A bank asks for your last three salary slips before approving a car loan or credit card, and that's usually the first time anyone actually looks closely at what's on the document. Half the slips floating around are Excel exports with a company name typed in bold and nothing else — no NTN, no tax line, no pay period. The bank's loan desk sends it back, and now it's urgent.
Here's what actually needs to be on a Pakistani salary slip, why the deduction section confuses almost everyone who reads their own payslip, and a free generator at the bottom that builds one properly.
Why a real salary slip matters more than it looks
A payslip is proof of income wherever proof of income gets asked for — bank loans, credit cards, visa applications, rental agreements, even some university admissions for working adults. It's also the document you'd reconcile against your own tax return, since the income tax line on it is money your employer already withheld and sent to FBR on your behalf. A slip with no NTN, no clear tax line, and no stated pay period doesn't hold up to any of that scrutiny — it just looks like a Word template someone filled in an hour before a meeting.
What has to be on it
- Employer details — company name, address, and NTN. Banks and visa desks use the NTN to cross-check the company is real.
- Employee details — name, designation or employee ID, and the exact pay period (month and year).
- Earnings, broken into lines: basic salary, house rent allowance, medical allowance, conveyance allowance, plus any bonus or overtime. Don't lump these into one "salary" figure — a bank reading a single number can't tell what's guaranteed pay versus a one-off bonus.
- Deductions, also as separate lines: income tax, EOBI, provident fund if your company runs one, plus anything specific like a loan recovery or unpaid-leave adjustment.
- Net pay, and ideally net pay in words — "Rupees forty-five thousand only" is the convention on formal Pakistani payslips and bank documents generally expect it.
The income tax line — what's actually being withheld
For the 2026–27 tax year, salaried individuals in Pakistan are taxed under eight progressive slabs. Income up to PKR 600,000 a year sits at 0%. Above that, rates climb through 1%, 11%, 20%, 25%, 29%, and 32%, up to a top rate of 35% on annual income above PKR 7,000,000. The additional surcharge that applied on higher incomes in earlier years has been removed for this tax year, so what's on the slip is the slab rate and nothing extra layered on top.
Two exemptions worth knowing if your slip itemizes them separately: medical allowance is exempt up to whichever is lower — 10% of basic salary or PKR 10,000 a month — and conveyance allowance is exempt up to about PKR 50,000 a year. These exemptions only apply when the allowance is shown as its own line, not folded into a generic "other allowance" figure.
Slabs get revised almost every federal budget, so treat this as this year's numbers rather than a permanent reference — check FBR's Iris portal or your employer's HR/payroll team before relying on an exact figure for something like a return you're filing yourself.
EOBI — the deduction everyone misreads
EOBI stands for the Employees' Old-Age Benefits Institution, Pakistan's mandatory old-age pension scheme. Here's the part that confuses most people looking at their own slip: the employee's 1% EOBI contribution is calculated on the federal minimum wage, not on your actual salary. At the current minimum wage of PKR 40,700 a month, that works out to roughly PKR 400 — a fixed, tiny number whether you earn PKR 60,000 or PKR 600,000 a month. The employer separately pays 5% of the same minimum-wage base per employee. If you've ever wondered why EOBI barely moves the needle compared to income tax, that's why — it isn't scaled to your income at all.
Provident Fund and the rest of the deduction list
Provident Fund is a different thing entirely, and it's not mandated by law the way EOBI is — it's a company policy, commonly around 8.33% of basic salary, sometimes matched by the employer as a retirement benefit. Beyond PF, a slip might carry a loan or advance recovery line, an unpaid-leave deduction, or a provincial social security contribution (PESSI in Punjab, SESSI in Sindh) if the employer has six or more staff and is registered.
This is also why comparing your payslip's total deduction figure against a quick tax calculator never quite matches. The deduction section isn't just tax — it's tax plus EOBI plus PF plus whatever else applies that month. Pull out the income tax line specifically before comparing it to anything.
Can a freelancer issue themselves a salary slip?
Sometimes, and it depends what you're actually trying to prove. If a client specifically asked for a "salary slip" format because that's what their internal process expects, treat your client as the "employer" field and your monthly retainer as the earning line — it's a formatting exercise more than a legal payslip. But if you're a freelancer trying to show proof of income to a bank for a loan, an invoice paired with your bank or Payoneer statements usually carries more weight than a self-issued payslip, since nobody employs you in the legal sense a slip implies. When in doubt, ask whoever's requesting the document which format they actually need.
A basic layout, for reference
[Company Name, Address, NTN] Pay Period: September 2026[Employee Name, Designation/ID]
Earnings DeductionsBasic Salary 45,000 Income Tax 1,200House Rent 13,500 EOBI 400Medical 4,500 Provident Fund 3,748Conveyance 2,000
Gross Pay: 65,000 Total Deductions: 5,348 Net Pay: 59,652
Net Pay in Words: Rupees Fifty-Nine Thousand Six HundredFifty-Two Only
Mistakes that undercut a DIY slip
- No employer NTN. Loan desks and visa offices often check it; leaving it blank makes the document look unofficial.
- One lump "salary" figure instead of separate earning lines. A bank can't tell guaranteed basic pay from a one-time bonus if it's all mashed into one number.
- A vague "misc deduction" instead of naming income tax and EOBI. It reads as sloppy at best, evasive at worst, on a document meant to prove your finances are in order.
- No stated pay period. A bank asking for "last three months" needs three slips that are each clearly dated — not three copies of the same undated template.
- Building it in Excel and exporting inconsistently. Column widths and fonts shift between machines; convert to PDF before it ever leaves your inbox.
The free way to build one
The Salary Slip Generator on PdfPeaks formats exactly this, with the arithmetic done for you. Add earning and deduction lines, and gross, total deductions, net pay, and the net-pay-in-words all update live as you type — the server re-checks the same math when you download, so a slip can't be quietly edited to show a different net after the fact. Pick from six layouts (Classic table, Modern teal, Bold stripe, Minimal, Bank formal, Compact) and A4, Letter, or A5 sizing. No account needed to download, and no watermark on the PDF either way — sign in only if you want your company logo, address, and NTN pulled automatically from a saved Brand kit next time.
One clarification worth stating plainly: this is a formatter, not payroll software. It doesn't file tax with FBR, run your EOBI or PF contributions, or connect to a bank. For an employment-tenure letter instead of pay figures, the Experience Letter / NOC tool is the right one; for an itemized invoice with quantity, rate, and tax rather than a payslip, that's Receipt / Invoice Maker.
FAQ
What has to be on a Pakistani salary slip for a bank or visa application?
Employer name, address, and NTN; employee name and pay period; itemized earnings (basic, allowances, bonus); itemized deductions (tax, EOBI, and anything else applicable); and net pay, ideally with the amount also written out in words.
How much income tax should be deducted from my salary in Pakistan for 2026–27?
Income up to PKR 600,000 a year is taxed at 0%, then progressively at 1% through 32% across the middle slabs, up to 35% on income above PKR 7,000,000 a year. There's no additional surcharge this tax year. Rates change with each federal budget, so confirm the current slab before relying on it for something official.
Why is my EOBI deduction so small compared to my salary?
Because it's calculated as 1% of the federal minimum wage, not 1% of your actual salary. At the current minimum wage, that's roughly PKR 400 a month regardless of how much you actually earn.
Is Provident Fund the same as EOBI?
No. EOBI is a mandatory government pension scheme with a fixed, minimum-wage-based contribution. Provident Fund is a separate, employer-run retirement benefit, commonly around 8.33% of basic salary, and it isn't required by law the way EOBI is.
Can a freelancer or sole proprietor issue their own salary slip?
Only really useful when a specific client's process asks for that exact format. To prove income to a bank, an invoice alongside your bank or Payoneer statements usually works better than a self-issued payslip.
Does PdfPeaks calculate my tax and EOBI automatically?
No — it's a formatter, not payroll software. You enter the earning and deduction amounts yourself; the tool handles the arithmetic (gross, total deductions, net, and net-in-words) and the layout.
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