Choosing POS software in Pakistan: what an FBR-ready POS needs
A POS that can't send sales to FBR, PRA or SRB is now a fine waiting to happen. Here is what the law asks of your counter, and a checklist to test any POS before you buy.
Answer first. The best POS software for a shop in Pakistan does three things before anything else. It sends every sale to the tax authority as you bill. It prints the authority's invoice number and QR code on the receipt. And it gets the tax right on every line, including retail-price goods. Shops selling goods report to FBR. Restaurants, salons and other services report to their province, such as PRA in Punjab or SRB in Sindh. Check which one is yours, then put every POS you look at through the ten checks below. A POS that fails them costs far more in fines than it saves on price.
Who needs an integrated POS
A business reports its sales to one authority. Which one, and whether your counter must be linked to it, depends on what you sell and where:
| Business | Reports to | Must link every counter when |
|---|---|---|
| Shops selling goods | FBR | Tier-1: part of a chain, in an air-conditioned mall or plaza (not kiosks), electricity bills above Rs 1.2 million in twelve months, or, from 1 July 2026, turnover above Rs 200 million |
| Services in Punjab | PRA | Restaurants above Rs 6 million turnover; other services in PRA's E-IMS rules above Rs 10 million |
| Services in Sindh | SRB | Restaurants in hotels, franchises, with more than one branch, in air-conditioned malls, or above Rs 5 million turnover; since 1 July 2026, salons, clinics and gyms on similar tests |
| Food businesses in KP | KPRA | Every restaurant, hotel and food business, with no threshold |
| Services in Balochistan | BRA | Restaurants in hotels, franchises, more than one branch, air-conditioned malls or above Rs 5 million; salons, clinics and gyms |
The turnover test is the one that catches shops by surprise. FBR can work your turnover out from the advance tax your suppliers collected from you under sections 236G and 236H, even if you never declared it. Our FBR POS integration page explains each Tier-1 test.
Every other business registered for sales tax sends its invoices to FBR as e-invoices too. A shop that isn't Tier-1 still needs software that does that. Our invoicing software checklist covers that side.
What the law asks of a POS
For FBR, Chapter XIV of the Sales Tax Rules sets out what an integrated POS must do. In plain words, it must:
- send each sale to FBR as it happens, and get back FBR's own invoice number;
- print a QR code made from that number on the receipt;
- keep the sales data encrypted, so it can't be changed later;
- close the day, the week and the month;
- log every change, adjustment and cancellation;
- put every sale through the system, including exempt items and online orders.
The shop must also display a board saying it is integrated with FBR. FBR can require card and QR payment at every counter, and then a customer who wants to pay that way shouldn't be turned away. Invoices are kept for six years, and returns are handled with electronic debit or credit notes, not by deleting a sale.
PRA, SRB, KPRA and BRA have their own systems, with the same idea: every bill goes to the authority, and the customer's receipt carries its number and QR code.
The 10-point POS checklist
Take this to every demo, and ask the vendor to show each one live:
| Check | Why it matters | Ask them to show |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sends to your authority | FBR, PRA or SRB: it must send to the one your business reports to | A live sale accepted by your authority |
| 2. Number and QR on the receipt | Your customers check receipts by scanning the QR code | A printed receipt, scanned in the Tax Asaan app |
| 3. Retail-price goods | Third Schedule goods are taxed on the printed retail price, not the selling price | A Third Schedule item sold at a discount |
| 4. Walk-in and registered buyers | Walk-ins need nothing; a registered buyer's NTN goes on the invoice | A sale to a business, with its NTN checked |
| 5. Returns with a note | A sale the authority accepted can't just be deleted | A return against an earlier receipt |
| 6. Works offline | Offline sales must be marked and uploaded within 24 hours | Pull the internet cable mid-sale |
| 7. A log of every change | The law asks for every adjustment and cancellation to be logged | The history of a cancelled sale |
| 8. Every branch in one place | Head office needs every counter's sales and one product list | Two stores on one screen |
| 9. Fast at the busy hour | A slow send means a queue at the till | Ten sales in a row |
| 10. Works with what you have | Replacing a POS your cashiers know is costly | Your current POS connected, or billing straight from the software |
If you are in Sindh, add one more: SRB now requires your POS vendor to be registered with SRB, with an address in Sindh, and active on SRB's taxpayer list. Ask for proof.
When the internet drops
Every counter loses its connection sometimes. The rules expect it, and set out what happens next:
- Sales made during a failure must be marked as offline on the receipt.
- They must be uploaded within 24 hours of the connection coming back.
- A breakdown must be reported to FBR within 24 hours.
For a Tier-1 retailer, a store that stays disconnected for 48 hours, or doesn't upload its offline sales within 24 hours, can be sealed. So ask every vendor exactly what their POS does when the line drops, and how you will know that the offline sales went up.
What goes on the receipt
A receipt from an FBR-integrated POS carries FBR's invoice number, the QR code, the POS software's registration number and FBR's logo, along with the usual items, prices and tax. FBR also charges a POS service fee of Re 1 per invoice, collected from the customer.
Your customers can check any receipt in FBR's Tax Asaan app: under FBR POS, choose Verify Invoice and scan the QR code or type the invoice number. FBR's verification page also gives an SMS route: text INV, a space, your CNIC, a space and the FBR invoice number to 9966. More in our guide to verifying an FBR invoice.
What getting it wrong costs
| What went wrong | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Not integrating, or not issuing e-invoices after integrating | Rs 500,000, then Rs 1 million, Rs 2 million and Rs 3 million, each 15 days after the last order; the premises can be sealed |
| A receipt without FBR's number or QR code, or a sale kept out of the system | Rs 500,000 or 200% of the tax involved, whichever is higher; the premises can be sealed |
| A Tier-1 store offline for 48 hours, or offline sales not uploaded in 24 hours | The premises can be sealed |
The provinces have their own fines. PRA, for example, fines a business Rs 500,000 the first time it fails to issue a proper tax invoice. After that it is Rs 1 million each time, and the premises can be sealed after three. All of 2026's provincial changes are in our post on Sindh, KP and Balochistan in 2026 and PRA in 2026.
What you pay for
POS prices in Pakistan vary a lot, because vendors bundle different things. Before you compare, get each part priced in writing:
- Hardware: the till or tablet, a receipt printer, a barcode scanner and a card machine, for every counter.
- Software: a one-time licence, or a monthly or yearly fee, per counter or per branch.
- Linking to FBR, PRA or SRB: set-up, testing and going live.
- Your products: loading items with their HS codes, tax types and retail prices.
- Support: who answers at 9pm on a Saturday, and what it costs.
The tax credit helps with part of it. Under section 64D, you get back 10% of what you invest to integrate with FBR, such as hardware, bought software and set-up, as a credit against your income tax. Running costs don't count. Our section 64D post explains who qualifies.
eInvoicePro at the counter
eInvoicePro works two ways at the till. Bill straight from eInvoicePro, or keep the POS you already have and connect it through our API, so your cashiers keep the screens they know. Either way:
- every sale goes to FBR as you bill, and the receipt prints with FBR's invoice number and QR code;
- each product carries its HS code, tax type and retail price, so Third Schedule goods are taxed on their printed retail price;
- walk-in customers go to FBR as sales to the end consumer, and a registered buyer's NTN is checked and printed;
- returns are recorded with a note against the original sale, never by deleting it;
- one product list and one set of tax rules cover every store, and head office sees every sale.
For restaurants and other services, eInvoicePro sends bills to PRA in Punjab or SRB in Sindh, picks the card or cash rate, and prints the authority's number and QR code. POS software houses connect their own product to FBR through the eInvoicePro API. 2000+ businesses use eInvoicePro. Book a demo on WhatsApp and run the ten checks on your own counter.
FAQs
What is the best POS software in Pakistan? The best one for your shop sends every sale to your authority (FBR, PRA or SRB) as you bill, and prints the invoice number and QR code on the receipt. It also taxes retail-price goods correctly, handles returns with a note and keeps working when the internet drops. Run the ten checks in this post on every option.
How much does POS software cost in Pakistan? It depends on the hardware, the number of counters and branches, whether the software is a one-time licence or a subscription, and the cost of linking to FBR, PRA or SRB. Get each part priced in writing. Section 64D gives back 10% of what you invest in FBR integration as an income tax credit.
Who must have an FBR-integrated POS? Tier-1 retailers. That means units of a chain, shops in air-conditioned malls or plazas (not kiosks), and retailers with electricity bills above Rs 1.2 million in twelve months. From 1 July 2026, it also means retailers with turnover above Rs 200 million.
What is the Re 1 POS fee? FBR charges a POS service fee of Re 1 on each invoice from an integrated POS. It is collected from the customer and paid to FBR with the monthly return.
What happens if the POS goes offline? Sales made while offline must be marked as offline and uploaded within 24 hours of the connection coming back. A Tier-1 store that stays disconnected for 48 hours, or doesn't upload its offline sales in time, can be sealed.
Can I keep my current POS? Yes. Connect it to FBR through the eInvoicePro API and your cashiers keep the screens they know. If you don't have a POS, you can bill straight from eInvoicePro.
How do customers check a POS receipt? In FBR's Tax Asaan app, under FBR POS and then Verify Invoice, by scanning the QR code or typing the invoice number. FBR's verification page also lists an SMS route through 9966.
Related reading: FBR POS integration, FBR invoicing at a retail counter and restaurants and hotels.
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