PTA Tax Installments 2026: How the New Budget Payment Plan Works
Budget 2026-27 lets you pay PTA/DIRBS tax on an imported phone in installments instead of one lump sum. Here is how the facility works and the one rule you cannot miss.
Reviewed by Salman Ahmed·Updated 27 August 2026What the Finance Act 2026-27 changed
From 1 July 2026, under the Finance Act 2026-27, the government legally approved an installment facility for the PTA/DIRBS registration tax on imported new and used mobile phones. The full PSID amount was no longer meant to require a single lump-sum transaction.
Status as of our last review: not yet operational
As of late August 2026, PTA has publicly stated that no operational installment mechanism has actually been launched on DIRBS, months after the budget announcement. PTA has explicitly rejected social-media posts claiming an installment system is live as fake, and confirmed that FBR still has not published the eligibility criteria, number of installments or payment schedule needed to make the law usable. Do not act on any 'installment now available' message you see online until this page or dirbs.pta.gov.pk itself confirms it.
The one hard rule once it does launch: full payment by year end
Whichever installment schedule eventually rolls out, the complete tax will still need to be cleared before the end of the financial year (30 June) in which the phone was imported. DIRBS only marks a device 'Compliant' once the balance is fully paid; a partial payment will not unblock the phone.
Who this will help most, once live
This is aimed at flagship imports where the tax bill runs into six figures, letting buyers spread PKR 150,000 to 200,000 or more across a few months instead of one hit. For budget and mid-range phones, the tax is usually small enough that paying in full will likely stay simpler even after launch.
What this will not change
Locally assembled phones sold in Pakistani shops were never subject to DIRBS import tax, so this facility has no effect on them. The underlying tax amount is also unchanged: this is a payment-timing benefit only, not a discount.