The dependence of the carrier concentration on the implantation dose and on the temperature was investigated in ion‐implanted thin films of Pb1−xSnxTe (0⩽x<0.1). By assuming a twofold defect level in the conduction band we are able to fit the experimental results. With increasing tin content the energy of the defect level shifts towards the conduction‐band edge. By extending the results to SnTe a general model for the understanding of the electrical properties of ion‐implanted Pb1−xSnxTe (0⩽x⩽1) is suggested.