Get Your Money Back When an ATM Gives No Cash in Pakistan
ATM took your money but gave no cash? The State Bank gives banks 1 to 7 business days to refund it. What to do at the machine, who to call and how to escalate.
If an ATM took money from your account but gave no cash, the State Bank of Pakistan says your bank must put it back within 1 to 7 business days, depending on which ATM you used. Call your bank's helpline the same day and get a complaint number.
The machine whirs, the screen says "please take your cash", and nothing comes out. Then the SMS arrives: Rs 20,000 debited. We read the State Bank's Guidelines of Business Conduct for Banks on 2 October 2026 to find out what a bank owes you when an ATM gives no cash in Pakistan. The answer is a fixed timeline, and most people never hear about it.
The State Bank sets 1 to 7 business days for the refund
Under section 4.16.2 of the State Bank's Guidelines of Business Conduct for Banks, a bank must credit cash that an ATM did not dispense back to your account. The deadline depends on whose ATM it was and where.
| Where you used the ATM | Money back within |
|---|---|
| Your own bank, your own branch | Next business day |
| Your own bank, another branch, same city | 3 business days |
| Your own bank, another branch, another city | 4 business days |
| Another bank on the same switch (1LINK or MNET), same or different city | 6 business days |
| Another bank on a different switch, same or different city | 7 business days |
A "switch" is the network that connects banks' ATMs. The guidelines name two, 1LINK and MNET. Your bank's helpline can tell you which one the other bank uses.
Business days mean working days. A failed withdrawal on a Friday evening at another bank's ATM can take until the middle of the following week and still be on time. So count working days before you decide your bank is late.
The guidelines cite PSD Circular No. 1 of April 6, 2006 for this section. The document is still on the State Bank's website. We could not find a newer State Bank rule that replaces these timelines, but we cannot rule one out.
What to do at the ATM, right away
Stay calm and collect proof before you walk away. Keep the slip if one prints, note the ATM's location and the exact time, and check your balance by SMS or app. Then call your bank's 24/7 helpline and ask for a complaint number.
- Keep the receipt. If the ATM printed one, it shows the time and the machine.
- Note the ATM's location and bank. Take a photo of the booth from outside, not of anyone else's screen.
- Check your balance or SMS alert to confirm the debit and the exact amount.
- Do not try again and again. Each try can create another debit to sort out.
- Call your own bank's helpline and get a complaint or reference number. Write it down with the date.
Always complain to your own bank, the one that holds your account, even if the ATM belonged to someone else. The State Bank's guidelines also require banks to run a 24/7 ATM helpline and to keep complaint boxes in ATM booths.
Your bank must reply within 10 working days
The same guidelines say a bank must respond to a complaint within 10 working days, under section 36(2) of the Payment System and Electronic Funds Transfers Act 2007. If it needs longer, it must send an interim reply with the reason and an expected date.
This is a second clock, separate from the refund timeline. The refund should normally arrive well before 10 working days. If it has not, the reply tells you what the bank found when it checked the machine.
The guidelines also say the bank must acknowledge all complaints, explain its decision with reasons, and reply in Urdu where you wrote in Urdu, if possible. A bank that simply says "no cash shortage found" without detail has not met that standard. Ask for the reconciliation result in writing.
The State Bank's wider complaint rules add more deadlines, including 30 days for a fraud complaint.
When the bank says the ATM did give you cash
Sometimes the bank's machine log shows the cash came out. If you are sure it did not, say so in writing with the exact time. Ask the bank to check the ATM's cash count and camera. The guidelines require CCTV at ATMs.
Ask for three things in your written follow-up:
- The result of the ATM's cash balancing for that day.
- A check of the CCTV footage for your time slot.
- The switch's record of the transaction, if another bank's ATM was used.
Do this quickly. Banks do not keep camera footage forever, and we could not find a State Bank rule on how long they must keep it.
Escalate to the Banking Mohtasib or Sunwai
If your bank refuses or does not reply, you can go to the Banking Mohtasib Pakistan. The State Bank's Sunwai FAQ says you can do this if the bank does not reply within 45 days, or if you are unhappy with its answer.
The Sunwai portal at sunwai.sbp.org.pk lets you lodge a complaint online and sends it to the right forum: your bank first, then the Banking Mohtasib, and the State Bank itself in some cases. For a microfinance bank, the State Bank is the second forum, because the Mohtasib does not cover microfinance banks.
The Banking Mohtasib is free. But it expects your first complaint to the bank to be in writing, so a phone call alone may not be enough. Send an email to your bank's complaint unit as well, and keep the reply.
Common questions
How long does it take to get ATM money back in Pakistan?
Between the next business day and 7 business days, under the State Bank's guidelines. Your own bank's ATM at your own branch is fastest; another bank on a different switch takes longest.
Should I complain to my bank or to the bank that owns the ATM?
Complain to your own bank, the one that holds your account. It deals with the other bank through the switch.
What if the money is not back after 7 business days?
Follow up in writing with your complaint number. Your bank must reply within 10 working days. If it still fails, go to the Banking Mohtasib or lodge a complaint on Sunwai.
Will my bank charge me for the failed withdrawal?
The guidelines require the bank to credit the cash that was not dispensed. If a fee was taken too, ask for it back in the same complaint. We did not find a specific State Bank rule on fees for a failed withdrawal.
Does the same rule apply to a card machine at a shop?
No. The timeline above is for ATMs. A failed card payment at a shop is a separate case, covered in card machine failed but you were charged.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 2 October 2026. We read the State Bank of Pakistan's Guidelines of Business Conduct for Banks, issued by its Consumer Protection Department and published on sbp.org.pk, on that date. Section 4.16.2 sets the refund timelines for cash not dispensed, and section 4.16.1 requires CCTV, a 24/7 ATM helpline and complaint boxes; the document cites PSD Circular No. 1 of April 6, 2006 for this part. Section 4.21 sets the 10 working day reply under section 36(2) of the Payment System and Electronic Funds Transfers Act 2007. We read the State Bank's Sunwai FAQ for the 45 day route to the Banking Mohtasib and the microfinance exception. The guidelines carry no date of their own, and we could not confirm whether a later State Bank instruction has changed the ATM timelines, so check with your bank before relying on a date in a dispute. Nothing here is legal advice.
About the author
Tax, Bills and Technology Writer
Ali Akhtar is a young and curious voice here at Pakistan Era. He is currently pursuing his A-Levels and has a growing interest in Pakistan’s changing industrial landscape and educational trends. Ali likes to write in a way that helps him explain and explore the world around him. His writing reflects the perspective of the new generation navigating the evolving trends of Pakistan where technology, youth innovation, and shifting opportunities are reshaping the country’s future.
