# Payment Providers in Tajikistan: Unified QR, Korti Milli and TJS Costs

For a business comparing payment providers in Tajikistan, a useful starting point is the merchant's side of the transaction: who receives the money, what the customer can use, and what finance can reconcile afterwards. A demonstration of a successful personal transfer answers only part of that brief. Tajikistan's Unified QR scheme makes this distinction especially useful. A common customer interface still leaves the merchant with decisions about acquiring, pricing, reporting and business payouts. Those details belong in the provider comparison before integration starts.

## A numerical starting point for the provider comparison

We reviewed **28 unique historical payment offers** linked only to this country: 11 collection offers and 17 payout offers. They provide a structured starting point for comparing payment costs, access to funds and operational requirements. 80 additional offers linked to several countries are excluded from the country-only calculations below.

The source is the PayStar export dated 14 September 2026, supplied by payment gateways. We recomputed its aggregates, but did not independently verify its commercial statements. This is a historical sample, not a market survey, a count of PSPs or methods, or proof of active connections and current availability. Conditions can change weekly or more often. Independent country, currency and method associations do not establish every possible payment route. Direction counts and settlement-label charts cover all recorded currencies. Only the percentage comparison below is restricted to explicit TJS fee records.

28 unique offers linked only to this GEO, across all recorded currencies; not methods, providers or live connections. [Download SVG](https://paystar.uk/tajikistan-payment-solutions/media/2026-10-08-v2/charts/offers-en-desktop-download.svg)

## What the recorded TJS percentage components show

We calculate the arithmetic mean of explicit percentage components stated in TJS, giving each comparable offer equal weight. A record qualifies only when its structured percentage matches one unambiguous percentage in the original fee description. Offers in another fee currency, missing percentages and ambiguous descriptions are excluded.

We also exclude bound or conditional percentages such as “from”, tiers and explicitly restricted customer categories. Exact nominal percentage components with fixed minimums or caps can remain in the sample; those minimums and caps still affect the final charge.

| Direction | n | Mean | Median | Range |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Collections | 11 | 6.42% | 6.5% | 5–7.5% |
| Payouts | 10 | 2.76% | 2.5% | 2–4% |

Explicit TJS percentage components only. n is the comparable sample in each direction; missing fees are excluded, not zero. [Download SVG](https://paystar.uk/tajikistan-payment-solutions/media/2026-10-08-v2/charts/fees-en-desktop-download.svg)

**These are percentage components, not all-in payment prices.** Fixed charges, FX, tax, reserves, minimums and charges for refunds or other exceptions must be assessed separately. This sample is not weighted by payment volume, contains no measured conversion rate and cannot rank provider quality. Small or insufficiently independent groups are withheld.

### A hypothetical payment calculation

Take an illustrative payment of 100 TJS; this is not a typical market ticket. Applying the rounded means shown above gives:

- Collections: 100 TJS × 6.42% = **6.42 TJS**.
- Payouts: 100 TJS × 2.76% = **2.76 TJS**.

Each line is a separate direction, not a combined service quote. The arithmetic shows only the percentage part. Ask for an actual quote at your ticket size, volume, business model and settlement currency before calculating net proceeds.

## When money becomes usable matters

Collection offers across all recorded currencies. T/D labels are recorded as supplied, without assuming calendar or business days. Other includes complex labels and pooled groups below 3 records. No guaranteed settlement time. [Download SVG](https://paystar.uk/tajikistan-payment-solutions/media/2026-10-08-v2/charts/timing-en-desktop-download.svg)

A successful payment notification and money available to your business are different events. Treat recorded settlement labels as questions for a provider: what starts the clock, which cut-off applies, are weekends counted, which account is credited, and can a reserve or review delay availability?

For payouts, agree prefunding, beneficiary validation, rejection handling and how returned funds appear in your balance. An incoming-payment settlement label does not prove payout completion time.

### A cash-buffer planning example

If a business must fund 10,000 TJS of obligations per day, a one-day gap requires 10,000 TJS; a three-day gap requires 30,000 TJS. The additional buffer is 20,000 TJS. This is a hypothetical constant-flow model, excluding fees, reserves and volatility, not an observed settlement promise.

## Unified QR: compare the merchant service behind the code

The National Bank of Tajikistan describes Unified QR as a common format for merchant payments across banking apps and wallets. Interbank payments use the instant-payment module of its automated interbank transfer system, which the bank describes as operating continuously. [National Bank of Tajikistan: Unified QR FAQ](https://nbt.tj/ru/faq/).

For a proposed collection service, ask the provider to demonstrate the exact merchant code with the customer apps relevant to your audience. Include a payment from the acquiring institution's own app and one from another participating institution. Record the recipient displayed to the buyer and the merchant-side evidence returned for each transaction.

This is a practical acceptance test. It should establish whether the quoted service is merchant acquiring, which apps participate in that arrangement, and how a successful payment appears in the merchant's records. A screenshot of a customer's transfer is insufficient evidence for that decision.

## Buyer charges and merchant costs belong in different columns

In its Unified QR FAQ, the NBT says that neither the financial institution nor the merchant charges the buyer a commission for that payment. The statement addresses the buyer. It does not establish the complete commercial price of a merchant's acquiring agreement. [NBT: customer charges, question 6](https://nbt.tj/ru/faq/).

Ask for an itemised merchant quote covering collection charges, any account or service fees, refund treatment and movement of funds to the intended settlement account. Specify whether costs are deducted per transaction, netted from settlement or billed separately. Confirm the applicable terms for the particular service and business.

Use a simple hypothetical test: an order is TJS 500 and the customer pays TJS 500. Ask the provider to show how that order would appear in its merchant report, the bank account and any separate fee invoice. If an agreed fee applies, identify its entry. If none applies, obtain confirmation of that scope. No actual tariff is assumed in this example.

The useful output is an explanation of gross receipts, deductions and usable funds that your finance team can reproduce.

## Qualify Korti Milli for the channel you will launch

Korti Milli also needs a specific acceptance brief. As a public example of channel distinctions, Alif describes POS/QR merchant acquiring separately from website acceptance, while its online-acquiring page explicitly lists Korti Milli support. These are that bank's published product descriptions, not a claim about the capabilities of unnamed offers in PayStar's research. [Alif: merchant acquiring](https://alif.tj/en/business/merchant-acquiring), [Alif: online acquiring](https://alif.tj/en/business/acquiring).

For your shortlist, request the supported issuers and card products for the intended channel. Check the checkout flow, authentication, transaction limits, cancellation rules and refund process. Confirm which functions are available under your merchant agreement rather than assuming that a card accepted at a terminal will work in every online integration.

Keep personal card transfers separate in the brief. The required business outcome is an attributable merchant receipt with agreed records and remedies. The ability to send money to a card does not establish that commercial arrangement.

| Requirement | Evidence to request |
| --- | --- |
| Unified QR collections | Merchant recipient, participating customer apps and transaction confirmation |
| Korti Milli acceptance | Channel, supported issuers/products and agreed refund procedure |
| Merchant accounting | Gross amount, fee treatment, settlement reference and bank-account credit |
| TJS business payouts | Eligible beneficiary type, destination details, funding and completion evidence |

## Test TJS payouts separately, including another bank

An incoming-payment service leaves an independent question: how will the business pay an eligible recipient? The NBT's January–June 2026 overview distinguishes intrabank payments, direct correspondent arrangements and payments through accounts held at the central bank. That is a reason to establish the proposed path rather than treating every TJS transfer as operationally identical. [NBT: payment system overview](https://nbt.tj/ru/payment_system/nizomi_pardohti_tj.php).

Build the payout test around your real purpose, such as a supplier payment or an approved customer refund. Confirm eligible beneficiary categories, required account or card details, funding currency, amount limits and the evidence of receipt. Request separate examples for the same institution and another institution where the proposed service supports them.

Ask how a rejected destination, delayed confirmation or returned payment is handled. Identify who investigates it, which reference finance retains and what happens to the original order. An outgoing transfer should not automatically close an outstanding refund in your own records.

If the business or treasury account is overseas, qualify that structure separately: contracting entity, receiving account, permitted activity, conversion and any onward remittance. This guide does not establish foreign-merchant eligibility or cross-border settlement availability.

## The role of PayStar

PayStar provides information for comparing payment solutions and, where agreed, a technical layer for connecting and operating them. PayStar is not a bank or payment service provider and does not accept, hold or settle customer or business funds in its own name.

You select the payment provider and enter into a direct agreement with it. The provider processes payments and performs settlement under that agreement. Local eligibility, required authorisations and commercial terms must be confirmed for your company and use case. A method described in this article is not a promise that it is available through PayStar for your business.

Information about payment options is free. Payment processing and any agreed technical services have separate commercial terms.

## Official sources and research scope

- [NBT: Unified QR FAQ](https://nbt.tj/ru/faq/)
- [Alif: merchant acquiring](https://alif.tj/en/business/merchant-acquiring)
- [Alif: online acquiring](https://alif.tj/en/business/acquiring)
- [NBT: payment system overview](https://nbt.tj/ru/payment_system/nizomi_pardohti_tj.php)

Research check: 8 October 2026. The export date remains 14 September 2026. Local scheme descriptions are context, not confirmation of a particular provider’s capabilities.