Standing Orders Ordinance 1968 · End of Service

Gratuity Calculator Pakistan

Work out end-of-service gratuity for any employee using last drawn basic × years of continuous service. Supports both the 1/12 and 1/26 formulas used in Pakistani employment contracts — plus the edge cases HR teams actually hit: fractional years, mid-service increments, unapproved schemes, and full-and-final tax treatment.

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✓ Last verified: Based on Standing Orders Ordinance 1968 + Finance Act 2025 tax rules

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Estimate gratuity payable under Pakistan Labour Law. Compare both the 30-day (1/12) and 26-day (1/26) formulas — pick the one your contract or HR policy specifies.

Formula

1/12: basic × years. 1/26: (basic ÷ 26) × 15 × years. Most companies follow 1/12 unless the employment contract states otherwise.

Gratuity Payable (1/12)
PKR 400,000
1/12 formula (30-day)PKR 400,000
1/26 formula (working-day)PKR 230,769
DifferencePKR 169,231

Under the Standing Orders Ordinance 1968, gratuity is payable after 1 year of continuous service. Provincial laws (Sindh, Punjab, KPK, Balochistan Terms of Employment Acts) carry similar provisions. Always verify against the employment contract and HR policy.

The Formula

Formula A — 1/12 (most common in Pakistan) Gratuity = Last drawn basic × Years of continuous service × (1/12) Formula B — 1/26 (Gulf-style contracts) Gratuity = (Last drawn basic / 26) × 30 × Years of continuous service Formula C — Blended (Gulf rule: 21 days then 30 days) First 5 years: (basic / 26) × 21 × years Years 6 onwards: (basic / 26) × 30 × (years − 5) Fractional years are pro-rated month-wise in all three formulas.

Pakistan's Industrial and Commercial Employment (Standing Orders) Ordinance 1968 gives workers a right to gratuity or an approved Provident Fund — whichever is more favourable. Many larger employers run PF and gratuity as distinct benefits. Always cross-check the employment contract, the company's gratuity scheme document, and any trust deed if the scheme is FBR-approved.

Worked Example

Example: Employee resigns after 7 years 6 months with PKR 80,000 last drawn basic

Last drawn basic salaryPKR 80,000
Years of continuous service7.5
Formula A (1/12) workings80,000 × 7.5 × (1/12)
Formula A resultPKR 50,000
Formula B (1/26) workings(80,000 / 26) × 30 × 7.5
Formula B resultPKR 692,307
Approved scheme tax exemptionPKR 75,000
Formula A → PKR 50,000 (fully tax-free under approved scheme) · Formula B → PKR 692,307 (PKR 75K tax-free, balance taxable). Which one applies is set by your employment contract.

When does gratuity become payable?

Gratuity crystallises on separation — resignation, retirement, termination (other than dismissal for misconduct proven under a domestic enquiry), redundancy, permanent incapacity, or death — once the employee has crossed the minimum qualifying period. The Standing Orders Ordinance 1968 doesn't prescribe a fixed floor; in practice most Pakistani employers set one year of continuous service as the eligibility threshold, with pro-rata calculation for fractional years beyond that. If the employee was on leave without pay for extended periods, those months are typically excluded from "continuous service" — check the scheme document.

1/12 vs 1/26 vs blended: which formula applies to you?

Start with the employment contract. Traditional Pakistani employers almost always use 1/12 — roughly one month's basic per year of service. Multinational employers, particularly those with UAE, Saudi or Qatar parent companies, frequently import the 1/26 formula where you treat basic as a daily rate on a 26-working-day month, then pay 30 days per year of service. The 1/26 version is approximately 2.5× more generous than 1/12 for the same tenure and basic. A third variant — the Gulf blended rule — pays 21 days for the first 5 years and 30 days thereafter; you'll see it in contracts drafted around UAE Labour Law language. If the contract is silent, the Standing Orders Ordinance default applies and courts have generally leaned toward one month's wages per completed year.

Step-by-step: how to use this calculator

Enter the last drawn basic salary — not gross, only the basic component on the final payslip. Enter years of continuous service; use decimals for fractional years (7.5 = 7 years 6 months). Pick the formula the contract specifies. The calculator shows gratuity under both formulas side by side so you can see the magnitude difference. If the employee was covered by an approved Provident Fund in addition, compute the PF terminal value separately and pay the higher of the two under the Standing Orders "more favourable" rule.

What counts as "basic" for gratuity?

This trips up a lot of HR teams. Gratuity is calculated on the last drawn BASIC salary — not the gross, not the total cost-to-company. Allowances such as house rent, utilities, conveyance, medical, mobile, and performance bonuses are excluded unless the scheme document explicitly includes them. A few employers with older schemes use "wages" as defined in the Payment of Wages Act 1936, which can bring in certain allowances. When drafting a new scheme always pin this down clearly to avoid disputes at exit.

Gratuity vs Provident Fund: the "whichever is more favourable" rule

Under Standing Orders, employees are entitled to gratuity OR an approved Provident Fund — whichever is more favourable. In practice, mature employers run both: a statutory gratuity covering the minimum entitlement and a separate contributory PF for retirement savings. The PF contribution is usually 8.33% of basic from the employer and a matching 8.33% from the employee, parked in an FBR-approved trust. At exit, you compare the PF terminal value to what gratuity would have produced; the employee receives the higher number if the scheme is written to "in lieu of gratuity" terms, or both if they are "in addition to gratuity".

Tax treatment: approved vs unapproved schemes

Gratuity received under an FBR-approved scheme (under the Second Schedule) is exempt up to PKR 75,000. Anything above that is taxable as salary in the year of receipt, at the employee's marginal slab. Under Section 12(7), arrears and lump-sum payouts can be taxed at the rate of the year they relate to, if beneficial. For unapproved schemes the exemption is lower — often 50% of the amount received or PKR 75,000, whichever is less. Executive packages that include gross-up clauses require the employer to absorb the tax — which can materially change the cost to company.

Eligibility edge cases

Dismissal for proven misconduct forfeits gratuity under Standing Order 15, but the misconduct must have followed a proper domestic enquiry — unilateral forfeiture by an employer is generally struck down by labour courts. Death in service makes gratuity payable to the nominated beneficiary, often with enhanced terms in the scheme document. Resignation during probation is typically not gratuity-eligible unless the scheme is explicit. Transfer within a group of companies usually preserves continuous service. Retirement at superannuation age triggers full entitlement even if the employee had not completed a usual eligibility threshold.

Full-and-final settlement: what else goes in the exit payslip?

Gratuity is only one line. A clean full-and-final also clears: unpaid basic + allowances to last working day, leave encashment for unused annual and casual leave, notice-pay if the company pays in lieu, bonus pro-rata if contractually vested, any approved loan deductions, and the final Section 149 tax reconciliation. Peoplifi generates the full-and-final sheet automatically at separation, computes tax correctly across all heads, and produces a bank-ready disbursement file.

Common gratuity mistakes Pakistani employers make

(1) Using gross salary instead of basic to compute gratuity. (2) Forgetting to pro-rate fractional years. (3) Forfeiting gratuity on "misconduct" without a proper domestic enquiry. (4) Missing the PKR 75,000 tax exemption and over-deducting. (5) Not maintaining an FBR-approved gratuity trust when the fund is large enough to warrant it. (6) Double-paying PF + gratuity when the scheme is drafted as "in lieu". Each of these can end up in a labour court or an FBR audit, so document everything.

How Peoplifi handles gratuity end-to-end

Peoplifi tracks continuous service per employee, accrues gratuity liability on each pay run (visible to finance as a deferred obligation on the balance sheet), applies the correct formula from the employment contract template, computes the exit figure including pro-rata and tax, and produces a tax-exempt + taxable split. For companies with approved trusts we generate the trustee disbursement voucher and the Section 149 tax line in the same export.

Scenario Comparison

See how the calculation changes across different salary bands and tenures — use these to benchmark your own numbers.

2 years · 50K basic · 1/12
Basic salaryPKR 50,000
Service2 years
Formula1/12
GratuityPKR 8,333
Fully tax-exempt (below PKR 75,000 cap).
5 years · 120K basic · 1/12
Basic salaryPKR 120,000
Service5 years
Formula1/12
GratuityPKR 50,000
Fully tax-exempt under approved scheme.
10 years · 150K basic · 1/12
Basic salaryPKR 150,000
Service10 years
Formula1/12
GratuityPKR 125,000
PKR 75,000 exempt, PKR 50,000 taxed as salary.
15 years · 200K basic · 1/26
Basic salaryPKR 200,000
Service15 years
Formula1/26
GratuityPKR 3,461,538
Gulf-style: PKR 75K exempt, balance taxed progressively in year of receipt.

Statutory Sources & References

This calculator and its explainers are grounded in the following statutes, ordinances and official circulars. Always confirm against the latest gazette notification before filing.

  • Industrial & Commercial Employment (Standing Orders) Ordinance 1968
  • Standing Order 15 — misconduct & forfeiture
  • Payment of Wages Act 1936 — wage definition
  • Income Tax Ordinance 2001, Second Schedule, Part I, Clause 13
  • Income Tax Ordinance 2001, Section 12(7) — arrears taxation
  • Provincial Shops & Establishments Ordinances (applicability)
  • FBR approval of gratuity funds (Part III, Sixth Schedule)
  • Pakistan Labour Code — consolidated reference

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the gratuity formula in Pakistan?

Most commonly: Last drawn basic × years of continuous service × 1/12. Gulf-aligned contracts use (basic / 26) × 30 × years. A blended 21-then-30 days variant also appears in UAE-derived contracts. The employment contract and the scheme document override defaults.

Is gratuity mandatory in Pakistan?

Yes — under the Industrial and Commercial Employment (Standing Orders) Ordinance 1968, workers are entitled to gratuity or an approved Provident Fund, whichever is more favourable. Establishments covered by Standing Orders (typically 20+ workers in commercial, 50+ in industrial) must comply.

Is gratuity taxable?

Gratuity from an FBR-approved scheme is exempt up to PKR 75,000 under the Second Schedule, Part I, Clause 13. Anything above that is taxed as salary in the year of receipt. Unapproved schemes have a different, usually less generous exemption.

What's the difference between 1/12 and 1/26?

1/12 treats a year as producing one month's basic of gratuity. 1/26 treats the basic as a 26-working-day rate, then pays 30 days per year — roughly 30/26 = 1.154 months of basic per year, which is about 2.5× more generous than 1/12 across any tenure.

Is gratuity paid on basic or gross salary?

On last drawn basic — not gross or cost-to-company — unless the scheme document explicitly says otherwise. This is the most common dispute point at exit.

What if the employee was dismissed for misconduct?

Standing Order 15 allows forfeiture, but only after a proper domestic enquiry with charge-sheet, show-cause, hearing and findings. Unilateral forfeiture gets overturned in labour court.

How do I handle gratuity for fractional years of service?

Pro-rate month-wise. Example: 7 years 6 months at PKR 80,000 basic on 1/12 = 80,000 × 7.5 / 12 = PKR 50,000. Don't round down whole years — it's a common error.

Does notice period count as service for gratuity?

Yes, if the employee serves out the notice period. If the employer pays in lieu of notice, the notice period is generally counted toward service in most scheme documents, but check your contract.

Can an employer replace gratuity with a Provident Fund?

Yes — if the PF is FBR-approved and the scheme is drafted as "in lieu of gratuity" and the PF terminal value is at least as favourable as gratuity would have been. Otherwise the employer pays both.

What happens to gratuity on the employee's death?

It is paid to the nominated beneficiary immediately. Many schemes include death-in-service enhancement — e.g. minimum 5 years of notional service credited even if actual service was shorter.

Is gratuity payable if the employee resigns during probation?

Usually no — most schemes require confirmation plus a minimum qualifying period (commonly 12 months). Check the specific scheme rules.

Do I need to maintain a separate gratuity fund?

Not strictly required for small employers, but for larger companies a separate FBR-approved gratuity trust is recommended for tax efficiency, balance sheet clarity, and to protect the liability from the company's general creditors.

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