BIR moves ITR filing deadline to April 18
The Bureau of Internal Revenue main office in Quezon City. (File photo from Philippine Daily Inquirer)
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will allow filing and payment of 2021 income tax returns (ITRs) until April 18, as the original April 15 deadline falls on a holiday, Good Friday, this year.
In a bank bulletin, Internal Revenue Commissioner Caesar Dulay reminded authorized agent-banks to accept tax payments up to 5 p.m. beginning April 1.
In addition, since the two Saturdays nearest to the tax deadline are also public holidays (April 9 is Araw ng Kagitingan or Day of Valor, while April 16 is Black Saturday), banks should also allow tax payments on the preceding Saturdays of March 26 and April 2.
In another bulletin, Dulay reminded authorized agent-banks of their responsibilities during the tax-payment deadline season, including accepting all taxpayers’ payments; receiving ITRs; stamping “received” in the attached financial statements to ITRs on certain pages; and “ensuring that pertinent portions of the ITRs and/or deposit slips are machine-validated and the details of tax payments should be clearly imprinted in all copies thereof.”
According to Dulay, banks must also accept check payments for as long as they are made payable to the BIR; allow taxpayers who are already within the premises by the close of the banking hours; accept manually filed and out-of-district ITRs and their corresponding payments if electronic tax payment channels are unavailable.
“Do not impose penalties for any violations committed by the taxpayers … since it is the [BIR] which will be the one to impose whatever appropriate penalties incident to the said violations,” Dulay added.
