eBIRForms: The 51 Forms and Package v7.9.6.1
Bureau of Internal Revenue · online services
Quick answer
eBIRForms is BIR's free tax return software. You fill returns offline in the Offline Package, currently version 7.9.6.1, then submit through the Online eBIRForms System. BIR states it covers 51 forms. The online system automatically computes penalties for returns filed beyond the due date.
Last verified
Where these figures come from
About these figures: the numbers below come from BIR's official published sources: Bureau of Internal Revenue | eBIRForms (https://www.bir.gov.ph/ebirforms, retrieved 2026-09-01); Bureau of Internal Revenue | eServices (https://www.bir.gov.ph/eServices, retrieved 2026-09-01). Agencies change fees and rates without notice, so confirm with BIR before you rely on them. Last verified: 2026-09-01.
What eBIRForms is
eBIRForms is two things that share a name, and mixing them up is the most common reason a return does not count as filed.
The Offline eBIRForms Package is software you install. BIR describes it as a tax preparation software that allows taxpayers and Accredited Tax Agents to accomplish or fill up tax forms offline, replacing a manual process on pre-printed forms that BIR itself calls highly susceptible to human error. It does automatic computations and validates what you encode.
The Online eBIRForms System is where the filled return goes. BIR describes it as a filing infrastructure that accepts tax returns submitted online.
You need both. The package alone produces a file; the online system is what makes it a filing.
The current package
| Item | What BIR publishes |
|---|---|
| Offline Package version | 7.9.6.1 |
| Hash code | a20a4e21e0dcff7da9a6fea1a4b2efd2af11f6d849c572c15497eb7ea65c307d |
| Forms covered | 51 |
| Newest revision in the list | BIR Form 1701MS, August 2024 |
| Oldest revisions in the list | BIR Form 1606 and 2553, July 1999 |
The hash code is worth using. BIR publishes it next to the download so you can confirm the package you installed is the one BIR released, rather than a copy from a forum thread that is three versions behind.
The penalty computation nobody expects
BIR states plainly that the Online eBIRForms System automatically computes penalties for tax returns submitted beyond due date.
This matters because the system does not ask first. A return filed after the deadline comes back with a penalty already calculated on it. If you are filing late, expect the figure rather than being surprised by it, and read our guide to BIR penalties and deadlines before you submit so you know which deadline applied to your return in the first place.
Who files what
The 51 covered forms split into eight groups. The income tax returns are the ones most individual filers meet:
| Form | Revision | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| 1700 | January 2018 (ENCS) | Annual ITR, purely compensation income |
| 1701 | January 2018 (ENCS) | Annual ITR, self-employed, estates and trusts |
| 1701A | January 2018 (ENCS) | Annual ITR, purely business or profession, OSD or the 8% flat rate |
| 1701MS | August 2024 | Annual ITR, individuals classified as Micro or Small Taxpayers |
| 1701Q | January 2018 (ENCS) | Quarterly ITR, self-employed, estates and trusts |
| 1702-RT | January 2018 (ENCS) | Annual ITR, corporations at the regular rate |
| 1702-EX | January 2018 (ENCS) v2 | Annual ITR, exempt corporations with no other taxable income |
| 1702-MX | January 2018 (ENCS) | Annual ITR, mixed income at multiple or special rates |
| 1702Q | January 2018 (ENCS) | Quarterly ITR, corporations and partnerships |
If you are a freelancer choosing between the graduated rates and the 8% option, that choice decides whether you file 1701 or 1701A. Our guide to freelancer tax and the 8% option covers which one applies.
The withholding and remittance forms are the employer’s side:
| Form | Revision | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| 0605 | September 2003 (ENCS) | Payment Form |
| 0619E | January 2018 | Monthly remittance, creditable income taxes withheld (expanded) |
| 0619F | January 2018 | Monthly remittance, final income taxes withheld |
| 1601-C | January 2018 (ENCS) | Monthly remittance, income taxes withheld on compensation |
| 1601EQ | January 2018 | Quarterly remittance, creditable income taxes withheld (expanded) |
| 1601-FQ | January 2018 | Quarterly remittance, final income taxes withheld |
| 1603Q | January 2018 (ENCS) | Quarterly remittance, fringe benefits above rank and file |
| 1604-C | January 2018 | Annual information return, taxes withheld on compensation |
| 1604-E | January 2018 (ENCS) | Annual information return, creditable taxes withheld (expanded) |
| 1604-F | January 2018 | Annual information return, income subject to final withholding |
Form 1601-C and 1604-C are the pair behind the certificate your employer hands you each January. What that certificate is, and the 31 January rule attached to it, is covered in our guide to BIR Form 2316.
The VAT, percentage tax and one-time transaction forms round out the list:
| Form | Revision | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| 2550M | February 2007 (ENCS) | Monthly VAT declaration |
| 2550Q | April 2024 (ENCS) | Quarterly VAT return |
| 2551M | September 2005 (ENCS) | Monthly percentage tax return |
| 2551Q | January 2018 (ENCS) | Quarterly percentage tax return |
| 2552 | January 2018 (ENCS) | Percentage tax, listed shares and public offerings |
| 2553 | July 1999 (ENCS) | Percentage tax payable under special laws |
| 1706 | July 1999 (ENCS) | Capital gains tax, real property as a capital asset |
| 1707 | April 2021 (ENCS) | Capital gains tax, unlisted shares |
| 1707-A | April 2021 (ENCS) | Annual capital gains tax, unlisted shares |
| 1800 | January 2018 (ENCS) | Donor’s Tax Return |
| 1801 | January 2018 (ENCS) | Estate Tax Return |
| 2000 | January 2018 (ENCS) | Documentary stamp tax declaration |
| 2000-OT | January 2018 | Documentary stamp tax, one-time transactions |
The excise forms cover alcohol at April 2014 (ENCS), automobiles and non-essential goods at October 2002 (ENCS), cosmetic procedures at January 2018, mineral products at October 2002 (ENCS), petroleum at September 2005 (ENCS), sweetened beverages at January 2018, and tobacco at April 2014 (ENCS).
Filing, step by step
- Download the Offline Package from BIR’s eBIRForms page. Check the version reads 7.9.6.1 and the hash matches before installing.
- Install it and open the form you need from the 51 covered.
- Encode your figures. The package validates as you go and does the computations.
- Validate, then click FINAL COPY. BIR’s own instruction is to fill up the required form, validate and click the FINAL COPY button.
- Submit through the Online eBIRForms System. You need an account, which the system creates for taxpayers, Accredited Tax Agents and Tax Software Providers.
- Pay separately. eBIRForms files the return; it does not take the payment the way eFPS does. BIR’s ePay page lists the ePayment Channels of Authorized Agent Banks that accept online, card and mobile payments.
If you do not yet have a TIN, none of this applies until you do. Start at TIN registration and the 10-day rule instead.
What the revision dates tell you
Twenty-one of the 51 forms carry a January 2018 revision. That is the TRAIN cluster: the law reshaped the returns and BIR reissued them together.
Only three forms in the list have been revised since 2020: 1701MS at August 2024, 2550Q at April 2024, and the 1707 pair at April 2021. Everything else predates 2019, and eleven forms still carry a revision from 2007 or earlier.
An old date is not a warning. It means the form has not needed reissuing. What it does mean is that a printed copy you kept from an earlier year is probably still the current revision, which is not something you can assume for the 2018 and 2024 forms.
Where this can go wrong
Filing is not saving. The package will happily let you fill a return, save it and close. Nothing has been filed until the FINAL COPY button is clicked and the online system accepts the submission.
An out-of-date package. BIR replaces the package without a changelog. Version 7.9.6.1 is what BIR publishes today; a copy downloaded last year is not.
Assuming it pays the tax. It does not. The filing and the payment are separate steps through separate channels.
Filing late without expecting the penalty. The system computes one automatically. The figure appears whether or not you were ready for it.
Frequently asked questions
- What version is the Offline eBIRForms Package?
- BIR publishes version 7.9.6.1 on its eBIRForms page, with the hash code a20a4e21e0dcff7da9a6fea1a4b2efd2af11f6d849c572c15497eb7ea65c307d so you can check the download you received is the one BIR published. Check the page before installing, because BIR replaces the package without notice and an old version can be rejected.
- How many forms does it cover?
- BIR states the eBIRForms System covers a total of fifty one (51) BIR forms. They fall into eight groups: Income Tax Returns, Excise Tax Forms, Value Added Tax Forms, Withholding Tax Forms, Documentary Stamp Tax Forms, Percentage Tax Forms, One Time Transaction Forms, and a Payment Form.
- What is the difference between eBIRForms and eFPS?
- Both are BIR filing systems. BIR describes eFPS as the electronic processing and transmission of tax return information including attachments, and taxes due thereon, made over the internet through the BIR website. eBIRForms is described as an alternative mode of preparing and filing returns, built around a downloadable offline package. eFPS files and pays in one system; with eBIRForms you file, then pay through a separate channel.
- Does it compute penalties for me?
- Yes, and this catches people out. BIR states the Online eBIRForms System automatically computes penalties for tax returns submitted beyond due date. Filing late through the system produces a penalty figure without you asking for one.
- Which forms have the newest revisions?
- BIR Form 1701MS, the Annual Income Tax Return for Individuals Classified as Micro or Small Taxpayers, carries an August 2024 revision and is the most recent in the covered list. BIR Form 2550Q, the Quarterly Value-Added Tax Return, carries April 2024 (ENCS). BIR Form 1707 and 1707-A both carry April 2021 (ENCS).
- Which forms are the oldest?
- Several remain on very old revisions. BIR Form 1606 and BIR Form 2553 both carry July 1999 (ENCS). BIR Form 1602 carries August 2001 (ENCS), and BIR Form 2200AN and 2200M both carry October 2002 (ENCS). An old revision date does not mean the form is withdrawn; it means BIR has not reissued it.
- Can my accountant file for me?
- Yes. BIR states the system creates secure user accounts for taxpayers, Accredited Tax Agents and Tax Software Providers, and allows Accredited Tax Agents to file on behalf of their clients. There is also a facility for Tax Software Providers to test and certify data generated by their own tax preparation software, with certification granted per form.
- Do I still need to submit a final copy?
- Yes. BIR's instruction is to fill up the required form, validate, and click the FINAL COPY button. Filling the form and saving it is not filing.
Sources
- Bureau of Internal Revenue | eBIRForms, retrieved
- Bureau of Internal Revenue | eServices, retrieved