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File Your Annual Income Tax Return

Last updated: 2026-07-09 Summary:

  • eKapital prepares your annual ITR figures from the year’s posted books — you review them, then file the return in eBIRForms (or eFPS).
  • Each return type has its own workspace: Form 1701 or 1701A for individuals, Form 1702 (1702-RT) for regular corporations.
  • The workspace gives you an editable, GL-prefilled draft, a finalized snapshot, and a copy-paste transcription view that mirrors the form’s item order.

eKapital is a preparation aid: it computes the numbers from the same ledger your financial statements come from and lays them out for transcription. eBIRForms remains the tool you actually file with — it prints its own official form for your RDO. Treat eKapital’s output as transcription-ready supporting detail and a record copy, never the filed artifact.

Before you start

Section titled “Before you start”
  • Know which return applies to you. Individuals split across 1701A and the long-form 1701; corporations use 1702. See Which ITR form applies to you.
  • Post and close the year first. The draft is built from posted transactions — unposted drafts don’t exist as far as the return is concerned. See Close an accounting period.
  • Finalize your quarterly returns. For individuals, the annual return reconciles against your finalized quarterly ITRs — see File your quarterly ITR.

Prepare the return

Section titled “Prepare the return”
  1. Go to Tax → BIR Forms and open the card for your return (Form 1701, 1701A, or 1702-RT). The workspace opens marked Reference Document Only.
  2. Select the tax year. eKapital pre-fills each field from your posted books into an editable draft that autosaves as you work; the header tag reads Draft.
  3. Review the prepared figures. The form is on the left; a live eBIRForms transcription crib on the right lists each item in entry order. Every line shows where its number came from, so you can trace a figure back to the ledger, and a “N fields need your attention” banner points you at anything left to confirm. Set the election fields your return needs — for individuals, the tax-rate option (graduated vs the 8% option) and deduction method (itemized vs OSD); a spouse column appears for joint filers.
  4. Reconcile against your quarters (individuals). Form 1701A shows a quarterly reconciliation panel that ties the annual figures to your finalized 1701Q quarters and can pre-fill the quarterly tax already paid.
  5. Finalize the return. Confirming locks the reviewed figures as an immutable, versioned snapshot (the tag becomes Finalized v1). You can Reopen for editing and re-finalize; if the underlying ledger changes after filing, eKapital flags the drift and offers to create an amended return (v2).
  6. Transcribe and file. Use the crib’s per-row Copy buttons (or Copy all) to key each figure into eBIRForms in item order — for 1701 and 1701A there is no fileable PDF, so eBIRForms entry is the path (1702-RT additionally offers a Download Record Copy (PDF)). File and pay through eBIRForms/eFPS, then keep the record copy with your filing.

Where people get tripped up

Section titled “Where people get tripped up”
  • “Upgrade required” on the form. The annual ITR forms are gated by your plan’s entitlement. If the workspace shows an upgrade gate, an administrator needs to enable that form on your subscription.
  • Filing before everything is posted. A figure that looks wrong is almost always an unposted or misclassified transaction — fix it in the ledger and regenerate, rather than overriding the number on the form.
  • Treating the PDF as the return. eKapital’s PDF is a record copy. The BIR receives what you key into eBIRForms/eFPS — the transcription view exists precisely so the two agree.
  • Deadlines. File by the BIR deadline shown on your calendar; the annual ITR is typically due in April for calendar-year taxpayers. Confirm your date on the BIR filing deadlines checklist or with your CPA.

See also

Section titled “See also”
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