Kontabler Blog
Accounting & BIR guides for Philippine businesses
Plain-language guides on registration, VAT, bookkeeping, invoicing, payroll, and financial statements — from setting up your books to filing with the BIR and SEC.
BIR Registration
How to Register a Business with the BIR in the Philippines (2026 Guide)
A step-by-step 2026 guide to BIR registration — Form 1901/1903, the Certificate of Registration (Form 2303), books of accounts, and receipts.
BIR & Taxes
VAT vs Percentage Tax: Which One Applies to Your Business?
The ₱3M VAT threshold, the 3% percentage tax, and how to know which one your business should register for — with worked examples.
BIR & Taxes
How to Compute and File BIR Form 2550Q (Quarterly VAT)
Output VAT, input VAT, and how to compute and file your quarterly VAT return — plus deadlines and common mistakes to avoid.
BIR & Taxes
How to File BIR Form 2551Q (Quarterly Percentage Tax)
Who pays percentage tax, how the 3% is computed on gross receipts, and how to file Form 2551Q each quarter.
BIR Registration
BIR Form 2303: Understanding Your Certificate of Registration
What the Certificate of Registration (COR/Form 2303) shows, the tax types listed on it, and why it drives everything you file.
Bookkeeping
Books of Accounts: What the BIR Requires and How to Register Them
The books of accounts every registered business must keep, how to register or renew them with the BIR, and what to record where.
Bookkeeping
Manual vs Loose-Leaf vs CAS: Choosing Your Books of Accounts
The three ways to keep BIR books of accounts compared — manual, loose-leaf, and Computerized Accounting System (CAS) — and when each makes sense.
Invoicing
Official Receipts vs Sales Invoices in the Philippines
The difference between a sales invoice and an official receipt after the EOPT reforms, and which document to issue for goods vs services.
Invoicing
How to Issue an Official Receipt or Invoice Correctly
The details every BIR-registered receipt or invoice must show, VAT presentation, and how to avoid the most common invoicing penalties.
BIR & Taxes
Expanded Withholding Tax (EWT): A Practical Guide for Businesses
What expanded withholding tax is, the common ATC rates, and how to withhold, remit, and issue 2307 to your suppliers.
BIR & Taxes
How to File BIR Forms 0619-E and 1601-EQ
The monthly 0619-E remittance and the quarterly 1601-EQ return with its QAP alphalist — deadlines, and how they fit together.
BIR & Taxes
BIR Form 2307: The Certificate of Creditable Tax Withheld
What Form 2307 is, why your customers issue it to you, and how to use it as a tax credit against your income tax due.
BIR & Taxes
How to File BIR Form 1604-E and the Annual Alphalist
The annual information return for expanded withholding tax, the alphalist of payees, and how to prepare the DAT file.
Bookkeeping
How to Build a Chart of Accounts for a Small Business
A practical chart of accounts for a Philippine small business — assets, liabilities, equity, income, and expenses, with sample account codes.
Bookkeeping
Double-Entry Bookkeeping Basics for Business Owners
Debits, credits, and why every transaction has two sides — explained in plain language with everyday business examples.
Accounting
Cash vs Accrual Accounting: Which Should You Use?
How the cash and accrual methods differ, what the BIR expects, and how your choice affects your income tax and financial statements.
Financial Statements
How to Prepare Financial Statements in the Philippines
The financial statements Philippine businesses prepare, how they connect, and what BIR and SEC expect at filing time.
Financial Statements
The Income Statement Explained (with a Sample)
Revenue, cost of sales, gross profit, operating expenses, and net income — how to read and build an income statement.
Financial Statements
The Balance Sheet Explained (with a Sample)
Assets, liabilities, and equity — how the balance sheet works, why it must balance, and what it tells you about your business.
Financial Statements
The Statement of Cash Flows Explained
Operating, investing, and financing activities — how the cash flow statement is built and why profit is not the same as cash.
Financial Statements
When Do You Need Audited Financial Statements?
The gross-sales thresholds for BIR audit, SEC's rules for corporations, and when an independent CPA's audit is required.
BIR & Taxes
How to File BIR Form 1701 (Individual Income Tax)
The annual income tax return for self-employed individuals and professionals — graduated rates, the 8% option, and deadlines.
BIR & Taxes
How to File BIR Form 1702 (Corporate Income Tax)
The annual income tax return for corporations — regular corporate income tax, MCIT, and the attachments the BIR requires.
BIR & Taxes
Quarterly Income Tax: Forms 1701Q and 1702Q
How quarterly income tax works, cumulative computation, and the deadlines for individuals (1701Q) and corporations (1702Q).
BIR & Taxes
Graduated Rates vs the 8% Income Tax Option
For the self-employed: how the 8% flat tax compares to graduated rates plus percentage tax, and how to choose the cheaper option.
Payroll
BIR Form 1601-C: Withholding Tax on Compensation
How to withhold tax on employee salaries, compute it with the BIR tables, and file and remit Form 1601-C each month.
Payroll
How to Compute Payroll in the Philippines: A Step-by-Step Guide
Gross pay, mandatory contributions, withholding tax, and net pay — how to compute a Philippine payroll from start to finish.
Payroll
SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG Contributions (2026 Rates)
The 2026 contribution rates and tables for SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG, and how to compute employer and employee shares.
Payroll
How to Compute 13th Month Pay Correctly
Who is entitled, how the pro-rated computation works, the ₱90,000 tax-exempt ceiling, and the December deadline.
Payroll
BIR Form 2316: The Employee's Certificate of Compensation
What Form 2316 certifies, substituted filing, and the employer's obligations for issuing and submitting it each year.
Payroll
De Minimis Benefits: Tax-Free Perks for Employees
The list of de minimis benefits, their current ceilings, and how to give tax-free perks without triggering withholding tax.
BIR & Taxes
How to Compute VAT Payable (with Examples)
Output VAT minus input VAT, worked through with sample sales and purchases so you can see exactly what you owe.
BIR & Taxes
Input VAT and Output VAT Explained
What input and output VAT mean, which purchases give you creditable input VAT, and how substantiation works at audit.
BIR & Taxes
Zero-Rated vs VAT-Exempt Sales: What's the Difference?
How zero-rated and exempt sales differ, why the distinction matters for input VAT, and common examples of each.
BIR & Taxes
Documentary Stamp Tax: A Guide for Businesses
When documentary stamp tax applies — leases, shares, deeds, and loans — how to compute it, and how to file Form 2000.
BIR & Taxes
The Annual Registration Fee and What EOPT Changed
How the Ease of Paying Taxes Act removed the ₱500 annual registration fee and what registration steps remain today.
BIR & Taxes
BIR Compliance Calendar 2026: Every Deadline You Should Know
A month-by-month calendar of BIR filing deadlines for VAT, percentage tax, withholding, and income tax in 2026.
BIR & Taxes
Penalties for Late BIR Filing: Surcharge, Interest, and Compromise
How the 25% surcharge, 12% interest, and compromise penalties are computed when you file or pay a BIR return late.
BIR & Taxes
How to Compute Withholding Tax on Rent
The 5% expanded withholding tax on rental payments — when it applies, how to compute it, and how to issue Form 2307.
Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping for Small Business: A Beginner's Guide
A simple, repeatable bookkeeping routine for a Philippine small business — from recording sales to closing the month.
Accounting
Accounts Receivable Management: Get Paid Faster
How to track receivables, run an aging report, set credit terms, and follow up on overdue customers without losing them.
Accounting
Accounts Payable Management: Pay Smart, Stay Liquid
How to organize bills, schedule payments, take advantage of terms, and keep your supplier relationships healthy.
Bookkeeping
Bank Reconciliation: A Step-by-Step Guide
Why your book balance and bank balance differ, and how to reconcile them each month to catch errors and missing entries.
Accounting
Depreciation Methods for Philippine Businesses
Straight-line and other depreciation methods, useful life, and how depreciation affects your books and income tax.
Bookkeeping
How to Manage a Petty Cash Fund
Setting up an imprest petty cash fund, recording disbursements, replenishing it, and keeping it audit-ready.
Bookkeeping
How to Record and Substantiate Business Expenses
Which expenses are deductible, the documents the BIR wants to see, and how to record them so they survive an audit.
BIR & Taxes
Freelancer and Professional Tax Guide (Philippines)
BIR registration, receipts, percentage tax or VAT, and income tax for freelancers and self-employed professionals.
Accounting
Sole Proprietor vs Corporation: How Taxes Compare
How income tax, compliance, and liability differ between a sole proprietorship and a corporation in the Philippines.
Accounting
Moving from Spreadsheets to Accounting Software
The signs you've outgrown Excel, what to prepare before you migrate, and how to move your books without losing history.
Accounting
Year-End Accounting: A Closing Checklist for Businesses
A practical year-end checklist — reconciliations, accruals, depreciation, inventory, and getting ready for your annual filings.