Your Company Invests in T-Bills. Two Taxes Hit You — Not One.
Most pepole see the SBP deduction at maturity and think: "We're done."
They're not. 👇
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📌 First — How a T-Bill Works
A T-Bill is a discount instrument. You pay less than face value upfront and collect the full face value at maturity. The difference is your yield — and it is fully taxable.
Example used throughout this post:
→ Face Value: Rs. 100,000,000
→ Purchase Price: Rs. 97,500,000
→ Yield / Profit: Rs. 2,500,000
This single investment can trigger TWO separate tax events under TWO different sections of income tax ordinance 2001 under two different senarios.
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⚡ TAX EVENT #1 — Held to Maturity
Section 151 Section39--Profit on Debt:
When your T-Bill matures, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) withholds tax under section 151 before releasing your funds.
For Tax Year 2026, the rates are:
→ ATL company: 20% of yield
→ Non-ATL company: 40% of yield
→ Individual (ATL): 15% — FINAL TAX ✅
⚠️ For companies, this WHT is NOT final tax. It is Advance/Adjustable Tax only. Your true rate is 29% corporate tax (under section 39). You must pay the balance at annual return filing.
Example:
At Maturity (SBP pays):
Face value received → Rs. 100,000,000
WHT deducted @ 20% → − Rs. 500,000
Net received → Rs. 99,500,000
At Annual Return Filing:
Yield in taxable income → Rs. 2,500,000
Corporate tax @ 29% → Rs. 725,000
Less: WHT credit → − Rs. 500,000
Balance still owed to FBR → Rs. 225,000
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⚡ TAX EVENT #2 — Sold Before Maturity
Section 151A Section 37A --' Capital Gain on Debt Securities:
If your company sells the T-Bill in the secondary market at a profit through your IPS Account, that gain is a Capital Gain — separate from the yield.
Your custodian bank (holding your IPS Account) withholds 15% on the capital gain automatically at the time of disposal.
⚠️ Again — for companies, this 15% WHT is NOT final tax. It is Advance Tax. The final rate is still 29% corporate tax. Balance tax(14%) is payable at the time of filing tax return.