Can you work for a foreign company from Pakistan?
Yes: a company abroad can pay you as an independent contractor, employ you through an employer of record, or hire you through its own entity in Pakistan. What changes between the three is who handles tax, what protections you get and how the money arrives.
- Checked 4 November 2026
- Every rule links to its official source
- General information, not tax or legal advice
2,595
remote jobs on RemoteHunt say they can hire someone in Pakistan
Live count, updated hourly
248 of 1,462
of those jobs that state a contract type are contractor roles; 1,144 are full-time
Live count · 1,462 of 2,595 state a type; a job may state both
Three ways a foreign company can pay you
| Question | Independent contractor | Employee through an employer of record | Employee of a company in Pakistan |
|---|---|---|---|
| You sign with | The company abroad (a service agreement) | The employer of record's company in Pakistan | The company's own entity in Pakistan |
| Income tax | You register and file yourself | Deducted through payroll | Deducted through payroll |
| Leave, notice, social security | Only what your contract says | What employment law in Pakistan requires | What employment law in Pakistan requires |
| Ask before signing | The currency, the payment channel and who pays the transfer fees | Which employer of record, and whether the contract is under the law of Pakistan | Whether the job is really remote or tied to an office |
More on each arrangement: contractor vs. employee.
What the law in Pakistan says about income from abroad
- A resident person's income under each head is computed from both Pakistan-source and foreign-source amounts, while a non-resident is taxed only on Pakistan-source income. Source 1
- Salary counts as Pakistan-source income to the extent it comes from employment exercised in Pakistan, wherever it is paid. Source 2
- Every taxpayer applies for registration in the prescribed form and manner, and an individual holding a CNIC uses the CNIC as the National Tax Number. Source 1
- The tax year ends on 30 June, and an individual's return of income is due on or before 30 September following the end of that tax year. Source 1
- For exports of IT services, the authorised bank deducts tax from the foreign exchange proceeds on realisation, and that tax is final once a return has been filed. Source 1
- The deduction rate on IT export proceeds is 0.25% for exporters registered with the Pakistan Software Export Board (tax years 2024 to 2029) and 1% in any other case. Source 1
- State Bank rules let resident freelancers paid from abroad keep USD 5,000 a month or 50% of export proceeds, whichever is higher, in a special foreign currency account. Source 3
Five questions to ask before you sign
- Am I a contractor or an employee, and under which country's law is the contract?
- In what currency am I paid, and who sets the exchange rate?
- Through which channel does the money arrive, and who pays the fees?
- If an employer of record employs me, which one, and will I get a payslip from Pakistan?
- Will anyone ask me to pay for equipment or training? (If yes, walk away.)
This page describes the rules; it does not tell you what to do in your case. Rules change. If something here differs from what the official source says today, the source is right: write to hello@remotehunt.app and we will fix the page.
Sources (each opened on 4 November 2026)
- Income Tax Manual Part I - Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, amended up to 30th June, 2026, Federal Board of Revenue, Government of Pakistan
- Section 101: Geographical source of income, Federal Board of Revenue, Government of Pakistan
- Foreign Exchange Manual, Chapter 12 (Exports), para 12: Export of Software, IT and ITeS and Freelance Services, State Bank of Pakistan
- RemoteHunt index: live postings, counted hourly
See the 2,595 jobs that can hire you in Pakistan
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