How to Get the FBR Invoice Number (IRN) and QR Code

When FBR accepts a digital invoice, it sends back an invoice number. Many people call it the IRN (invoice reference number). The bill you give your customer shows this number together with a QR code.

An important point first: you cannot make the number yourself. It only exists after FBR accepts your invoice. A QR code made without that number does not prove anything. This guide shows how the number and the QR code reach your bill with ApnaBill.

ایف بی آر انوائس قبول کرے تو آپ کو انوائس نمبر (آئی آر این) ملتا ہے، اور بل پر اس نمبر کا کیو آر کوڈ چھپتا ہے۔ یہ نمبر آپ خود نہیں بنا سکتے، یہ صرف ایف بی آر کے قبول کرنے کے بعد بنتا ہے۔

Updated

What you need first

  • The set-up from the send guide done: IRIS registration, PRAL, IP and token (or a sandbox token to practise).
  • The FBR Sender installed on your shop PC and linked to ApnaBill.
  • An invoice with a valid HS code, unit and sales tax rate for every item.

How the IRN and QR code reach your bill

  1. Step 1

    Make the invoice in ApnaBill

    Type the buyer and the items in Urdu or English. The HS code, unit and a suggested rate fill in for you. You choose the sales tax rate yourself.

    Open the invoice maker →

  2. Step 2

    Check every item before you send

    Most rejections come from a wrong HS code, a wrong rate or a missing buyer detail. Check each line once.

    Check an HS code →

  3. Step 3

    Send it to FBR with the FBR Sender

    Press send. The FBR Sender sends the invoice from your shop PC to FBR through PRAL, using your own token.

  4. Step 4

    FBR accepts it and returns the invoice number

    If the invoice is valid, FBR answers with the invoice number (IRN). ApnaBill saves it on that invoice. If FBR finds a problem, it answers with an error number instead and no IRN is created.

    💡 Practise first in the FBR sandbox. The sandbox gives test numbers that are not real sales.

  5. Step 5

    The QR code appears on the bill

    ApnaBill draws a QR code from the FBR invoice number and prints it on the bill next to the number. Print the bill or share it on WhatsApp for your customer.

  6. Step 6

    If you did not get a number

    Look at the error number FBR gave. Fix the item, rate or buyer detail it points to and send again. If your internet was down, the invoice waits in a queue and gets its number when it is sent.

    Look up the error number →

Make your first invoice free

Questions about this guide

What is the FBR IRN?

It is the invoice number FBR sends back when it accepts a digital invoice. People often call it the IRN (invoice reference number). It identifies that one invoice at FBR.

Can I generate the IRN or the QR code myself?

No. The number only exists after FBR accepts the invoice, and the QR code is made from that number. A bill with a made-up number or QR code is not a valid FBR digital invoice.

Does the sandbox give a real IRN?

No. Sandbox numbers are for practice and do not count as real sales. Use them to check that your invoices are accepted before you switch to the production token.

Try the sandbox practice →

Why is there no QR code on my invoice?

ApnaBill shows the QR code only after FBR has returned an invoice number. If there is no number yet, the invoice was not sent, was rejected, or is waiting in the queue.

Is there an online FBR QR code generator?

ApnaBill draws the QR code for you on the printed bill once FBR returns the number. A QR code from any other site that is not based on a number from FBR does not make an invoice valid.

Related guides and tools

All guides →

ApnaBill is an independent tool. It is not run by FBR or PRAL and it is not tax advice. Rules and menu names can change, so confirm with FBR or your tax consultant. See the disclaimer.