still asks for the full amount in one payment, so for now the only way to register an imported phone is to pay the tax in full.
Q: What exactly did FBR approve?
The circular added a provision to the Ninth Schedule of the Sales Tax Act 1990, via the Finance Act 2026, allowing individuals to pay the sales tax on an imported mobile phone in instalments through DIRBS instead of one upfront payment. All instalments must be cleared before the end of the financial year in which the phone was imported.
Q: How many instalments will I get, and will there be markup?
Nobody knows yet. The number of instalments, the time period, and any markup have not been announced by FBR or PTA. The Rs 8,000 to Rs 17,000 per month figures circulating online were an MNA’s illustration of typical bills of Rs 100,000 to Rs 250,000 — not an official payment schedule.
Q: Should I wait to register my phone until instalments start?
That is risky. There is no announced launch date for the DIRBS instalment mechanism, and the normal registration deadlines still apply in the meantime. If you need your phone working on a Pakistani SIM now, paying in full is currently the only route. Waiting only makes sense if you can manage without the phone on a local network until the facility goes live.
Sources
- https://www.techjuice.pk/fbr-allows-instalment-payments-for-sales-tax-on-imported-mobile-phones/
- https://pakera.pk/mobile-phone-import-tax-no-further-cuts-finance-act-2026-pakistan/