Choosing FBR invoicing software: a 12-point checklist
Every vendor says their software works with FBR. These twelve checks show which one gets your invoices right, fixes what FBR rejects and keeps working when the rules change.
Answer first. The right FBR invoicing software gets each invoice right before it reaches FBR, and shows you what to fix when FBR says no. It also fits the way you already bill: on screen, from Excel, or from your ERP or POS. Take the twelve checks below to every demo, and ask the vendor to show each one live, with your own invoices. A good-looking screen proves nothing. An invoice FBR has accepted, with its number and QR code on the page, proves a lot.
Start with FBR, PRA or SRB
A business sends its invoices to one authority, and the software has to handle that one. Goods, anywhere in Pakistan, and services in Islamabad are invoiced to FBR. Services in Punjab go to PRA, and services in Sindh go to SRB.
If you run a group of companies, or a CA firm with clients across provinces, look for one software that covers all three. Your team learns one set of screens, and every business sits in one place. eInvoicePro handles FBR, PRA and SRB invoices from the same software.
The 12-point checklist
Print this table and take it to every demo. The last column is what to ask the vendor to show you.
| Check | Why it matters | Ask them to show |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Covers your authority | It must send to FBR, PRA or SRB, whichever you report to | An invoice your authority has accepted |
| 2. Checks the buyer | A wrong NTN gets an invoice rejected, and the buyer's status decides further tax | Typing an NTN and seeing the buyer's FBR details |
| 3. Works out the tax | Standard rate, retail-price goods, exempt items and further tax all work differently | One invoice with all four |
| 4. Finds HS codes and units | Every line needs an HS code, and a unit FBR accepts for it | A search by product name |
| 5. Prints FBR's number and QR code | Your buyer uses them to check your invoice | A printed invoice and a receipt |
| 6. Handles FBR's answer | Every rejected invoice must be fixed and sent again, and none sent twice | A rejected invoice, fixed and resent |
| 7. Handles your volume | Typing hundreds of invoices by hand is slow and full of mistakes | An Excel file of 50 invoices |
| 8. Connects your ERP or POS | Typing each invoice twice wastes hours every week | Their API documentation |
| 9. Works across branches and clients | Groups and CA firms need every business in one place | Two businesses, each with its own FBR access |
| 10. Handles notes and corrections | Returns and price changes need a debit or credit note within 180 days | A debit note made from an earlier invoice |
| 11. Keeps your records | Invoices, notes and FBR's replies must be kept for six years | An old invoice, downloaded with its FBR number |
| 12. Keeps up with FBR | FBR changed its invoicing rules several times in 2026 alone | What they changed after FBR's last change |
Before an invoice goes to FBR
Most rejected invoices were wrong before they left. Three checks catch them.
The buyer. The buyer's NTN or CNIC, and whether they are registered for sales tax, decide two things: whether FBR accepts the invoice, and whether further tax applies. Good software looks the buyer up with FBR as you add them. In eInvoicePro you type the NTN or CNIC and see the buyer's name, filer status and sales tax registration type, straight from FBR.
The tax. The tax on each line depends on what you sell and who buys it. Most goods take the standard rate. Goods in the Third Schedule are taxed on their printed retail price, not your selling price. Exempt goods carry no sales tax. A sale to an unregistered buyer can carry further tax on top. Your staff shouldn't have to remember any of this. The software should work it out from the product and the buyer. Our guide to how sales tax is worked out on an invoice shows each case with numbers.
The HS code and unit. Every line needs an HS code from FBR's list, and a unit FBR accepts for that code. Ask how your staff will find the code. In eInvoicePro they type a word like biscuit and pick from FBR's own list, and only the units FBR accepts for that code are offered. See our HS code list and guide.
When FBR answers
FBR answers every invoice you send. What the software does with that answer matters more than any screen.
When FBR accepts, the invoice gets its own FBR invoice number. That number and a QR code have to print on the invoice your buyer gets, on A4 paper or a receipt printer. That is how your buyer checks the invoice is real.
When FBR says no, it sends a reason. One line can fail while the rest of the invoice looks fine, so the software has to read every line of FBR's answer. Every rejected invoice should land in one list with FBR's reason next to it, so someone can fix it and send it again the same day. eInvoicePro reads FBR's answer line by line and keeps rejected invoices in one place, with FBR's reason, ready to send again. The common reasons are in our FBR error code guide.
When no answer comes, for example because the internet dropped, the software must check before it sends again. FBR does not block duplicates, so a blind resend files the same sale twice.
Your volume and your systems
Count how your business makes invoices today, then match the software to it.
| How you bill | What to look for | In eInvoicePro |
|---|---|---|
| A few invoices a day | Simple screens that run in a web browser, with no IT project | Make an invoice on screen and send it in one click |
| Tens or hundreds a day | Upload from Excel, with every problem shown clearly | Excel template, each invoice sent to FBR, a status report for the whole file |
| Every sale from an ERP or POS | An API, with FBR's invoice number sent back to your system | The eInvoicePro API returns FBR's number to your ERP or POS |
| Many branches or clients | Every business in one place, each with its own FBR access | One product list across stores, and many clients for CA firms |
Then check that the plan fits your volume. Ask how many invoices a month it covers, and what happens in a busy month.
After the sale
Invoicing doesn't stop when FBR says yes. Four things come later, and the software should help with each.
Mistakes. Since 30 March 2026, you can cancel or edit a wrong FBR invoice yourself within 72 hours, by hand in FBR's portal. After that, you need the Commissioner's approval. Ask how the software shows the invoices you cancelled in FBR's portal. eInvoicePro's invoice list marks them.
Returns and price changes. These need a debit or credit note that quotes the original FBR invoice number, within 180 days of the sale. In eInvoicePro you pick the original invoice and copy its lines in one click, then keep only the difference. More in how to cancel or edit an FBR invoice.
Records. Invoices and notes must be kept for six years. The software should keep each invoice with its FBR number, the data sent and FBR's reply, and let you print or download any of them at any time. That record is what you show when FBR asks about a sale.
Your monthly return. Your sales tax return is filled from the invoices FBR holds. A sale in your books that never reached FBR shows up as a gap. Our post on the sales tax return and Annex-C shows how to keep the two matched.
Six tests to run in a demo
Bring three or four of your own invoices to the demo, and ask the vendor to run these:
- Bill an unregistered buyer. Further tax should appear on its own, at the right rate.
- Bill a retail-price item. The tax should come from the printed retail price, not the selling price.
- Type a wrong NTN. The software should catch it before the invoice goes.
- Upload a small Excel file with one bad row. The bad row should come back with a clear reason.
- Make a debit note against an invoice from earlier in the demo.
- Print the accepted invoice. FBR's invoice number and QR code should be on the page.
A vendor who runs all six in one sitting knows FBR invoicing. If one of them is "coming soon", count it as missing.
Red flags
- No live demo of an invoice FBR has accepted.
- Your staff would type each invoice twice: once in your books, and again for FBR.
- Rejected invoices have no list and no reason, so you find them only when someone goes looking.
- You can't download your own invoices and FBR's replies.
- No clear answer on who updates the software when FBR changes a rule.
- A claim to be a licensed integrator that you can't find on FBR's published list.
What you pay for
Vendors price in different ways, so get every cost in writing before you compare:
- any set-up or onboarding fee;
- the monthly or yearly fee, and what it covers: users, branches and invoices a month;
- the cost of connecting your ERP or POS;
- training, and support after you go live;
- what happens, and what it costs, when FBR changes its rules.
Ask which costs are one-time investment and which are subscription. Section 64D gives a tax credit of 10% of what you invest to integrate with FBR, such as hardware, bought software and set-up work. It doesn't cover running costs: the law leaves out operation and maintenance expenses. Our section 64D post explains who qualifies.
How eInvoicePro does on the checklist
| Check | eInvoicePro |
|---|---|
| 1. Your authority | FBR, PRA and SRB invoices from the same software |
| 2. The buyer | Type the NTN or CNIC and see the buyer's FBR details before you bill |
| 3. The tax | Standard rate, retail-price items, exempt items and further tax, worked out on every line |
| 4. HS codes and units | Type a word and pick the code from FBR's list; only the units FBR accepts are offered |
| 5. FBR's number and QR code | On every accepted invoice, ready for A4 paper or a receipt printer |
| 6. FBR's answer | Read line by line; rejected invoices in one list with FBR's reason, ready to send again |
| 7. Volume | Excel upload, with each invoice sent to FBR and a status report for the file |
| 8. ERP or POS | An API that sends FBR's invoice number back to your system |
| 9. Branches and clients | One product list across stores; CA firms run many clients |
| 10. Notes and corrections | Debit notes copied from the original invoice; cancelled invoices marked in the list |
| 11. Records | Every invoice kept with its FBR number and QR code, to print or download any time |
| 12. FBR's rules | We update eInvoicePro when FBR changes its rules, and you keep invoicing the same way |
2000+ businesses use eInvoicePro, more than a million invoices have gone to FBR through it, and 98% pass FBR's checks. Book a demo on WhatsApp and run the six tests with your own invoices. See the full FBR digital invoicing software page for more.
FAQs
What is the best e-invoicing software in Pakistan? The best one for your business covers your authority (FBR, PRA or SRB), checks your buyers and works out the tax. It also shows FBR's reason for every rejection, and fits how you bill: on screen, from Excel or from your ERP or POS. Run the twelve checks in this post on every option. eInvoicePro covers FBR, PRA and SRB, and 2000+ businesses use it.
Is billing software the same as FBR invoicing software? No. Billing software makes and prints invoices. FBR invoicing software also sends each invoice to FBR as you make it, and prints FBR's invoice number and QR code on it. If your billing software can't do that, connect it to FBR through an API, or switch.
Do I need a licensed integrator as well as invoicing software? You connect to FBR through PRAL or another licensed integrator, which you choose when you enrol for digital invoicing in IRIS. Invoicing software such as eInvoicePro does the daily work on top of that connection, using the token from your enrolment. Our post on PRAL, integrators and invoicing software explains who does what.
Can a small shop use FBR invoicing software? Yes. Any business registered for sales tax can, from a single shop to a large company. Large retailers that count as Tier-1 must link every counter to FBR. Our POS software checklist covers what a shop counter needs.
How much does FBR invoicing software cost? It depends on your users, branches, invoices a month and whether you connect an ERP or POS. Ask each vendor for every cost in writing, split into one-time and monthly. The section 64D tax credit is for investment, not for running costs.
Can my ERP keep making the invoices? Yes. Your ERP sends each invoice through the eInvoicePro API. eInvoicePro checks it, sends it to FBR and returns FBR's invoice number to your ERP, so your books and FBR's records match.
How fast can we start with eInvoicePro? Book a demo on WhatsApp. We show you eInvoicePro, set up your account and help you send your first invoice to FBR.
Related reading: FBR digital invoicing software, does your accounting software support FBR digital invoicing? and bulk invoicing from Excel.
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