Prize Bond Claim Time Limit: Six Years, and How to Use Them
Published
A prize bond prize does not have to be collected the day after the draw. You have six years. That window is useful in two ways: it lets you check old bonds you forgot about, and it gives a winner who is not a filer time to become one before claiming, which can cut the tax in half.
The rule
The State Bank of Pakistan's FAQ on National Prize Bonds puts it in one line: "Prize money can be claimed within six years from date of the relevant draw." National Savings says the same in its FAQs: the maximum time to claim a prize is six years from the date of the draw.
The same SBP FAQ adds two practical points. A claim can usually be lodged two working days after the draw. And if one bond has won in two different draws, both claims should be lodged together, within six years of each draw.
The six years run from the date of the draw in which your bond won, not from the date you bought the bond or the date you noticed the win.
Working out your deadline
Take the draw date and add six years. Some examples from the 2026 draw schedule:
| Draw | Claim by about |
|---|---|
| Rs 750, 15 January 2026, Peshawar | January 2032 |
| Rs 1,500, 17 August 2026, Faisalabad | August 2032 |
| Rs 750, 15 October 2026, Rawalpindi | October 2032 |
| Rs 200, 15 December 2026, Peshawar | December 2032 |
Counting back works the same way. On 14 October 2026, prizes from draws held in the six years before, so from about October 2020 onward, are still inside the limit. Prizes from earlier draws are past it.
Do not plan to claim in the last few weeks. A claim can take time to process, and a missing document can mean a second visit. Give yourself months, not days.
Old bonds in a drawer
Bearer prize bonds belong to whoever holds the paper, so they often turn up in cupboards, lockers and the papers of a parent who has died. Before you do anything else with them, check them against six years of draws.
National Savings posts every result as a text file on its site, one page per value, for example the Rs 750 draw page, with files from 2019 onward. It also runs a free draw search that accepts a range of numbers or a list of numbers separated by commas, for one draw or all draws, going back to 2012 or 2015 depending on the value. Checking a packet of fifty bonds by hand against twenty four draws is slow and easy to get wrong. Our checker takes up to 50 numbers at a time and checks them against every draw we hold from the last six years, and our guide to checking many bonds at once explains packets and series.
Two warnings for old bonds:
- Rs 7,500, Rs 15,000, Rs 25,000 and Rs 40,000 bearer bonds were withdrawn, and the last date to encash them was 31 December 2024. A prize they won before withdrawal is a different matter. SBP's FAQ on the withdrawn bonds says such a prize may be claimed within six years of the draw. The last Rs 25,000 bearer draw in the National Savings search was on 2 November 2020, so that window closes around 2 November 2026. Ask an SBP BSC office first; details are in our guide to withdrawn prize bonds.
- A bond that won and was never claimed still looks like any other bond. If you sell or give away a bundle without checking it, you may give away a prize.
Using the time to become a filer
This is the part most guides leave out. Tax on a prize is deducted when the prize is paid, under section 156 of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001. The rate depends on your status on that day: 15 percent if your name is on FBR's Active Taxpayer List, 30 percent if not, according to FBR's withholding tax rate card.
So a winner who is not a filer has a choice.
Route one: claim now as a non filer. Simple, and 30 percent comes off.
Route two: file late, then claim. Since the Finance Act 2026, an individual who files after the due date joins the list only after paying a Rs 25,000 surcharge under section 182A. Filing saves 15 percent of the prize, so this route pays only when the prize is above about Rs 166,667, before the cost of preparing the return. FBR published draft rules on 6 October 2026 that would allow an undertaking not to buy property for six months instead of the surcharge (ProPakistani, 6 October 2026), but they were not final on 14 October 2026.
Route three: file on time next season, then claim. A return filed by its due date carries no surcharge. The return for tax year 2027 covers 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 and can be filed from 1 July 2027. Once your name shows on the list, claim at 15 percent. This takes up to a year, which the six year window easily allows.
Here is what each route leaves you with on three common prizes:
| Prize | Claim now as a non filer | File late and pay Rs 25,000 | File on time next season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rs 750 third prize, Rs 9,300 | Rs 6,510 | Rs 7,905 less Rs 25,000, a loss | Rs 7,905 |
| Rs 750 second prize, Rs 500,000 | Rs 350,000 | Rs 400,000 | Rs 425,000 |
| Rs 1,500 first prize, Rs 3,000,000 | Rs 2,100,000 | Rs 2,525,000 | Rs 2,550,000 |
The cost of preparing a return is not included in any column. Route three has a real cost too: you wait, and the money sits unclaimed in the meantime. Our tax calculator works out the figures for any prize.
Before you go to the counter, check your status. FBR lets you send ATL, a space and your 13 digit CNIC to 9966, or use its Active Taxpayer status page.
Premium Prize Bonds are different
Premium Prize Bonds of Rs 25,000 and Rs 40,000 are registered to your CNIC, and their prizes are credited straight to the bank account linked to the bond. There is no claim to make and nothing to time. If you hold premium bonds and want the 15 percent rate, your name needs to be on the list before the prize is credited, which in practice means before the draw. The differences are set out in our premium and bearer comparison.
A short checklist
- Find the draw date of the win on the official list or our draw pages.
- Add six years. Write the date down.
- Check your filer status by SMS.
- Put the prize into the tax calculator and pick a route.
- Claim with the papers listed in our claim guide, well before the deadline.
If you decide to file first, Axiom Square files salaried returns for a flat Rs 5,000 and confirms your Active Taxpayer List status afterwards.
This is general information, not tax advice. Axiom Bonds is not affiliated with FBR, the State Bank of Pakistan or National Savings.
Questions people ask
How long do I have to claim a prize bond prize?
Six years from the date of the draw in which the bond won.
What happens if I miss the six year limit?
SBP and National Savings both give six years from the draw and mention no way to extend it. We found no official text on what happens after, so treat the deadline as final and claim well before it.
Does the tax rate depend on the draw date?
No. Tax is deducted when the prize is paid, so the rate depends on whether your name is on FBR's Active Taxpayer List on that day: 15 percent if it is, 30 percent if not.
Can I use the six years to become a filer first?
Yes. If you are not a filer, you can file your return, confirm your name is on the Active Taxpayer List, and then claim at 15 percent instead of 30 percent.
Do Premium Prize Bond prizes need a claim?
No. Premium prizes are credited to the bank account linked to the bond, so the six year claim window matters mainly for bearer bonds.