Salary & Income · Section 111(4) · Tax Year 2026-2027

Is Foreign Remittance Taxable in Pakistan?

A remittance is not income, so it is not taxed as such. What matters is how much of it is protected from being questioned about its source.

Is that in rupees or foreign currency?
Only used if you picked foreign currency. Use the rate at which it was encashed.
How did it arrive?
The protection only applies to remittances through normal banking channels, encashed in rupees.
This threshold has been amended more than once — confirm the figure for your tax year rather than trusting the default.

What this actually means

Not a tax — a protection

  1. A remittance is not income

    So there is no income tax on the transfer itself.

  2. Section 111(4) blocks source questions

    For remittances through banking channels, encashed in rupees.

  3. Up to a yearly limit

    Above it, the excess can be asked about.

  4. Unexplained money is taxable

    If the excess cannot be evidenced, it can be taxed as unexplained income.

Reading the result

The question is not tax, it is explanation

A remittance is a transfer of money, not income, so it is not taxed as income. What Section 111(4) does is different and more useful: within limits, it protects remitted money from being questioned about its source.

That protection is what people are really asking about when they ask whether remittance is taxable. The risk was never a tax charge on the transfer — it was an unexplained credit in your accounts.

The banking channel is the whole condition

The protection depends on the money arriving through normal banking channels and being encashed into rupees with the bank's documentation to prove it. Money brought in as cash, or through an informal transfer arrangement, does not qualify however genuine its origin.

Keep the encashment certificate. Years later it is the only thing that distinguishes a protected remittance from an unexplained deposit.

Declare it even though it is not taxed

Remittances belong in your wealth statement as an inflow. Leaving them out is what creates the mismatch between your declared income and your growth in assets — and then the protection you were entitled to never gets used, because nobody can see the remittance.

The wealth statement reconciliation calculator shows how the inflow fits.

Where this stops

The limit is editable because it has been amended by Finance Act more than once. Use the figure for the tax year you are filing, and note that this is about money coming in — sending money abroad is a separate provision.

FAQs

Foreign remittance FAQs

Is foreign remittance taxable in Pakistan?

No — a remittance is a transfer of money you already own, not income, so there is no income tax on the remittance itself. What can be taxed is income: if money arriving cannot be explained and does not qualify for the protection below, it can be treated as unexplained income and taxed as such.

What does Section 111(4) actually do?

It stops the tax authority asking you to explain the source of foreign remittances, provided they come through normal banking channels and are encashed in rupees — up to a limit for the tax year. It is a protection from source-questioning, not a tax exemption, because no exemption is needed for something that is not income in the first place.

Why is the limit editable?

The per-tax-year threshold has been amended more than once and has moved in both directions. Rather than hardcode a figure that may be out of date for your year, enter the limit that applies to the tax year you are asking about — confirm it against the current law or with a tax advisor.

What counts as "normal banking channels"?

An inward remittance through a bank or a recognised money transfer arrangement, encashed in Pakistani rupees, with the bank's encashment certificate as evidence. Cash carried in, or funds arriving outside the banking system, does not attract the protection — keep the certificate, because it is the evidence the protection rests on.

Do I still declare it on my return?

Yes. Not being taxable is not the same as not being reportable — remittances and the assets bought with them belong in your wealth statement, and an unexplained jump in assets is exactly what draws questions. Declaring it properly is what makes the protection usable.

Does this cover money I send out of Pakistan?

No — this page is about money coming in. Sending money abroad on a card or through a bank can attract advance tax under Section 236Y; see the Foreign Remittance Tax (236Y) Calculator for that.

Related tools

Sending money abroad instead?

Outward remittances on a card can attract advance tax under Section 236Y.

Open Foreign Remittance Tax (236Y) Calculator