CPA-Managed Business Registration · Philippines · DTI · SEC · BIR · LGU
Business Registration Philippines, Done Right the First Time
The way you register (which structure you choose, how your BIR registration is configured, which tax type you're enrolled in) determines your compliance architecture for the next ten years. A mistake made on registration day doesn't show up in year one. It shows up in year four.
Get the Business Registration Blueprint
The step-by-step guide for Philippine business owners: which structure to choose, what each agency requires, and the 5 registration mistakes that cost businesses years of compliance problems.
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The Real Risk
What goes wrong when registration is done wrong
The most dangerous thing about a registration error is that it feels fine for years, until it doesn't.
The most common structural errors we encounter
Most business owners register a company and assume compliance starts after they open. It doesn't. The most common errors we find in mid-market Philippine businesses:
- ✗A sole proprietor doing the volume of a corporation, paying higher effective tax rates and carrying unlimited personal liability for a business that has outgrown the structure.
- ✗A corporation registered with the wrong tax type, enrolled as VAT in a sector that qualifies for percentage tax, creating a series of incorrectly filed returns the BIR treats as fraudulent non-filing.
- ✗BIR books of accounts that were never properly registered, meaning every transaction recorded is, technically, not in an official book.
- ✗A business registered in one barangay operating in another, LGU violations that compound annually.
None of these errors are obvious. All of them are correctable, but correction costs significantly more the later it happens. A registration done correctly costs the same regardless of when you do it.
The 4 Agencies
We handle the full registration sequence
Each agency has its own requirements, fees, and processing timelines. We manage all four, in the right order.
Department of Trade and Industry
For sole proprietorships: business name registration at barangay, city, regional, or national level. We handle documentary preparation, name verification, fee computation, and submission. More importantly, we advise on whether DTI is the right structure for your business, or whether SEC registration better fits your liability exposure and tax position.
Securities and Exchange Commission
For corporations, partnerships, and One Person Corporations (OPCs). We handle Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws preparation, Treasurer's Affidavit, SEC i-Register online submission, and post-registration corporate secretary filings. We also advise on authorized capital stock structure, a decision that affects your annual SEC fees and your capacity to take on investors.
Bureau of Internal Revenue
Where most self-registered businesses make the errors that cost them later. We handle TIN application, VAT vs. non-VAT classification (a decision with significant long-term tax implications), official receipt and sales invoice accreditation, BIR books of accounts registration, and enrollment in the eBIR Filing System. We ensure your initial chart of accounts aligns with BIR-allowable categories from day one.
Local Government Unit
Barangay Clearance and Mayor's Permit requirements vary significantly by city. We manage the sequence, documentary requirements, and annual renewal structure for LGU registration in Makati, BGC, Quezon City, Pasig, Mandaluyong, and other Metro Manila LGUs, as well as provincial and regional registrations for clients operating nationwide.
Business Structure Guide
Which structure is right for your business?
This is not an administrative decision. It determines how you pay taxes, how you protect personal assets, and how you structure future growth.
Sole Proprietorship
DTI · Best for businesses under ₱3M
The owner and the business are legally the same entity. All debts and obligations are personal obligations. Simple to register, but the owner carries unlimited personal liability. Appropriate for freelancers, consultants, and micro-businesses that don't anticipate taking on investors, significant employees, or business debt.
Partnership
SEC · Best for professional groups
Two or more individuals in a professional practice or venture with defined capital contributions and profit-sharing arrangements. Useful for lawyers, doctors, architects, and business arrangements where formal profit-sharing documentation is required but full corporate formality is not necessary.
One Person Corporation (OPC)
SEC · Best for ₱3M–₱30M solo owners
Creates a separate legal entity (your personal assets are protected from business liabilities) with a simplified governance structure compared to a multi-stockholder corporation. The fastest-growing registration structure in the Philippines following the Revised Corporation Code. Ideal for single owners who want corporate liability protection without corporate governance complexity.
Corporation
SEC · Best for ₱30M–₱100M businesses
Multiple stockholders, formal Board of Directors, corporate governance structure. The most flexibility for ownership, capital raising, and eventual sale. Tax filed at the corporate level before distribution to stockholders. For ₱30M–₱100M businesses with partners, investors, or growth plans, the corporate structure is almost always the correct choice.
What's Included
End-to-end registration: all four agencies
We manage the full process so you don't have to restart the clock at any agency from missing documents or wrong sequence.
Pricing
One-time engagement. Done right.
Government fees (DTI, SEC, BIR, LGU) are billed separately at actual cost.
Sole Proprietorship
₱15,000
DTI + BIR registration + single LGU. Best for freelancers and small businesses getting started.
OPC or Corporation
₱25,000
SEC + BIR registration + single LGU. Includes Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws drafting.
Multi-LGU or Complex
₱35,000+
Multiple LGUs, complex structures, or regulated industries with additional agency requirements.
Clients who proceed to an ongoing compliance retainer within 60 days of registration receive a ₱5,000 credit applied to their first month's engagement.
FAQ
Questions about business registration
Requirements vary by structure. DTI sole proprietorship: valid government ID, chosen business name, and business address. SEC corporation or OPC: Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws, Treasurer's Affidavit, proof of office address, and valid IDs of all incorporators. BIR: SEC or DTI Certificate of Registration, proof of business address, valid IDs, and completed BIR application forms. LGU Mayor's Permit: DTI or SEC certificate, BIR Certificate of Registration, barangay clearance, and any industry-specific permits. A CPA firm coordinates the full documentary checklist across all four agencies, reducing back-and-forth and ensuring submissions are complete on the first filing.
DTI online registration: 1–3 business days. SEC online via i-Register: 3–7 business days for OPCs and corporations without complications. BIR registration at the Revenue District Office: 5–10 business days after complete documentary submission. LGU Mayor's Permit: 3 days in tech-forward cities like Makati, to 3–4 weeks in municipalities with manual processing. In total, fully registered across all four agencies in 3–6 weeks when documentation is complete and submissions are in the correct sequence. Errors or missing documents at any agency restart the clock for that agency.
Yes. DTI or SEC establishes your legal business identity. BIR registration is required to issue official receipts, claim deductible expenses, and file tax returns: operating without it is a criminal offense under the NIRC. LGU Mayor's Permit is required by local ordinance to operate at your business address, and businesses without one face closure orders and are ineligible for BIR Certificate of Registration renewal. The four registrations cover different regulatory jurisdictions and all four must be in place for a fully compliant operation.
Yes, particularly sole proprietorships via DTI's online system. The risk is not in the registration itself: it's in the decisions made during registration. Which tax type should you elect? Should you be VAT or non-VAT? What should your initial chart of accounts look like? Most business owners make these decisions without knowing they're making them, defaulting to whatever the BIR officer suggests or the template used by the previous person in line. The consequences take three to five years to surface. A CPA-managed registration is more valuable because of the decisions made correctly on day one.
Income tax: corporations pay 20–25% on net taxable income; sole proprietors pay graduated personal income tax at 0–35%. VAT: businesses grossing above ₱3M annually must register as VAT taxpayers and collect 12% VAT on sales. Percentage tax: non-VAT businesses pay 3% on gross receipts. Withholding taxes: businesses withhold and remit taxes on employee compensation and on professional fees and rent. Local taxes: LGUs impose local business taxes (typically 0.5–2% of gross sales). The total effective tax burden depends significantly on how the business is structured, which is exactly why structure decisions at registration day matter more than most business owners realize.
The way you register your business determines your compliance architecture for the next decade.
It doesn't cost more to register correctly. The cost is entirely in registering wrong and finding out later.
Apply for a Registration ConsultationWe'll tell you exactly which structure fits, what the tax implications are, and what the process looks like.