---
name: pk-bookkeeping
description: "> Use this skill whenever asked about record-keeping and bookkeeping for self-employed people and small businesses in Pakistan. Trigger on phrases like \"Pakistan bookkeeping\", \"records for FBR\", \"invoice requirements Pakistan\", \"freelancer records Pakistan\", \"what records to keep FBR\". Covers the records a business individual must keep, foreign-remittance evidence for IT exporters, invoicing, and retention. ALWAYS read before any Pakistan bookkeeping work."
license: AGPL-3.0-or-later (code) / OpenAccountants Guide License v1.0 (content)
metadata:
  source: openaccountants
  jurisdiction: PK
  category: international
  quality: source-cited draft
  openaccountants_url: "https://openaccountants.com/skills/pk-bookkeeping"
  tax_year: 2026
  obligation: BT
---

# Pakistan Bookkeeping & Records — Skill v1.0

> **General reference only.** This skill is general tax/accounting reference material for AI-assisted workflows. It has not been reviewed for any specific person's facts, documents, elections, deadlines, residency, filing status, or local procedures. Do not rely on it to file, pay, amend, or take a tax position without review by a qualified professional in the relevant jurisdiction.

## Section 1 — Quick Reference

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Country | Pakistan |
| Currency | PKR |
| Tax authority | Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) — IRIS |
| Core records | Income/receipts, expenses, bank statements, invoices, asset register |
| IT exporter must keep | Bank credit advices / **PRC (Proceeds Realization Certificate)** for every foreign remittance |
| Retention | Generally 6 years (verify s.174 Income Tax Ordinance) |
| Quality tier | Research-verified — pending sign-off by a Pakistani tax practitioner |
| Skill version | 1.0 |

## Section 2 — What to keep (Tier 1)
- **Income:** invoices to clients, platform statements (Upwork/Fiverr), bank credits. For exporters, the **banking-channel remittance evidence (PRC/credit advice)** is essential — it is the basis of the IT-export concession (pk-it-export-tax).
- **Expenses:** vendor bills, utility/rent receipts, equipment purchases (for the asset register/depreciation), subscriptions.
- **Bank:** full-year statements for all accounts (PKR and foreign-currency/USD).
- **Tax:** prior returns, wealth statement, withholding tax certificates (these support adjustments/refunds).

## Section 3 — Invoicing & sales tax records
- A business individual issues invoices with their NTN. If registered for **sales tax on services** (provincial) or **goods** (FBR), keep tax invoices and the input/output tax record (see pakistan-sales-tax).

## Section 4 — Worked example
A freelancer keeps: monthly Upwork statements, the bank's PRC for each USD remittance, a simple expense sheet (laptop, internet, software), and the year-end bank statement. This supports the IT-export final tax and the IRIS return + wealth statement.

## Section 10 — Prohibitions
- NEVER let an IT exporter discard remittance/PRC evidence — the concession depends on it.
- NEVER mix domestic and export income without separating the records.
- NEVER state the retention period without verifying s.174 of the Income Tax Ordinance.

## Disclaimer
Informational only; not advice. Verify record/retention rules with the FBR. All outputs must be reviewed and signed off by a qualified Pakistani tax practitioner. Maintained at [openaccountants.com](https://openaccountants.com).

---

_Source: [OpenAccountants](https://openaccountants.com/skills/pk-bookkeeping) — open tax Guides for AI, reviewed by named CPAs/CAs/EAs. Quality: **source-cited draft**. For always-current figures and named-accountant backing, connect the OpenAccountants MCP server (`openaccountants-mcp`)._