The 8171 Ramzan package is the name many people use for the federal government’s Ramzan relief for low-income families. Its official name in 2025 and 2026 was the Prime Minister’s Ramzan Relief Package. This guide explains what it paid from 2024 to 2026, how checking worked, and how to get ready for the next Ramzan.

Ramzan 2026 is over. In Pakistan it ran from 19 February to 20 March 2026. Ramzan 2027 is expected around February 2027, depending on the moon. As of September 2026, the 2027 package has not been announced, so its amount and rules are not known.

What is the 8171 Ramzan package?

8171 is the official code of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), used to check your BISP status by CNIC. People link it with Ramzan relief because, in March 2023, the federal government said families could check their eligibility for free Ramzan flour by sending their CNIC to 8171.

“8171 Ramzan package” is not an official name, and in 2026 the main check for the new cash was not 8171. Some people also say “Ehsaas Ramzan package”. Whatever the name, it is federal relief, separate from Punjab’s own Nigehban package.

How federal Ramzan relief has worked each year

The format has changed every year:

YearWhat families gotHow it reached them
2024Lower prices on 19 essential items (Rs 7.5 billion, later raised to Rs 12.5 billion)Utility Stores, aimed mainly at families registered with BISP
2025Rs 5,000 cash for about 4 million families (Rs 20 billion)Digital wallets
2026Rs 13,000 for about 2.1 million families, plus Rs 1,000 more per quarter for Kafaalat families (Rs 38 billion)Bank accounts and digital wallets

In 2024, the relief was a store subsidy at Utility Stores, from early March until Chand Raat. That model has gone: the Utility Stores Corporation closed all its outlets on 31 July 2025.

In 2025, the government switched to cash for the first time. The Prime Minister launched the package on 1 March 2025. Many families did not withdraw the money at first, so they were told to call 9999 for help. By 24 March 2025, the government said about 63 percent had received it.

The 2026 package in detail

The Prime Minister announced it on 14 February 2026. Many reports said all 12.1 million families would get Rs 13,000, but the official breakdown of the Rs 38 billion had two parts:

  • Rs 28 billion for about 2.1 million families who were not in the Benazir Kafaalat programme. Each got a one-time Rs 13,000. Dawn reported that most of them had a PMT score of 32 to 36, just above the Kafaalat cut-off of about 32.
  • Rs 10 billion for about 10 million Kafaalat families. For them, the Ramzan relief was a Rs 1,000 increase in the quarterly payment, from Rs 13,500 to Rs 14,500, which BISP announced on 18 February 2026.

An official release later put the total at Rs 39 billion, including running costs. Families were picked from the National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER), which BISP runs. The Rs 13,000 went into bank accounts and digital wallets through about 12 partner banks and fintech firms, including HBL, JazzCash and Easypaisa. The government also sent eligible families millions of SMS messages and automated calls.

Officials said 64 percent had been paid by the 8th of Ramzan, and on 25 March 2026 BISP said 91 percent of the target was reached.

In 2026 the Rs 13,000 was checked by CNIC at pmrrp.nitb.gov.pk. BISP payments are still checked at 8171.

Where 8171 and BISP fit in 2026

BISP was at the centre of the 2026 package, even though the public check was elsewhere:

  • The family list came from BISP’s NSER data.
  • For Kafaalat families, the extra Rs 1,000 came in their normal quarterly BISP payment. You check that at 8171.bisp.gov.pk or by SMS to 8171, as our BISP 8171 check guide explains.
  • The call centre checked each caller’s eligibility on BISP’s system by CNIC and told eligible callers which bank would pay them.
  • BISP says the package was paid through its digital payment system in both 2025 and 2026.

So if you are already a Kafaalat beneficiary, 8171 is still your tool. If you hoped for the Rs 13,000, the check was the separate federal portal below. We found no official statement that an SMS to 8171 showed the Rs 13,000 result.

How to check the Ramzan package by CNIC

As of September 2026, these were the official ways to check the 2026 package:

  • Online: open pmrrp.nitb.gov.pk, enter your CNIC number and the captcha code, and press the button. It is run by the National Information Technology Board (NITB), and as of September 2026 it still shows the 2026 package.
  • PAK App: NITB’s PAK App, on Google Play and the App Store.
  • Helpline 9999: the call centre for the package.

A result on the 2026 portal is not a registration for 2027. Wait for the 2027 announcement to learn which portal, app or number will be used.

What to do before the next Ramzan

In 2026 the package was announced only five days before Ramzan began. That is too late to fix a missing record. Do these things now:

  1. Get your household into NSER. Registration is free at the NSER desk in your BISP Tehsil office. Take CNICs for adults and B-Forms for children, and give a correct, active mobile number, because BISP sends the survey confirmation by SMS from 8171. Read what NSER is and our BISP registration guide.
  2. Update your NSER record if life has changed. BISP’s dynamic registry lets families update their details when their situation changes, for example after a death, a disability or a lost job. Our PMT score guide explains why.
  3. Keep your CNIC valid and current. NADRA has warned that an expired CNIC may cut you off from programmes like BISP and affect your bank account and SIM. BISP also asks that CNICs show your current status at NADRA, such as widowhood or disability. See our NADRA CNIC guide.
  4. Keep an active SIM in your own name. The 2025 and 2026 money went to wallets and bank accounts, and PTA says only SIMs on valid CNICs will stay active. Use our CNIC SIM check guide. Kafaalat beneficiaries should collect their free Benazir SIM from a BISP office, since BISP says it is their digital wallet.

Federal Ramzan package vs Punjab’s Nigehban package

In Punjab you may hear about two Ramzan packages, run by different governments:

Federal Ramzan reliefPunjab Nigehban
Run byFederal government, with BISPGovernment of Punjab
CoversFamilies across Pakistan, including Gilgit-Baltistan and AJKPunjab families only
Family listNSER, the BISP surveyPSER
How to check in 2026pmrrp.nitb.gov.pk, the PAK App or helpline 9999 (8171 is BISP’s Kafaalat code)No SMS code confirmed. Cards were delivered to homes, and missed families were told to call 1000
Amount in 2026Rs 13,000 for families outside Kafaalat, Rs 1,000 more per quarter for Kafaalat familiesRs 10,000
How paid in 2026Bank accounts and digital walletsNigehban card, cash at Bank of Punjab agents and 1-Link ATMs
Helpline9999 for the 2026 package, BISP 0800-26477PSER 0800-02345, and 1000 for missed families in 2026

Being in one does not put you in the other. For the Punjab side, read our Nigehban Ramzan package guide.

Registration is free

  • Checking and NSER registration are free. The 2026 portal only checked eligibility and took no applications.
  • Nobody can add your name to the list for money.
  • Never share your OTP, PIN or fingerprint with anyone who offers to release your relief.
  • Copycat “pmrrp” websites appeared in 2026. The real portals end in nitb.gov.pk and bisp.gov.pk.
  • In 2026, BISP told women to refuse any deduction from their payment.

If someone asks you for money, report it on the Pakistan Citizen’s Portal.

Contact

To see which Punjab and federal programs your household may qualify for, try our free eligibility checker.

GoPunjab is an independent information website. We are not BISP, NITB or the federal government. We cannot check your record, add your name or release any relief. We only explain how the official process works.