PRAL Digital Invoicing: How the Free FBR Route Works (2026)

PRAL digital invoicing means sending your sales tax invoices to FBR through PRAL, FBR's own technology company. The PRAL route is free. It gives you the connection to FBR, but not the billing software. Updated: October 2026.

Four facts to remember. PRAL charges Rs 0. Your sandbox and production tokens last 5 years. PRAL whitelists 1 to 3 IP addresses by hand (more by an uploaded sheet). A private licensed integrator may charge at most Rs 10 per invoice instead.

By the Digi Invoice team at S.M. Raheel & Company — tax advocates, Faisalabad.

PRAL stands for Pakistan Revenue Automation (Pvt.) Ltd. It is owned by the government and runs FBR's computer systems. That includes the Digital Invoicing (DI) system. DI is the system that receives every sales tax invoice in real time.

When your software sends an invoice, PRAL's system checks it against FBR's rules. If it passes, FBR gives back an IRN (Invoice Reference Number — the unique number FBR gives every invoice) and a QR code (a square barcode anyone can scan to check the invoice). You print both on the invoice.

PRAL also runs the PRAL DI CRM (the support ticket portal for digital invoicing problems). Official manuals are on FBR's DI technical assistance page.

Here is the PRAL route, step by step.

1. Check your NTN and STRN. NTN is your National Tax Number. STRN (Sales Tax Registration Number) shows you are registered for sales tax. Both must be active.
2. Enrol on IRIS. IRIS is FBR's online tax portal. Open the Digital Invoicing tab and choose PRAL as your integrator. Full steps: how to register for FBR digital invoicing.
3. Give your IP addresses. An IP address is the internet address of the computer or server that will send invoices. PRAL must whitelist it (allow it) before it can connect. This usually takes a few working hours.
4. Get your sandbox token. The sandbox is FBR's free practice system, where test invoices do not count. A token is a secret key your software uses to log in. See how to get the sandbox and production token.
5. Pass the scenario tests. FBR gives you test cases (scenarios) for your type of business. Your software must post each one without errors. Help: FBR sandbox testing scenarios.
6. Go live. Once the tests pass, you get the production token. From now on, every real invoice goes to FBR.

The PRAL connection is free. The catch is that PRAL gives you a pipe, not a program. Somebody still has to build the software that makes each invoice in FBR's format, sends it, stores the IRN and prints the QR code with the FBR logo.

That leaves three real choices. The table shows what each one costs and who does the work.

Compare the routes in more depth: licensed integrator vs PRAL and free FBR digital invoicing software: PRAL vs paid. Check any private company on FBR's list of licensed integrators before you pay.

Ali Traders in Faisalabad sells 20 cartons of cooking utensils to a registered buyer. Each carton costs Rs 2,500.

• Value before tax: 20 × Rs 2,500 = Rs 50,000
• Sales tax at 18%: Rs 9,000
• Invoice total: Rs 59,000

The software sends this invoice to FBR through PRAL. It uses sale type SN001 (the sandbox code for a standard-rate sale to a registered buyer). FBR checks that 18% of Rs 50,000 is Rs 9,000. It then returns the IRN and QR code in a few seconds. PRAL charges nothing for this. On a private integrator at the Rs 10 cap, the same invoice could cost up to Rs 10.

There is no open deadline left. The final dates came from SRO 1852(I)/2025 (an SRO is a Statutory Regulatory Order — a legal notice FBR issues), dated 24 September 2025. The last group of registered businesses had to go live by 31 December 2025.

• Public companies, all importers, companies with turnover above Rs 1 billion, and individuals or AOPs (associations of persons, such as partnerships) above Rs 100 million: 1 November 2025.
• Companies with turnover from Rs 100 million to Rs 1 billion: 15 November 2025.
• Companies with turnover up to Rs 100 million: 1 December 2025.
• All other registered persons: 31 December 2025.

The PRAL route has no separate deadline. It is only the free way to meet the FBR deadline. A business that is still not live in October 2026 can face the Rs 1 million non-integration penalty. See FBR digital invoicing penalty and the full FBR e-invoicing deadline timeline.

A digital invoice is a sales tax invoice that your software sends to FBR the moment you make it. FBR checks it and gives it an IRN. A paper or PDF invoice without an IRN is not a digital invoice.

Under the DI API v1.12 rules, each invoice carries these details:

• Seller NTN and STRN, and the seller's province.
• Buyer NTN or CNIC, buyer province, and whether the buyer is registered or unregistered.
• For each item: HS code (the customs code that says what the goods are), sale type, unit, quantity, value before tax, tax rate and sales tax.
• Invoice date and your own invoice number.

When FBR accepts the invoice, you print the IRN, the Version 2.0 QR code and the FBR Digital Invoicing logo on it. Details: the FBR invoice QR code explained and sales tax invoice format in Pakistan.

FBR opened a PRAL front desk at the Large Taxpayers Office (LTO) in Karachi on 5 June 2026. It helps with IRIS, registration, sales tax returns, refunds and other digital tax services (source: FBR press release, 9 June 2026).

On 22 September 2026, the FBR Chairman agreed in principle to a PRAL liaison office in Lahore. No opening date has been announced yet. Online, digital invoicing problems still go to the PRAL DI CRM at dicrm.pral.com.pk. FBR's national helpline is 051-111-772-772.

Digi Invoice is FBR digital invoicing software made by S.M. Raheel & Company. It works on the free PRAL route and posts in real time. It checks every invoice against the DI v1.12 rules before sending, so fewer invoices are rejected. It supports the sandbox and production, and prints the IRN and QR code for you.

There is no invoice limit and no per-invoice fee. Ask for the current price on the Digi Invoice contact page or compare tools in best FBR digital invoicing software in Pakistan.

Stuck with a PRAL token or IP problem? Read PRAL digital invoicing helpline and support. Need help? Contact Digi Invoice — WhatsApp 0300 8680363. Ready to start? Create your free account.

• PRAL: Pakistan Revenue Automation (Pvt.) Ltd, FBR's own technology company.
• Integrator: the company that connects your software to FBR — PRAL or a licensed private firm.
• Token: a secret key your software uses to send invoices to FBR.
• IP whitelisting: PRAL allowing only your computer's internet address to connect.
• IRN: Invoice Reference Number, the unique number FBR gives every invoice.