DC Rate vs FBR Valuation in Karachi: Which Value Your Property Taxes Use

When you buy or sell property in Karachi, the price you agree is only one of the values on the paperwork. The province has its own valuation, often called the DC rate, and the federal government has the FBR valuation table. Different taxes use different values, and each is usually charged on whichever is higher: your declared price or the official value. This guide explains which is which and where to look yours up. It is written in October 2026; rates and tables change with budgets and notifications, so treat the figures as a starting point and confirm them before you transact.

Three values, three purposes

Value	Set by	Used for
Declared price	Buyer and seller	The deal itself; also the tax base when it is higher than the official value
DC rate (provincial valuation)	Government of Sindh, Board of Revenue	Stamp duty, registration fee and other provincial charges
FBR valuation	Federal Board of Revenue	Advance tax under 236C (seller) and 236K (buyer), and capital gains tax

For the rates themselves, filer and non-filer slabs, and capital gains rules, see our property taxes guide or estimate the total with the property tax calculator.

The DC rate in Karachi

The Board of Revenue Sindh runs an online Property Valuation and Tax Calculator for urban and rural Karachi. It works out the provincial charges on a property, such as stamp duty, capital value tax and the registration fee, from the official valuation. Two things to know about it:

• In October 2026 it still listed values effective from 1 July 2016. We found no later provincial notification of new Karachi rates, so check with the sub-registrar whether newer values apply to your area.
• It describes itself as general guidance with no legal standing. The relevant sub-registrar office decides the amount you actually pay.

Sindh's stamp duty rate is set in the provincial budget. Sources commonly put it at about 2% of the value, with a registration fee of about 1%, but published figures disagree, so use the calculator and confirm at the sub-registrar rather than relying on a percentage from an article.

The FBR valuation table for Karachi

FBR notified Karachi's current table in S.R.O. 1724(I)/2024, reported as effective from 1 November 2024. In February 2025 it issued S.R.O. 144(I)/2025, which left the values unchanged but clarified how to apply them (as reported by Business Recorder). Among the clarifications:

• Property that does not fit any listed category is treated as falling in the adjacent highest category.
• Amenity plots are valued at 50% of the residential plot value for the same area.
• Land granted for more than one use (for example residential and commercial) is valued at the average of the rates for those uses.
• Additional storeys of a residential building are valued as a share of the ground-floor value, by the method the notification sets out.

To find your area: on FBR's property valuation page, open Karachi and download both SROs. Find your locality in the table, note its category and rate, and apply the 2025 clarifications. If your society or block is not named, ask which category the registrar will treat it as.

An illustrative example

The numbers below are made up to show the mechanics; they are not real valuations. Say a buyer and seller agree PKR 2 crore for a house. The FBR table puts it at PKR 1.6 crore, and the provincial valuation at PKR 60 lakh.

• 236K and 236C: charged on PKR 2 crore, because the declared price is higher than the FBR value.
• Stamp duty and registration: charged on PKR 2 crore as well, because the declared price is higher than the provincial value.
• If the parties had declared PKR 1.2 crore instead, the federal taxes would be charged on the PKR 1.6 crore FBR value, because it is higher, while the provincial charges would use the PKR 1.2 crore declared price.

Under-declaring the price does not reduce the federal tax below the FBR value, and it creates its own problems when you sell later, since the low declared price becomes your cost for capital gains.

Before you transfer

1. Look up the FBR category and rate for the exact locality, using both Karachi SROs.
2. Run the Board of Revenue calculator, then confirm the provincial value with the sub-registrar.
3. Check your tax status: non-filers pay much higher 236K and 236C rates.
4. Confirm the title is registered and transferable; see leased vs non-leased property in Karachi.

Compare asking prices by area on our Karachi property prices page.