How can a buyer check if an FBR invoice is real?

There are three official ways: scan the invoice QR code, use the FBR Tax Asaan app or FBR's online invoice verification portal, or send an SMS to 9966 in FBR's published format. Each returns the invoice's status straight from FBR's records.

What number do I SMS to verify an FBR invoice?

FBR's invoice verification SMS short-code is 9966. Send the message in FBR's published format (invoice keyword, CNIC and the FBR invoice number). Confirm the exact current format on the FBR website before sending.

Why does invoice verification matter for input tax?

Only invoices carrying a valid Invoice Reference Number (IRN) are eligible for input-tax adjustment. If a supplier gives you an invoice that was never posted through Digital Invoicing, verification will fail and you cannot claim input tax on it.

FBR Digital Invoicing · Guide

How to Verify an FBR Invoice by QR Code, Tax Asaan App or SMS 9966

Three official ways a buyer can check that an FBR invoice is genuine — scan the QR code, use the FBR Tax Asaan app, or send an SMS to 9966 — plus what a valid result means for your input tax.

Why verify an invoice

Every invoice issued through FBR Digital Invoicing carries a unique Invoice Reference Number (IRN) and a Version 2.0 QR code. Verifying it confirms the sale was actually transmitted to FBR and that the tax you paid is genuinely recorded against your supplier.

For registered buyers this is not just reassurance: only invoices with a valid IRN are eligible for input-tax adjustment, so verifying protects your input-tax credit.

Method 1 — Scan the QR code

The fastest check is to scan the QR code printed on the invoice with any QR scanner or the FBR Tax Asaan app. A genuine code resolves to FBR's record of that exact invoice.

If a QR code does not scan, resolves to nothing, or shows details that differ from the paper invoice (amount, seller NTN, date), treat the invoice as suspect.

Method 2 — FBR Tax Asaan app and online portal

Install FBR's Tax Asaan mobile app and use its invoice verification feature, or enter the FBR invoice number on FBR's online POS/invoice verification portal at fbr.gov.pk. Both return the invoice's recorded status directly from FBR.

FBR has periodically run prize and lucky-draw campaigns to encourage customers to verify their receipts, which further discourages sellers from issuing fake invoices.

Method 3 — SMS to 9966

If you do not have the app handy, you can verify by SMS. Send a message in FBR's published format — invoice keyword, then CNIC, then the FBR invoice number — to 9966, and FBR replies with the invoice's status.

Always confirm the current SMS format on the FBR website, as FBR updates its verification channels from time to time.

How Digi Invoice fits

Digi Invoice posts every invoice through FBR's Digital Invoicing API, so each one comes back with a real IRN and a scannable Version 2.0 QR code that passes all three verification methods above.

That means your registered buyers can verify instantly and keep their input-tax credit, and you avoid the reputational cost of a customer scanning a code that fails.