A PMT score check is one of the most searched things in Pakistani welfare, and it is also one of the most misunderstood. This guide explains what a PMT score actually is, whether you can really check it, and what genuinely affects your eligibility.
The short answer first: PMT stands for Proxy Means Test, and it is a poverty score the government calculates about your household. There is no official page where you type your CNIC and see the number.
What a PMT score is
Governments giving cash support face a hard problem. Most low-income households in Pakistan work informally, so there are no salary slips or tax records to prove who is poor.
The Proxy Means Test solves this by using proxies, meaning visible signs of living standards that a surveyor can record. Instead of asking your income, the survey records things like:
- How many people live in your household, and how many are children
- What your house is made of, and how many rooms it has
- Whether you own land, livestock, a vehicle, or a motorcycle
- What household items you own, such as a fridge or air conditioner
- The education level of household members
- Whether anyone has a disability, and whether the household is headed by a woman
A statistical formula converts these answers into a single score, normally on a 0 to 100 scale.
A lower score means greater need. This is the part people get backwards. A low PMT score is what qualifies you for support, not a high one.
Where your score comes from
Your score is not created when you apply for a scheme. It comes from a household survey that was already recorded:
- For federal programs such as BISP, it comes from the National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER) survey. Our what is NSER guide explains this registry.
- For Punjab programs, it comes from the Punjab Socio-Economic Registry (PSER) survey. See our PSER online registration guide.
If your household was never surveyed, you normally have no score at all, which is why many people get a “not found” reply rather than a rejection.
Can you check your PMT score online?
Not the number itself. This needs saying plainly, because dozens of websites claim otherwise.
The score is used internally by BISP and by Punjab departments to rank households. It is not published to applicants, and there is no official portal that displays it.
What you can check officially is your eligibility result, which is the outcome of the score:
| What you want | Where to check |
|---|---|
| BISP eligibility | Send your CNIC to 8171, or use the BISP portal |
| BISP in person | Your nearest BISP Tehsil Office |
| Punjab scheme status | The scheme’s own official portal, or SMS 8070 |
| PSER record | pser.punjab.gov.pk |
Our 8171 check online guide and 8070 SMS check guide walk through both codes.
What cut-off score is used
Each program sets its own threshold. Benazir Kafaalat has generally used a PMT cut-off of around 32, meaning households at or below that score qualify for the quarterly stipend.
Other programs use different cut-offs. Education stipends, nutrition programs, and Punjab card schemes each set their own, and they may add extra conditions such as district, age, disability status, or school enrolment.
These thresholds are policy decisions and they change. Treat any number you read, including the one above, as accurate “as of” its date and confirm the current rule with the programme itself.
How to actually change your situation
Since you cannot edit the score, focus on the thing the score is built from: your survey data.
Ask for a fresh survey or a correction if any of these have changed:
- A death in the family, especially the earning member
- A disability that was not recorded
- Loss of a job, land, or livestock
- A change in household size
- Your household was surveyed years ago and the details are now wrong
- Your household was never surveyed at all
For BISP, visit your BISP Tehsil Office with your CNIC. For Punjab schemes, complete or update your PSER registration, either online or at a registration centre or e-Khidmat Markaz.
Warning: PMT score scams
This topic attracts fraud because people are desperate for the number. Be firm about these rules:
- No agent can change your PMT score. The formula is applied to survey data centrally.
- The government never charges for an eligibility check. 8171 and 8070 are free.
- Never share an OTP with anyone, even someone claiming to be from BISP.
- Never pay to “get your name added” to a list.
- Websites promising an instant PMT score for a fee are collecting your data, not helping you.
If someone asks you for money, that is fraud. You can report it through the Pakistan Citizen’s Portal.
The practical summary
- Your PMT score is calculated from a household survey, not from an application form.
- Lower means needier, and each program sets its own cut-off.
- You cannot look up the exact number officially, only your eligibility result.
- If your circumstances changed, get your survey updated. That is the only genuine route.
To see which Punjab and federal programs your household may qualify for, try our free eligibility checker. It gives an estimate based on your answers and stores nothing.
GoPunjab is an independent information website. We cannot see, calculate, or change your PMT score, and we cannot register you for any programme. We only explain how the official process works.