Getting Started With BIR Online Tools: Create Your Account and Add Your First Company

BIR Online Tools is a free web app that converts Excel data into BIR-compliant DAT files and generates withholding tax certificates for Philippine taxpayers and accountants. Before using any module — QAP, SAWT, RELIEF, or BIR Certificates — you need an account and at least one company profile, since every generator pre-fills its forms and DAT file headers from your active company’s registration details.

This guide is part of the App Guide series and covers the two required first steps: creating an account and adding your first company profile. The worked example below registers a fictional corporation, Mabuhay Trading Corporation, so every screenshot shows real, saved data rather than an empty form.

What do you need before you start? #

Adding a company profile takes about two minutes if you have the registration details on hand: the company’s 9-digit Tax Identification Number (TIN), branch code, taxpayer classification, registered name and address, RDO (Revenue District Office) code, and whether the company reports on a calendar or fiscal year. Have these ready before opening the Add Company form so you’re not switching tabs mid-entry.

• TIN (9 digits, no dashes)
• Branch code (up to 5 digits — head office is typically 00000)
• Taxpayer classification: Individual or Non-Individual (corporation, partnership, etc.)
• Registered name (or last/first/middle name for an individual)
• Complete registered/business address: sub-street, street, barangay, district/municipality, city/province, zip code
• RDO code (3 digits)
• Reporting cycle: Calendar or Fiscal (with fiscal month-end if fiscal)

How do you add your first company profile? #

Adding a company profile means filling in one form once — after that, every DAT generator and certificate builder in the app reuses the same details automatically. The steps below use BIR Online Tools’ Company Info module, reachable from the sidebar at any time.

1. Open Company Info and click Add Company #

From the sidebar, click Company Info, then Add Company (or go straight to Add Company from the dashboard if you have no companies yet). The form opens empty, grouped into registration details and address fields.

2. Fill in registration and address details #

Enter the company’s TIN, branch code, and taxpayer classification first — classification controls whether the form asks for a registered company name or individual last/first/middle names. Fill in the registered/business address and RDO code, then choose a reporting cycle.

The TIN field accepts exactly 9 digits and the branch code up to 5; both are normalized automatically (a blank branch code becomes 00000) so they match the format BIR DAT files expect.

3. Save the company and confirm it’s active #

Click Save company. BIR Online Tools redirects to the company list, where your new company appears with an Active badge — the first company you add becomes the active company automatically.

4. Check the dashboard #

Return to the dashboard and the Active company card now shows Mabuhay Trading Corporation’s full registration details, and the Saved companies stat updates to reflect the new profile. Every module you open from here on pre-fills using this company.

What happens after you add a company? #

Once a company is active, its registration details flow into every generator without retyping. The table below summarizes what each module pulls automatically.

If you manage more than one client or entity, see Managing Company Profiles in BIR Online Tools for how to add, edit, switch between, and delete company profiles.

Frequently asked questions #

Do I need to create an account to use BIR Online Tools? #

You can explore BIR Online Tools as a guest and even add a company profile locally, but downloading DAT files, generating BIR Form 2307 certificates, and syncing your data across devices require a signed-in account.

What information do I need to add a company profile? #

You need the company’s 9-digit TIN, branch code, taxpayer classification (individual or non-individual), registered name, complete registered address, RDO code, and reporting cycle (calendar or fiscal).

Can I add more than one company to BIR Online Tools? #

Yes. Each company gets its own profile with its own TIN, and you can switch which one is active from the sidebar or the company list — useful for accountants managing multiple clients.

What does setting an active company actually do? #

The active company’s TIN, branch code, address, and RDO code pre-fill every QAP, SAWT, RELIEF, and BIR Certificates form, and its DAT files and certificates are what appear in the DAT Repository and BIR Certificates report.

Why are some fields locked when I edit a company later? #

The TIN and branch code become read-only after a company is saved, since certificates and DAT files already generated for that company are tied to those identifiers — changing them would break the link to existing records.

Summary #

Getting started with BIR Online Tools takes two steps: create an account, then add one company profile with its TIN, branch code, classification, address, RDO code, and reporting cycle. Once saved, that company becomes active automatically and pre-fills every QAP, SAWT, RELIEF, and BIR Certificates form from then on. From here, head to Managing Company Profiles to add a second client or entity, or jump straight into a module — see the App Guide hub for the full list.