Clarification of the Base Amount for the Imposition of the Twenty Percent (20%) Early Withdrawal Penalty (EWP) under PERA Law

The CIR of the BIR has issued the RMC No. 091-2026 last July 28, 2026 with subject "Clarification of the Base Amount for the Imposition of the Twenty Percent (20%) Penalty Relative to the Early Withdrawal of Personal Equity and Retirement Account (PERA) Assets, and Accounts Classified as Unqualified, and Amending Certain Provisions of Revenue Memorandum Circular (RMC) No. 4-2023.

Pursuant to Section 10(C) of RR No. 17-2011, as amended, an EWP shall be imposed on any unqualified early withdrawal of PERA assets.

The EWP shall consist of the following:

1. Twenty percent (20%) of the Gross Income attributable to the PERA assets or portion of PERA assets withdrawn, calculated from the data of opening or creation of the relevant PERA account or sub-account up to the date of withdrawal; and

2. The recovery of any five percent (5%) tax credit previously availed of with respect to such withdrawn PERA assets for the entire period.

Only the Gross Income Earned attributable to PERA assets that are actually withdrawn shall be included in the EWP base. Any Gross Income Earned that remains invested, reinvested, or otherwise retained within the PERA - including unrealized gains and proceeds from the sale, redemption, or liquidation of PERA investment products that continue to be held under PERA custody - shall be excluded from the EWP base, as such amounts have not been subject to an early withdrawal.

 Accordingly, the EWP shall apply only to the Gross Income attributable to the portion of PERA assets actually withdrawn  and shall not affect other PERA accounts, sub-accounts, or investment product categories that remain intact. Any losses incurred in other PERA accounts or sub-accounts shall not be deductible from the Gross Income Earned attributable to the withdrawn PERA assets.

For the Definition of Terms and Illustrations, please read the full text of RMC No. 091-2026.

REFERENCE: Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) RMC No. 091-2026.   

New Version of eBIRForms Offline Package Version 7.9.6.1

The Operations Group and Information Systems Group of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has issued a Tax Advisory on August 17, 2026 of  the latest version of eBIRForms Offline Package. The BIR advises all taxpayers using the eBIRForms Offline Package to update to Version 7.9.6.1 to ensure proper functionality and access to the most recent enhancements while Version 7.9.6.0 remains operational.

It is stated in the Tax Advisory that older versions of the eBIRForms Offline Package will be discontinued and will no longer be supported. To avoid any disruption in the preparation and filing of tax returns, taxpayers are encouraged to update to the latest version at the earliest opportunity. 

Taxpayers are advised to carefully follow the procedures outlined in the User Manual to ensure the successful installation of the updated versions of eBIRForms Offline Package version 7.9.6.1 and the preservation of previously saved returns. 

Click the link https://bir-cdn.bir.gov.ph/BIR/pdf/eBIRForms_Package_Installation%20User%20Guide%20ver1.1.pdf of the User Manual in downloading and installing the latest version of the eBIRForms Offline Package; properly backing up tax returns and related data saved in the previous version; and restoring backed-up data, where applicable, after installation of the new version.

Click the link https://bir-cdn.bir.gov.ph/BIR/pdf/Offline_eBIRForms_Package_v7.9.6.1_setup.zip to download the Offline eBIRForms Package v7.9.6.1

REFERENCE: https://bir-cdn.bir.gov.ph/BIR/pdf/Tax%20Advisory_eBIRForms%202018Aug17.pdf

New Version of Offline Electronic Bureau of Internal Revenue Forms (eBIRForms) Package Version 7.9.6.0

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has issued Revenue Memorandum Circular (RMC) No. 036-2026 signed by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue (CIR) on April 28, 2026,  in relation of the availability of the new version Offline Electronic Bureau of Internal Revenue Forms (eBIRForms) Package Version 7.9.6.0 to update the previous eBIRForms Package Version 7.9.5.0.

The updated Offline eBIRForms Package v7.9.6.0 contains the enhancements of the returns for ease of doing business in the community.

Click the links:  https://bir-cdn.bir.gov.ph/BIR/pdf/Offline_eBIRForms_Package_v7.9.6.0_setup.zip and     https://bir-cdn.bir.gov.ph/BIR/pdf/eBIRForms_Package_Installation%20User%20Guide.pdf to download the Offline eBIRForms Package v7.9.6.0 and Job Aid - eBIRForms Installation Guide, respectively.

Reference: https://bir-cdn.bir.gov.ph/BIR/pdf/RMC%20No.%2036-2026.pdf