What it means
قبض (qabz) is borrowed from Arabic, from the root ق-ب-ض, which carries the sense of grasping, receiving, or taking possession. In Persian, it has narrowed to mean an official payment slip or utility bill: the paper notice you receive for electricity (قبض برق), gas (قبض گاز), water (قبض آب), or telephone (قبض تلفن). It also appears in legal contexts, where قبض رسید can mean a formal receipt of property. Unlike فاکتور (a commercial invoice) or رسید (a proof of payment), a قبض is typically issued by a government utility or official body and arrives before payment is made.
How to use it
- قبض برقم خیلی بالا اومده این ماه. (Qabz-e barqam kheyli bâlâ umade in mâh.) “My electricity bill is very high this month.”
- قبض گازو کجا باید بدم؟ (Qabz-e gâzo kojâ bâyad bedam?) “Where do I pay the gas bill?”
- قبض آبم گم شد، چیکار کنم؟ (Qabz-e âbam gom shod, chikâr konam?) “I lost my water bill, what should I do?”
- قبضها رو آنلاین هم میشه پرداخت کرد. (Qabz-hâ ro ânlain ham mishe pardâkht kard.) “You can also pay the bills online.”
Cultural note
Paying قبض is a routine part of Iranian domestic life. Until recently, most Iranians paid their utility bills in person at bank branches or special payment kiosks, and the physical قبض slip was required to complete the transaction. Today, mobile apps and online banking have made it possible to pay without the paper slip using the bill’s reference number. Despite this, many Iranians still receive and keep paper قبض slips, and the phrase “قبض بالا اومده” (the bill has gone up) is a perennial topic of conversation, particularly in winter when heating costs rise.