Despite this Covid19 outbreak, there are things that cannot be stopped nor delayed. One of them is a business operation. A lot of people will suffer when a business stops operating, not just the business owner. As a solution, most of the businesses go digital to minimize the exposure with Covid19.
Another thing that cannot be stopped is our taxes. We know, just like us, most of you do not live near your business’s Revenue District Office. With the deadline coming up on June 15th, and the suspension of public transport is still in place, we know a lot of you are asking how you can file your taxes, which includes the Income Tax Return (ITR), plus the Audited Financial Statement during GCQ (General Community Quarantine).
To keep everyone safe, the Bureau of Internal Revenue does not encourage manual filing as of now and decided to release an Electronic Submission of Audited Financial Statements (eAFS) instead, where you can submit your ITR online at the comfort of your home.
Keep on reading if you need to know how to file your ITR using eAFS.
WHAT IS eAFS?
The eAFS is an additional option aside from physically submitting your Income Tax Return / Audited Financial Statement (ITR/AFS) to your respective BIR RDO and have it manually stamped. This may be accessed through the BIR website bir.gov.ph (look for the eAFS icon).
WHO CAN USE IT?
All taxpayers who submit hard copies of ITRs with attachments may use eAFS instead. These include taxpayers who are claiming tax credits, taxpayers who are not required to have their financial statements audited, and taxpayers who are not qualified for substituted filing among others as long as your ITR has corresponding attachments.
HOW TO ACCESS THE eAFS?
You can access it on any browser of any device. Here are the procedures:
- Go to bir.gov.ph
- Click the eAFS icon
- For first time users, enrollment is required. Just click the “Not registered” button at the eAFS log in page.
- Fill in all the necessary details on the registration form and click submit.
- Accept the Statement of Undertaking.
- Check your email for registration confirmation to activate your account (valid for 72 hours only).
- Once activated, you can log back in and use the eAFS now.
Here are some reminders as well:
- Any Tax Identification Number (TIN #) can only be enrolled as a company tin ONLY ONCE.
- Any TIN # can be enrolled multiple times as an authorized representative’s TIN #.
- Any particular email address can be enrolled only once either as a company email or representative’s email. (Authorized representative should have a unique email address for each and every company you will represent and the other one for enrollment).
- For companies who will submit your own, you can just copy your information as the authorized representative (this section should not be left blank).
- YOU CAN NO LONGER EDIT the information you put in once submitted.
HOW TO SUBMIT FILES USING eFS?
- Log in to your eFS account.
- Click the “File Upload” button on the left side.
- There are 3 files that can be uploaded:
-
- Income Tax Return
- Audited Financial Statements
- Other attachments
-
- After uploading files, click the submit button.
- Accept the Statement of Undertaking.
- A file upload confirmation with transaction code will appear (you can take a screenshot of this as a proof).
- You will also receive an email regarding the files that you submitted if it is a valid or invalid file.
Another set of reminders:
- Files should be in PDF format ONLY.
- File size PER document is 4.8GB.
- Required file names: (where XXXXXXXXX is your 9-digit TIN). Examples below:
- ITR: EAFSXXXXXXXXXITR2019.PDF
- AFS: EAFSXXXXXXXXXAFS2019.PDF
- OTH: EAFSXXXXXXXXXOTH2019-xx.PDF (where -xx is a 2-digit number from 01-99)
- Files will be encrypted and cannot be changed once submitted.
***No need to go to the BIR to have your ITR/AFS stamped after using the eAFS. The email confirmation you received shall serve as proof of submission to the BIR. Just print the email confirmation and attach it to the AFS that you need to submit to SEC.
GENERAL REMINDERS:
- The deadline for paying taxes is on June 14, 2020, but since it is a non-working day, the deadline is on the next working day (June 15, 2020).
- There will be no further extensions for this.
- There are BIR platforms, Authorized Agent Banks (AABs), and Electronic Tax Software Providers (eTSP) that you can utilize to settle your taxes before the said deadline, at the comfort of your own home. These will be further discussed later.
- For eFPS users, you can e-file your taxes at efps.bir.gov.ph
- For non-eFPS users, you can use the eBIR forms available at https://bit.ly/BIRforms
- Lastly, to those who have no means of filing and paying their taxes online, you may still file your returns and pay your taxes by visiting an Authorizing Agent Banks (AABs) near you or a Revenue Collection Officer in a nearby Revenue District Office.
Hopefully, this will help you out in compliance with one of the major reportorial requirements for this year. If you need assistance, feel free to contact us.
Reference:
BIR Webinar
