Verifying ZRA payments, receipts and invoices

Check a payment made on ZamPortal

ZamPortal is the government e-services portal. Its help pages say that when you apply for a service you choose a payment method, pay and get a receipt ¹. If a payment did not go through, ZamPortal tells users to check its status on the Verify Payment form at zampay.gsb.gov.zm, and to contact their bank or mobile operator if it failed ¹.

The zampay.gsb.gov.zm page carries the title ZamPay, Government Payment Gateway ². The page text read for this guide did not show the fields the form asks for ².

• Pay for the e-service on ZamPortal by card, mobile money or online banking ¹.
• Collect the receipt shown when payment is complete. ZamPortal's steps for MTN Mobile Money end with collecting the receipt ³.
• For ZICB SmartPay, return to the portal after paying to get the digital receipt ³.
• If no receipt appears, check the payment on the Verify Payment form at zampay.gsb.gov.zm ¹.
• Call ZamPortal support on +260 211 428 600 or short code 2008 ¹.

Verify a ZRA Smart Invoice

Smart Invoice is ZRA's electronic invoicing system. Each invoice carries a fiscal signature meant to prove it is genuine, as reported by Bumba Mulenga of Zambia Monitor ⁶. Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane launched it on 19 March 2024 and it took effect on 1 July 2024 ⁶.

Each Smart Invoice carries a ZRA-issued QR code that can be scanned to check it is authentic, ZRA said in May 2026, as reported by Augustine Sichula of Zambia Monitor ⁵. ZRA said over 44,110 businesses had adopted Smart Invoice and that it was prosecuting seven unnamed taxpayers for failing to comply ⁵. Failing to issue a compliant invoice can bring a fine of up to K120,000, prison of up to 3 years, or both, according to ZRA ⁵.

Check tax compliance before importing

From 1 July 2018 ZRA linked its TaxOnline domestic tax system to ASYCUDA World to check each importer's electronic tax clearance certificate status in real time, according to an EY tax alert ⁴. A valid certificate is no longer enough on its own. If TaxOnline shows non-compliance, ASYCUDA World charges 15 percent advance income tax on the declared value ⁴. ZRA tells charged importers by email at the address registered against their TPIN ⁴.

ZRA's official site carries a link to apply for a tax compliance certificate ⁷. The ZRA TaxOnline portal requires a sign-in ⁸.

Customs assessments and bank payments

When ZRA announced a customs e-payment pilot at Nakonde and Chirundu in May 2015, The Paypers reported the system gave importers and exporters direct access to their customs assessment information. The report was by Melisande Mual ⁹. This guide did not find a public ZRA page, open to fetching, that describes a separate tool for checking a customs payment receipt. Ask your clearing agent or ZRA to confirm a customs payment against the assessment ^7,9.