Hello po! May small printing and photocopy business po ako sa Pilipinas, operating since 2021.

Updated naman po ako sa pag-renew ng business permit at pagbabayad ng quarterly taxes. Ang problema ko po, hindi ko na-update nang maayos ang books of accounts at sales records/invoice records ko since 2023.

May daily sales tracker naman po ako sa laptop kung saan ko nire-record ang daily sales ng business. Ang akala ko po kasi noon, basta naitatala ko ang sales at nakakapagbayad ako ng taxes, okay na. Hindi ko po lubos na naiintindihan noon ang requirements tungkol sa books of accounts at mga resibo/invoices.

Ngayon po, gusto ko nang ayusin ang lahat ng records ko at maging compliant sa BIR.

May mga tanong lang po sana ako sa mga naka-experience na ng ganitong situation:

1. Magkano po kaya ang possible penalty sa hindi updated na books of accounts at sales invoice records since 2023?
2. Per violation po ba ang penalty, o may computation depende sa taon at sa mga hindi nagawang requirements?
3. Dahil nagbabayad naman po ako ng quarterly taxes, makakaapekto po ba iyon sa magiging penalties ko?
4. Ano po ang dapat kong ihanda at unahing ayusin bago pumunta sa BIR RDO?
5. May naka-experience na po ba rito ng similar situation? Magkano po ang naging total penalty ninyo?

Small business owner lang po ako kaya gusto ko sanang magkaroon ng idea kung magkano ang dapat kong ihanda bago magpa-assess sa BIR.

Hindi ko po intensyong takasan ang obligasyon ko. Gusto ko lang pong maitama ang records ko at maayos ang compliance ko moving forward.

Maraming salamat po sa mga sasagot at magbabahagi ng kanilang experience. 🙏❤️

Hi everyone! Please be kind. No judgment sana because I'm already extremely stressed about this, and I'm trying to figure out how to fix my situation. 🙏

I'm a breadwinner, and managing my finances has been really difficult over the past several years. Between supporting my family, dealing with business losses, and paying off medical expenses, I've honestly struggled to keep up with my tax obligations.

Here's my situation:

• I left my corporate job in 2018 and started freelancing.
• I registered with the BIR as self-employed in September 2019. My COR lists Income Tax and quarterly Percentage Tax, with my line of business registered as Advertising (7430).
• Around 2019, I stopped issuing official receipts. I also haven't filed tax returns because I was dealing with serious financial difficulties and honestly didn't know how to manage everything properly.
• We also had a business that closed during the pandemic. I'm not sure if our accountant properly processed the closure because they eventually stopped responding to us. I'm worried that the business could have accumulated penalties, too.
• I'm currently freelancing again, earning less than Php 1 million annually. However, I haven't been issuing receipts for my current freelance work because I'm afraid that addressing my BIR registration will expose my unfiled returns and possible liabilities.
• I'm also starting to create content online. They're still small, and I barely earn anything from them aside from occasional affiliate commissions.
• Now that the BIR Registration Seal Badge requirement for online content creators has come up, I'm wondering if I should finally sort everything out. I want to be compliant, especially in case my freelance client starts requiring proper receipts and tax documents.

The problem is that I'm barely getting by financially. I'm still paying off debts from 2 major surgeries I underwent, as well as medical expenses from my parent's recent surgery. As a breadwinner, I have a lot of financial responsibilities, and I have very little money left after paying for necessities and debts.

I've been reading posts about BIR penalties and open cases, and I've seen people mention amounts exceeding Php 50,000. I honestly don't know how I could afford that right now. I've been worrying about this for weeks, and it's affecting my peace of mind.

Here are my questions:

1. If I apply for the BIR Registration Seal Badge through ORUS, could this flag my unfiled returns and trigger an investigation or assessment for the years I haven't filed?
2. How can I find out which returns I failed to file and whether I actually have open cases or penalties? Is there a way to check this before proceeding with the badge?
3. What's the proper way to fix my existing BIR registration? Should I consult my RDO first, hire a tax practitioner, or try to resolve the open cases myself?
4. Is there any way to minimize the penalties if I voluntarily correct my noncompliance? Are compromise penalties or other forms of relief possible, especially if I had very little income during some of those years?
5. Our old business also closed during the pandemic, but I'm unsure whether the closure was properly processed. How should I check its status and address any outstanding obligations?
6. Can I register a new business or obtain a new registration for my current freelance/content creation activities, or do I need to resolve my existing registration first? I understand that I shouldn't get a second TIN, but I'm unsure what the proper procedure is.
7. Since my freelance income is below Php 1 million annually and my content creation earnings are minimal, what would be the most practical and affordable way to become compliant?
8. Can I hire an accountant to help me with all my tax issues like sya na mag-aayos or magchecheck for me?

I'm not trying to avoid paying legitimate taxes. I genuinely want to fix this so I can stop worrying about it and properly document my income moving forward. I'm just scared that the penalties will be so high that I won't be able to pay for them while still supporting my family and paying off our medical debts.

If you've gone through something similar, especially as a freelancer in the Philippines, I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience.

Please share practical advice on what steps to take first, what costs I should prepare for, and whether it's possible to resolve this without spending tens of thousands of pesos upfront.

Thank you so much. I really appreciate any guidance. 🙏

Ang daming nagpopost but I have not seen specifically for this type of product yet. I sell different digital products(apps, subscriptions, etc.) and I have TIN as a corp employee.

I recently registered in DTI for my business name but I honestly don’t know what’s next. Ang daming overwhelming na conflicting info sa BIR. I don’t have a shop, I don’t have an office, and I don’t have employees. Not too big din naman yung revenue and walang guarantee. Ang nagreremit sakin is Apple and Google.

I want to pay my taxes properly pero after seeing posts, if I decide to close the business, hassle pa. Abonado pa ako. Baka not worth the trouble.

Can anyone advise please? Thank you in advance!

registered my business sa DTI during 2022 and will expire on 2027. honest mistake, i have no knowledge na need pala i register sa BIR after 30 days. operating ang business until now and planning to register it sa BIR. any advice po if wait ko na lang ma expire DTI or i-cancel ko po and register a new business name? thanks in advance po :((( sofer overthink na aq

Need ko po ba gamitin yung dalawa kong 8 columnar na book? tsaka pano ko po malalaman kung ano ron yung ledger at journal? registered po ata yung books na yun kasi may pirma ng taga bir at may parang seal/badge din eh, kaso walang laman kasi di ko po alam ang gagawin don. I also have this service invoice, di ko po alam kung pano gamitin, required din po ba yon gamitin as a self employed vat earner? and I would also like your opinion about my yt income being counted as a zero rated sale since ang laki po ng binayaran ko noon sa mga 2550q's ko from 2025 q4 to 2026 q1 and q2. This q3 ginawa ko na syang counted as zero rated sale. Yung fb income ko first time ko lang po natanggap nung q3 2026 so yun nalang ginawa kong 12% na payable since di po ako sure if maccount ko sya as zero rated sale. Also kaya ko po nacount as zero rated sale kasi nakalagay po dun sa pnb transaction ko na inward remittance intl, and nung dinownload ko yung receipt/transaction directly from adsense, usd po ang nakalagay, is that enough evidence para macount po as zero rate sale yung yt ko? ty po sa sasagot!

magkano kaya ipapabayad sa akin ng BIR sa ganito? i have executed an affidavit of loss and personal letter to the RDO head. wala pa sila feedback as of today. dun sa nawala, its mostly blank with only 0001 used. tama ba ginawa ko na nag report ako agad na nawala yung booklet? first time ko pa lang mag self employed tax payer.

Recently decided to pursue making art for a living. Accepting commissions and workshops. Way of promoting is thru online platforms. Do I need to register even if income is unstable?

Title: Looking for a CPA Experienced in Cross-Border E-Commerce and International Business Structuring (Philippines)

We're looking for recommendations for a CPA or accounting firm, preferably based in Metro Manila, with experience helping Philippine-based business owners structure international e-commerce businesses.

Background:

• The business owners are Filipino citizens with no residency in other countries.
• We manufacture a physical consumer product locally in the Philippines and plan to launch internationally within the next few months.
• Our primary markets will be the United States and European Union.
• We plan to export our products to Amazon fulfillment warehouses in the US and EU, where they will be sold through Amazon FBA.
• All customer sales and fulfillment will take place overseas.
• We estimate initial international sales of approximately USD $10,000–$20,000 per month.

Current Business Situation:

We're considering establishing a Philippine corporation and potentially using the 40% Optional Standard Deduction (OSD), as our business has significant cost of goods sold (COGS) but relatively low manpower and overhead expenses.

However, we're open to other corporate structures if they offer a more practical and tax-efficient solution.

Import and Export Logistics:

We currently source components from China using freight consolidators such as CargoBoss.

We do not currently have our own import or export permits, and for our initial shipments to the US and EU, we're considering using freight consolidators to handle the export process as well.

What We're Looking For:

We need an experienced CPA or tax adviser who can help us determine the most appropriate corporate and tax structure for this type of business.

Ideally, someone with firsthand experience advising Philippine-based entrepreneurs who sell physical products internationally, particularly businesses that hold inventory and fulfill orders through overseas warehouses.

We're not simply looking for someone to handle routine BIR filings. We need practical advice on cross-border taxation, business structuring, international revenue, and Philippine compliance obligations.

If anyone has worked with a CPA or accounting firm experienced in this type of setup, we'd really appreciate your recommendations.

Thank you!

Hi, Im not one to usually make posts but I need some advice as Ive been seeing this all around socials, and its so confusing to try and understand all of it.

Currently, I started dabbling into the idea of offering digital templates online. So far, I havent gotten much success aside from a single sale, and Ive been pretty inactive about the page ever since. I was thinking about reviving my efforts on this but with the BIR badge situation, Im not so sure what to do, especially when I am unsure of whether it will do well.

do I register even if I havent earned consistently and am just reviving the page? Will having this also impact my role as a full time employee, where i also pay taxes? I am so lost that I dont know where to start

I have some questions i hope professional cpa’s will see this and other knows about taxes. I recently got registered to bir and dti since oct 13, 2026

1.) I started my digital excel templates/commision 2023 then I register Oct 2026 do i need to say that I receive payments before I got registered to bir? and if so do I have penalties?
2.) Before bir i deposit 300k to my newly registered banks to bir will know it?
3.) When should i start filling? Do i need to start filling monthly before oct ends, november ends, december ends? or should i start january 1, 2027
4.) When should i pay my taxes? is it montly? and can i deduct my expenses on my fb ads to show to my consumed my digital excels and commissions?

Thank you so much for the response! 🥹