Extended tax filing season fuels BIR's strong May collection gains

Insider Spotlight

• BIR collected P279.135 billion in May, up 14.15 percent from a year earlier
• May revenues slightly exceeded the agency’s P279.056-billion target
• Five-month collections reached P1.434 trillion, surpassing the January-to-May goal by P9.709 billion
  
  
  

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said its gross collections rose to P279.135 billion in May, posting a 14.15-percent increase from the same month last year as the agency benefited from an extended tax filing season and continued taxpayer compliance.

The government’s largest revenue agency said the May haul was P34.610 billion higher than a year ago, and narrowly exceeded the bureau’s P279.056-billion target by P78.22 million, according to a media release issued on June 15, 2026.

Why it matters

The stronger May performance provides additional support for government revenue generation at a time when authorities are pursuing digitalization and tax administration reforms to improve compliance and broaden the tax base.

“The extension granted by President Marcos helped taxpayers manage their finances and comply with their tax obligations in a more orderly manner during this energy crisis. It gave taxpayers additional time to file and pay correctly while easing compliance pressures during a difficult period,” BIR Commissioner Charlito Mendoza said.

Charlito Mendoza

The country's tax chief said all units of the bureau contributed to its strong collection performance during the period.

Mendoza also credited frontline and back-end personnel across revenue regions, district offices, the Large Taxpayers Service, and the national office for sustaining operations despite power and internet interruptions in some areas during the filing period.

The big picture

For the first five months of 2026, BIR collections reached P1.434 trillion, up 5.49 percent or P74.582 billion from the same period a year earlier. The January-to-May total also exceeded the bureau’s P1.424-trillion target by P9.709 billion.

The agency said revenue growth came alongside reforms under its DARES agenda. In May, the BIR launched the taxpayer portal for the Large Taxpayers Service, rolled out a Registration Seal Badge and QR-enabled Certificate of Registration for online businesses, simplified procedures for business closure and registration cancellation, and implemented measures supporting the new mining royalty regime under Republic Act No. 12253.

“The May results show that revenue growth and BIR DARES reforms can move together. We will continue to support taxpayers through clearer rules, simpler processes, and better digital services, while protecting the revenue base through stronger enforcement and compliance monitoring,” Mendoza said. —Daxim L. Lucas| Ed: Corrie S. Narisma