How do I get paid from abroad in Pakistan?

If you freelance for clients abroad, most people in Pakistan use one of three routes: Wise, Payoneer, or a direct bank transfer into a regular PKR account. If a foreign company hires you full time, they often pay through an employer-of-record platform like Deel or Remote.

Set this up before your first client asks how to pay you. Approvals take days, and "I'm still opening an account" is a bad first impression.

I worked remotely for a company in Germany from Islamabad while I was still in university, so this is the part of remote work I wish someone had written down for me. Rules change often, so every fact below links to its source.

With Wise, your client sends money and it lands in your normal bank account in rupees.

• It must be a PKR personal account. Business accounts are not supported.
• Avoid "express" accounts. Wise names Meezan Bank Express and Allied Bank Express accounts as ones that can reject incoming transfers.
• Check your account limit. Transfers to accounts with a PKR 500,000 limit (common on Asaan accounts) can be rejected.
• Large amounts are fine. Wise allows up to PKR 35,000,000 per transfer.

The catch: this works when your client sends through Wise. Wise does not let you add money to a rupee balance from a bank or card, so treat it as a way to receive, not a wallet.

Payoneer is what Upwork, Fiverr, and many marketplaces pay into, and you can withdraw to a local bank account.

Watch the fees. Payoneer's fee page lists a 3% fee for withdrawing to a bank account in a different currency, and 3% for withdrawals in a non-local currency without conversion. Pakistani media reported freelancers pushing back on these fees in 2025. Before you pick a withdrawal method, check Payoneer's current fee page for Pakistan, because the cheapest option can change.

Companies that want to employ you without opening a Pakistani entity use an employer of record (EOR). Both Deel and Remote.com list Pakistan as a supported country.

For you this means a proper contract, a monthly salary into your account, and paperwork handled by the platform. Ask your employer which one they use before you sign, and read how and in which currency you get paid. My remote work guide covers how to land these roles in the first place.

The State Bank of Pakistan lets freelancers and IT exporters keep a share of their export earnings in a foreign currency account: the higher of 50% of proceeds or USD 5,000 a month, under rules announced in October 2023 (up from 35%).

Why it matters: money you plan to spend on foreign tools, courses, or subscriptions does not have to be converted to rupees and back. Ask your bank about this account by name.

Pakistan taxes IT and IT-enabled services export income at a concessionary rate of 0.25% on export proceeds. The Finance Bill 2026-27 extends that rate through tax year 2029.

Whether you qualify, and how you file, depends on how the money arrives and how you are registered. This is the one area where I would not go by a blog, including this one: confirm with the FBR or pay a tax accountant for an hour. That hour usually costs less than one mistake.

1. Check your bank account type today. Personal, PKR, not express, and no low limit.
2. Open Payoneer if you plan to use freelance marketplaces, and read its fee page once.
3. Write a one-line payment answer for clients, for example: "I accept Wise to my PKR account or Payoneer." Paste it into every proposal.
4. Book one hour with a tax accountant before your first big invoice.