Taxes are an inevitable part of life if you earn taxable income. Hence, you cannot escape paying them. If you don’t, you can face steep fines and be charged with tax evasion. Fortunately, though tax remittance to the Bureau of Internal Revenue may sound a bit tricky, the BIR partnered with banks and online payment portals to make your life easier. Thus, it is now much more efficient and easy to pay for your tax dues.
With these options, you have no more excuse to be remiss in your tax dues. If you have the right accounting and bookkeeping practices in place, you can pay the correct amount without any glitches. Check out these three ways that make it convenient for you to remit your tax payments to the BIR.
1. Tax payment through banks partnered with the BIR
Numerous banks operating in the Philippines are dubbed Authorized Agent Banks (AABs). This means they are accredited banks within the jurisdiction of the Revenue District Office (RDO), where you may remit your taxes. As such, you don’t have to visit the BIR office, so long as you remit the payments to the AAB on time.
To verify whether the bank you are dealing with caters to tax payments, you may check with your RDO by contacting them through email, telephone, or their website. Alternatively, you can check on the BIR website to see which banks are listed under your RDO.
When paying for taxes through AABs, it is important to remember that:
– If you are filling zero pesos, you do not need to pay any tax
– You may send a trusted representative to go to the AAB instead of yourself
– You may only approach banks that are within the jurisdiction of your RDO
– Pay early or on time as AABs do not accept late payments
To pay your taxes this way, you will need to:
1. Download the required forms listed in the eBIRForms package provided online and fill them out.
2. Proceed to the AAB and submit the said forms together with the payment.
2. Tax payment to the RDO
You may opt to physically visit the RDO. To do this, you first have to identify whether you are filing as an individual, which includes employees, self-employed persons, professionals, mixed-income earners, and those deriving non-business-related income, or whether you are filing as a non-individual, which includes corporations both domestic and foreign ones receiving income from Philippine sources, and estates and trusts that engage in trade or business.
Additionally, you will also need to prepare the following forms:
1. Certificate of income tax withheld on compensation
2. Duly approved Tax Debit Memo, if applicable
3. Proofs of foreign tax credits, if applicable
4. Income Tax Return from the previous year and proof of payment, only if filing for an amended return for the same taxable year
Procedures for filing will include:
1. Printing forms from the eBIRForm package. If you cannot print on your own, copies are available at the RDO. This step just saves you time.
2. Filling up three copies of the BIR Form No. 1700.
3. Go to the RDO where you are registered, or any alternative tax filing center established by the BIR and submit the BIR Form No. 1700 with any additional requirements required herewith.
4. Receive your own copy of the stamped and validated form from the center where you are filing taxes.
Note that you do not have to go by yourself, but you may send a representative, like an assistant or corporate finance manager, to file your taxes for you.
3. Pay through the BIR online payment and filing platform
With the advent of technology, the BIR has made tax payment and filing a much easier process by establishing their Electronic Filing and Payment System, an online payment system where you can remit taxes. To start the procedure of filing under this platform, you will first need to make an account. After finalizing your account details, you may proceed to do the following:
- Fill up the fields in the BIR Form No. 1700, only those that are applicable.
- Pay electronically by clicking on the “Proceed to Payment Button.”
- Fill up the required fields under the “eFPS Payment Form.”
- Click “Submit.”
- Wait to receive a payment confirmation from the eFPS-AABs to verify the success of your e-filing and e-payment transaction.
As you can see, it is now easy and convenient to pay for your tax dues. You can choose from any of the three methods to pay your obligations on time. Otherwise, you will incur penalties and fines. Worst-case scenario is getting flagged for an investigation.
If you truly want to avoid a BIR audit, ensure you are tax compliant. Call our team of certified public accountants for assistance if you want to verify if you are on the right track. We offer free 30-minute consultations.
