The Philippine Tax and Compliance Calendar for Foreign-Owned Companies

By Jeme Ann Bregente, CPA (Philippines), Camellia Consulting · Sources checked 24 October 2026

A Philippine company files something with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) almost every month. On top of that come quarterly returns, a year-end round of information returns, the annual income tax return, financial statements for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and local business tax with the city. When a foreign-owned subsidiary misses one, it is rarely a technical question. More often the local team was waiting for sign-off and the parent did not know the filing was due.

This calendar covers the main recurring BIR, SEC and local government filings for a company with a December year-end. Payroll contributions (SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG), related-party reporting and PEZA or BOI obligations have their own schedules and are not listed here. If your group closes on 30 June, as many Australian groups do, the annual dates move; see the section on June year-ends. All dates are Philippine time. A BIR deadline that falls on a weekend or holiday generally moves to the next working day; for SEC and city deadlines, check the agency’s own notice.

Every month

Form	What it covers	Due
1601-C	Tax withheld from employees’ compensation	10th of the following month; December’s is due 15 January for non-eFPS filers
0619-E	Expanded (creditable) withholding tax on payments to suppliers, landlords and contractors	10th of the following month
0619-F	Final withholding tax, for example on payments to non-residents	10th of the following month

Companies enrolled in eFPS file on a staggered schedule set by industry group, generally between the 11th and the 15th, with a separate January date for December’s 1601-C. Check your group’s dates for filing and for payment.

The 0619-E and 0619-F are not filed for the last month of each quarter (March, June, September, December). That month goes straight into the quarterly return. We still see new staff file a monthly form for a quarter-end month, and it then has to be sorted out with the BIR.

Every quarter

Form	What it covers	Due
2550Q	VAT return	Within 25 days after the end of the taxable quarter
2551Q	Percentage tax, for businesses liable to it (generally non-VAT businesses under section 116)	Within 25 days after the end of the quarter
1601-EQ	Expanded withholding tax, with the quarterly alphalist of payees	Last day of the month after the quarter
1601-FQ	Final withholding tax	Last day of the month after the quarter
1702Q	Quarterly income tax, for the first three quarters	Within 60 days after the quarter ends

Since 1 January 2023, VAT-registered businesses have only been required to file quarterly. The 2550Q follows the company’s own taxable quarters, which matters if you do not use a calendar year. The fourth quarter has no 1702Q; it goes into the annual return.

Once a year (December year-end)

Filing	Who receives it	Due
Local business tax	City or municipality	First 20 days of January, or of each quarter if paid quarterly
Business (mayor’s) permit renewal	City or municipality	Usually by 20 January; each city sets its own process
1604-C, annual information return on compensation, with employee alphalist	BIR	31 January
1604-F, annual information return on payments subject to final withholding, with alphalist	BIR	31 January
BIR Form 2316 to each employee	Employees	31 January, or on final pay for anyone who left during the year
Signed BIR Form 2316 for employees under substituted filing	BIR	28 February
1604-E, annual information return on expanded withholding and exempt payments, with alphalist	BIR	1 March
1702-RT (or 1702-EX / 1702-MX), annual income tax return and payment	BIR	15 April
Financial statements and other attachments to the annual return	BIR	Under the BIR’s attachment submission rules, which may set a different date from the return
Audited financial statements	SEC	Set by the SEC each year
General Information Sheet	SEC	Within 30 days after the annual shareholders’ meeting

The SEC deadline for financial statements is not tied to the BIR’s 15 April date. The SEC publishes a filing schedule each year. For 2025 financial statements, SEC Memorandum Circular No. 9-2026 set 29 May 2026 for December year-end companies filing through eFAST.

The General Information Sheet runs from the date the annual shareholders’ meeting is actually held, not from a fixed date. A late approval from the parent does not change when the meeting has to be held under the by-laws, and if the meeting does not happen, the company has separate reporting obligations to the SEC. We put the meeting date into the parent’s calendar first, then work back from it.

If your group closes on 30 June

A Philippine subsidiary does not have to use a calendar year. Many Australian-owned subsidiaries adopt a 30 June year-end so their numbers line up with the parent’s. That is allowed, but it changes the annual dates:

• The annual income tax return is due on the 15th day of the fourth month after year-end. For 30 June, that is 15 October.
• The SEC deadline for financial statements is worked out separately, generally within 120 days after year-end under the SEC’s rules for non-calendar year companies.
• The 1702Q and 2550Q follow the company’s own quarters, not the calendar.
• Withholding tax, the 1604 information returns, BIR Form 2316 and local business tax still follow the calendar year.

A June year-end company therefore runs two annual cycles: payroll and local tax from January to March, and income tax and financial statements from July to October. We set up both cycles in the parent’s reporting calendar before the subsidiary starts trading. Changing the accounting period later needs BIR approval, and a short-period return is filed for the gap.

When the BIR extends a deadline

Extensions happen. For 2025 annual income tax returns, Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 30-2026 moved the 15 April 2026 deadline to 15 May 2026.

An extension covers only the year, the returns and the payments named in the circular. It does not carry over to the next year, and related filings stay where they were unless the circular says otherwise. We prepare for the original date every year and treat any extension as extra time.

How we run it for clients

When we manage a client’s filings, each one has a preparer, a reviewer and an internal deadline a few working days before the BIR’s. Late filing or late payment can bring a surcharge, interest and a compromise penalty, depending on the breach and whether tax was unpaid. Micro and small taxpayers get reduced penalties under the Ease of Paying Taxes Act. Beyond the penalty, a missed filing can hold up a tax clearance later, usually at the moment you need one.

If you are setting up a Philippine company, our guide to setting up a Philippine subsidiary for back-office work explains the registrations that come first. If you would like us to run the calendar for your subsidiary, contact us.

Camellia Consulting is a tax and accounting firm in the Philippines. Deadlines change; check the current BIR and SEC issuances before relying on any date in this article.

Sources

• Bureau of Internal Revenue, filing instructions for BIR Forms 1601-C, 0619-E, 0619-F, 1601-EQ, 1601-FQ, 2550Q, 2551Q, 1702Q, 1702-RT, 1604-C, 1604-E, 1604-F and 2316
• BIR Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 30-2026 (extension of the 2025 annual income tax return)
• SEC Memorandum Circular No. 9-2026 (2026 filing schedule for annual financial statements)
• National Internal Revenue Code, section 46 and Revenue Regulations No. 3-2011 (change of accounting period)
• Republic Act No. 7160, Local Government Code, sections 165 and 167
• Republic Act No. 11976, Ease of Paying Taxes Act

All checked 24 October 2026.