PRAL, licensed integrators and invoicing software: who does what
Three kinds of supplier turn up in every FBR digital invoicing decision, and their sales pitches overlap. Once you see which part of the job each one does, most buying decisions get much simpler.
Answer first. When you enrol for digital invoicing in IRIS, you choose how you connect to FBR: through PRAL, or through another licensed integrator. That choice decides who issues your credentials. It does not decide how your staff make invoices, check buyers, handle rejections or keep records. That part is done by your own developers, by invoicing software, or by an integrator’s own product. Most businesses end up with a connection route plus something that does the daily work, and since March 2026 FBR allows a business to use more than one licensed integrator.
The job has three layers
Every working setup does three things. Thinking in layers makes it clear which supplier covers which part.
| Layer | What it does | Who can provide it |
|---|---|---|
| Connection | The approved route to FBR, and the credentials that go with it | PRAL, or another licensed integrator |
| Filing logic | Builds each invoice in FBR’s format, checks it, sends it, reads the answer, retries failures, keeps the record | Your own developers, invoicing software, or an integrator’s product |
| Daily work | Screens for staff, buyer checks, bulk files, reports, links to your ERP or POS | Invoicing software, your ERP or POS, or an integrator’s product |
A supplier that says it “does FBR integration” might cover one layer or all three. Ask which.
What PRAL is, and what its route gives you
PRAL is Pakistan Revenue Automation (Private) Limited, the company that runs FBR’s IT systems. In the digital invoicing enrolment in IRIS, PRAL is one of the connection choices.
On the PRAL route, the steps are largely automatic. You submit your technical details, including the IP address you will send from. FBR whitelists it, and sandbox testing turns on. You clear the test scenarios you were assigned, and the production token is issued automatically once your test invoices succeed. There is no review queue and no human sign-off. The token is valid for five years and belongs to one registration.
What PRAL gives you, in other words, is the door and the key: FBR’s digital invoicing API and a token to use it. The API itself is small. Version 1.12, still the specification FBR links, has two methods for invoices, one to submit and one to validate without submitting, plus twelve reference lookups. There is no method to cancel or edit an invoice. That is done by hand in the portal.
PRAL’s route is often described as free for eligible businesses. Check the current terms for your own registration before you rely on that, because FBR and PRAL set them, and a vendor cannot promise them.
What the free route leaves to you
A free connection is not a free project. On the PRAL route, everything above the connection is yours to provide.
- Building to the API. Someone has to turn your invoices into FBR’s format, with the right sale type, HS code, unit and rate on every line. Most early rejections come from this mapping.
- Reading the answers. FBR returns its verdict inside a normal successful response, and one line can fail while the invoice looks accepted. Your system has to read every line.
- Handling failures. Someone has to see rejected invoices, fix the cause and resend. Invoices that got no answer need checking before they are resent, because FBR does not block duplicates.
- Keeping records. The FBR invoice number, the payload you sent and FBR’s reply need storing against each invoice for six years.
- Keeping up. When FBR changes a field or a rule, your code changes too.
- Infrastructure. A static IP or a fixed cloud address, and someone who looks after it.
A business with a capable IT team and one system can do all of this. Many choose not to, because the build is the easy part and the upkeep never ends.
When a third-party integrator fits
A licensed integrator other than PRAL is a private firm approved by FBR to provide the connection. On that route, the integrator is involved in issuing your credentials, and many integrators sell their own product on top: a portal, a POS plugin or an ERP add-on.
That suits a business that wants one supplier for the connection and the daily tool, or whose ERP or POS vendor has already partnered with an integrator. It costs money, and the terms are a contract between you and the integrator.
Since 30 March 2026, Sales Tax General Order 01 of 2026 allows a registered person to engage one or more licensed integrators. For example, if different parts of a business run different systems, each part no longer has to be forced through the same supplier. Confirm how your setup would work with each integrator before you sign.
Ask any firm that says it is a licensed integrator to show where it appears in FBR’s published list. A logo on a website is not proof.
Where invoicing software fits
Invoicing software covers the filing logic and the daily work. eInvoicePro is in this group. It is FBR digital invoicing software and an API. It is not a licensed integrator, and we say so because the difference matters when you buy.
In practice, the business enrols for digital invoicing in IRIS and saves its FBR token in eInvoicePro. From there, staff make invoices on screens, busy teams upload Excel files, and ERP or POS systems send invoices through our API. eInvoicePro checks each invoice, sends it, reads FBR’s answer line by line, retries what failed and keeps the FBR number, the payload and the reply.
This suits businesses that want the daily work handled without building it, and that would rather not be tied to one integrator’s product for their screens.
Two things that are not this
Provincial systems. PRA E-IMS in Punjab, SRB POS in Sindh, KPRA’s system in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and BRA’s in Balochistan are separate systems for services under provincial law. An FBR licensed integrator does not connect you to them, and an FBR invoice does not count for them. Note too that PRA, the Punjab Revenue Authority, is not PRAL.
The draft income tax regime. SRO 288(I)/2026, dated 18 February 2026, is a draft for income tax integration of businesses. Its integrator licensing rules, such as a five-year licence and a Rs 10 million minimum paid-up capital, have been widely reported, but it was issued for public comment and is not final. It is separate from sales tax digital invoicing. Do not let anyone sell you a sales tax setup on the strength of it.
Questions to ask every vendor
| Ask | A good answer |
|---|---|
| Which layers do you provide? | A clear yes or no for connection, filing logic and daily work |
| Are you a licensed integrator? | Yes with a reference to FBR’s list, or a plain no |
| What happens when FBR rejects one line? | The invoice is shown as failed, with FBR’s reason against that line |
| What if FBR’s reply never arrives? | The invoice is checked before it is sent again, so it is not filed twice |
| Where is our token kept, and who can see it? | Stored encrypted, not visible to staff, replaceable by you |
| What do we keep for audit? | The FBR number, the payload sent and FBR’s reply, for every invoice |
| What changes when FBR changes its rules? | The vendor updates the product; you do not rewrite code |
| What is investment and what is subscription? | A clear split, because the section 64D credit covers investment, not recurring fees |
Get the answers in writing. If a vendor will not say which layer they cover, that is your answer.
FAQs
Is PRAL the same as a licensed integrator? PRAL is one of the connection choices in IRIS, alongside other licensed integrators. It is the company that runs FBR’s IT systems. Choosing it gives you FBR’s API and a token; it does not give you invoicing screens or error handling.
Is the PRAL route really free? It is often described as free for eligible businesses. Check the current terms for your own registration. Even where the connection is free, building to the API, handling rejections and keeping records still take time or money.
Can we use more than one licensed integrator? Yes. Sales Tax General Order 01 of 2026, effective 30 March 2026, allows a registered person to engage one or more licensed integrators. Confirm how each would work with your systems before signing.
Is eInvoicePro a licensed integrator? No. eInvoicePro is FBR digital invoicing software and an API. The business enrols for digital invoicing in IRIS and saves its FBR token in eInvoicePro, which then makes, checks and sends invoices and keeps the records.
Does an FBR integrator also cover PRA or SRB? No. PRA E-IMS, SRB POS and the KPRA and BRA systems are separate provincial systems for services. They need their own connection, and an FBR invoice does not count for them.
Related reading: licensed integrator vs software, the section 64D tax credit and eInvoicePro invoicing software.
Ready to simplify your FBR digital invoicing?
Join 2000+ businesses that use eInvoicePro to make invoices and send them to FBR.