How to Generate a QAP DAT File From BIR Form 1601E in BIR Online Tools

Generating a QAP DAT file from BIR Form 1601E means downloading BIR Online Tools’ two-schedule Excel template, filling in your expanded withholding payee entries, and uploading it back for validation and DAT file generation. This guide walks through the full flow using the template’s own example rows, which validate successfully as shipped — so every screenshot shows real, computed numbers.

This guide is part of the App Guide series and builds on the QAP overview. BIR Form 1601E’s QAP alphalist attaches to BIR Form 1601-EQ; if you need the final-withholding or decedent-deposit variants instead, see BIR Form 1601F or BIR Form 1621.

How do you generate a DAT file from BIR Form 1601E payee data? #

The generator needs one uploaded workbook to produce a validated, downloadable DAT file — there’s no manual data entry inside the app itself.

1. Open Form 1601E QAP #

From the sidebar, click QAP, then Open Form 1601E (or navigate directly). The page shows a two-step layout: download the template on the left, upload your completed file on the right.

2. Download the Excel template #

Click Download Excel Template. The file ships with example detail rows already filled in on Details Sched 1 (withholding — required) and Details Sched 2 (gross income — optional), so you can see the exact column layout expected before entering your own data.

3. Fill in your payee data #

Replace the example rows with your actual payees for the month: TIN, branch code, name, ATC, income payment, and tax withheld on Sched 1, plus any Sched 2 gross income entries. Only .xlsx files are accepted.

4. Upload the completed workbook #

Click Upload Excel File and select your saved workbook. BIR Online Tools reads every row first, then runs validation and shows every error before allowing DAT conversion — so a single upload surfaces all issues at once rather than one at a time.

5. Review the validation results #

A Validation Results card appears with a Passed or Failed badge. On a pass, it shows parsed row counts, total tax base, and total tax withheld for the return period; on a failure, a table lists each error’s sheet, row, field, message, and value.

Rows sharing the same payee TIN, branch code, and ATC are combined into one DAT detail line, with amounts summed, when the file is generated.

6. Download the DAT file #

Once validation passes, click Download DAT File. The filename follows BIR’s convention — <TIN(9)><BC(4)><MMYYYY>1601EQ.DAT — built from your active company’s TIN and branch code plus the return period parsed from your workbook. A DAT file preview shows the exact content before you download, and the file autosaves to your DAT Repository as soon as it validates.

Frequently asked questions #

What does BIR Form 1601E’s QAP alphalist cover? #

It covers expanded/creditable withholding — the monthly creditable income tax remittances and related payee listings attached to BIR Form 1601-EQ.

What schedule sheets does the 1601E template use? #

Two: Details Sched 1 for withholding entries (required) and Details Sched 2 for gross income (optional) — the exact structure the app’s Step 1 description names before you download.

What happens if my uploaded file has errors? #

Validation Results shows a Failed badge with a table listing every error’s sheet, row, field, message, and value, so you can fix all of them in the workbook and re-upload rather than discovering issues one at a time.

Does the DAT filename follow BIR’s naming convention automatically? #

Yes — BIR Online Tools names the file using the pattern <TIN(9)><BC(4)><MMYYYY>1601EQ.DAT, built from your active company’s TIN and branch code and the return period parsed from your workbook.

Summary #

Generating a QAP DAT file from BIR Form 1601E takes five steps: download the two-schedule template, fill in your payee data, upload it, review the validation results, and download the finished DAT file — which also autosaves to your DAT Repository. For the other two QAP forms, see BIR Form 1601F and BIR Form 1621, or return to the QAP overview.