Freelancers-Registration & Basics PDF
Freelancers-Registration & Basics PDF
F R E E LAN C E R
registration & basics
Benefits of Freelancing
1. Increasing demand
As a freelancer, you are your own boss. You may Since you work at your own pace and setting, that
choose where to work, whether at home, coffee shop, leaves you more time to spend doing the things you
or your own office. You can also work on weekends, enjoy. You can travel, spend more time with your family
after your regular work shift, or any other convenient and friends, do household chores, study, or take care
time. of yourself (like getting a check-up or taking up martial
You can also manage your time according to what arts). Just remember to manage your time well in case
works best for you. That includes scheduling your you decide to squeeze in a job or two while hanging
interaction with clients, preparing materials, presenting out.
your output, and enjoying the fruits of your labor.
Freelancing already has a lot of personal benefits, but more can
be gained when you register yourself with the Bureau of Internal
3. Control over work pace
Revenue (BIR). Believe it or not, registering with the BIR is
expected of every earning individual or company. The sole
Aside from being able to work any time, you can purpose for this is to ensure that you pay your taxes.
control how much work you can put in. If you’re a full-
time freelancer, you can use your time to your You may register (Full Suite Blog: Independent professional vs
advantage and accept as many projects as you can Sole Proprietor) as a sole proprietor, if your freelance work
handle. involves a small or home-based business, or as an independent
professional, if you provide services without being affiliated with
4. Higher income
any company. Either way, you gain various advantages when
you are recognized as a tax-paying freelancer.
The prospect of earning in dollars is enough to draw in
freelancers, but in general, freelancing augments your
current salary, or gives you a new source of income.
Some employers pay good rates, but if you have the
experience and expertise to show for it, you can name
your price or negotiate.
Freelancers: Registration & Basics 6
Benefits of Registering as
a Freelancer
1. A sense of legitimacy
4. Avoiding charges of tax evasion
When you’re registered with the BIR and you issue The ultimate fear of businesses, tax evasion is
official receipts with your name on it, clients will feel punishable by law. Section 74 of the National
more confident that they’re obtaining the services of a Internal Revenue Code of 1997 simply states that as
legitimate business. Recognition as a registered long as you render services and earn from them, you
business also helps you get your name out into the need to pay the corresponding taxes.
market. As a taxpayer, you are expected to settle your
quarterly and annual income tax, business taxes,
2. Tax payments as proof of earnings
and local tax requirements. When you register, the
BIR will brief you on your duties, so pay attention. (Full
Your annual income tax return (BIR Form 1701) serves Suite Blog: Freelancers Guide to Paying Income Tax)
as your proof of earnings. Keep your papers close and
present them when applying for loans from banks, 5. Fulfilling your moral and ethical obligations
social security (SSS), and other lending companies.
You can also use it when applying for credit cards or Registering helps you sleep better at night, knowing
visas to travel. you have fulfilled your duties as a worker, an upright
business provider, and a citizen of the Philippines.
3. Avoiding penalties
Whether as a professional or a small business owner,
Paying taxes may be tedious, but in the long run it will registering has advantages that further boost your work and
help keep your business or income generation secure. your brand, and the benefits gained as a freelancer.
As long as you pay your taxes on time, you can avoid
penalties and surcharges.
Freelancers: Registration & Basics 7
There's an idea out there that freelancers don’t need to pay taxes or 1. Gather the necessary BIR forms
(online or offline), along with your
register their businesses. (Full Suite Blog: Pinoy Freelancers & Income
documentary requirements.
Tax). While there are freelancers who intentionally evade these
responsibilities, many don’t actually know what they're supposed to do. 2. Submit your requirements to the BIR
RDO (Revenue District Office) that
your business address is under.
According to Section 74 of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997
3. Obtain copies of your official receipts
an individual receiving income within or outside the Philippines is required (or sales invoices, if applicable) through
to pay taxes. You are considered as self-employed if you are:
a BIR-accredited printer.
1. Fill up 3 copies of BIR Form 1906, or Authority to Print a duplicate (or a triplicate if you’re running a huge
(ATP) Official Receipts, Invoices, and other Commercial operation). Your receipts will be preserved for 3 years
Invoices. Also, bring a copy of your BIR Certificate of from the close of the taxable year. You may use carbon
Registration (COR) or BIR Form 2303 and 0605.
paper to help you make copies of your receipts. Or if you
can spare a few extra pesos, you may opt to get a
2. Submit your requirements to your RDO. You may have carbonized copy. This will save you the effort of stocking
to wait up to two weeks for your ATP to be released.
up on carbon paper and rewriting details again.
3. Submit your ATP to an accredited BIR printer.
• You may also need to issue a billing statement. A billing
statement is issued when you bill a client for services,
4. Wait for at least 10 to 15 working days for the release of after which you issue an OR once you’re paid. Some
your receipts.
clients specifically request for billing statements while
some don’t. If you are unsure if you’ll need a billing
Take note of the following when you issue receipts: statement, it’s always best to get one so you don’t have
to worry about the downtime brought by updating your
• Receipts are serially numbered.
ATP and printing out receipts.
• The receipt should show the professional’s name, • If your business sells goods, you will need to issue a
business style, TIN, and business address. You may collection receipt. This is given to the client when
choose to add a logo or other customizations, but adding receiving payment after delivery of goods.
these will require approval and take more time printing.
Filipinos are said to be among the most active $8 per hour, or a monthly average of $480 to $1280
freelancers worldwide (page 1). They take jobs in some (P24,000 to almost P65,000).
of the top industry niches, such as virtual assistants,
design and multimedia, and content. Working as General Content/article writers are also popular, but they earn
Virtual Assistants is the most popular niche among the least. They get paid a fixed rate between $9 and $25
Filipinos, followed by content writing and strategy, digital per 500-word article (around P450 to P1,200). SEO
marketing, web development, and customer support. specialists, while also paid fixed rates, get below $1,000
monthly (around P50,000) per client.
But how much do freelancers actually earn?
Other freelancing jobs that are becoming popular despite
While jobs for General Virtual Assistants are aplenty, a their moderate, varied rates are social media managers,
survey by Freelancing.ph showed that content editing application developers, recruiting managers,
and strategy is the highest paying job category, at an transcriptionists.
hourly rate of $6 to $15 per hour. That’s up to $2,400 (or
about P120,000, as per the current exchange rates) on What’s assuring about freelance jobs is that their rates
average monthly. will probably go higher in the years to come. That’s
because there are other factors considered in setting
Project managers and web developers, next on the list rates, such as the location of the freelancer, expertise,
of high-earning jobs, both earn up to $1,920 (P97,000) on length of experience in a particular field, and even inflation
average monthly. The difference is that web developers rates and the demand.
charge $6 to $12 (around P300-P600) per hour, while
project managers charge a minimum of $9 (around P450).
General Virtual Assistants, on the other hand, earn $3 to
Freelancers: Registration & Basics 15
2. Apart from commuting to your regular job (if you 5. Working at home can give you a sense of
have one), you don’t need to travel often. That independence. By learning to balance your time,
saves you time wasted mostly on traffic, gasoline, set goals, budget your expenses, and maintain
and fare, relieving you from a lot of stress.
discipline, you can make your home-based job a
successful and profitable venture.
3. Working at home can be healthy. That means less
work-related stress plus more time to rest and
exercise.
Freelancers: Registration & Basics 19
One other thing: keep your wires out of the way when you
can. Plan this way ahead while setting up your furniture.
Badly installed wires can cause fires.
Freelancers: Registration & Basics 20
Once you know what equipment you have and need, The next thing you need to do is organize your papers. If
make some space in your workplace to keep them safe you registered with the BIR, you may already have your
from the elements. Your computer must be set up in a Certificate of Registration, also known as the BIR Form
manner where you don’t feel cramped. 2303, among others (page 7). Keep your books of accounts
on a dedicated shelf. You will need to look at them
Your basic tools as a freelancer are your computer/ periodically, especially now that you are required to pay
laptop, a telephone (if applicable), and internet income taxes (Full Suite Blog: Freelancer's Guide to Paying
connection. Later on, you may decide to get a printer or Income Tax). To prove that you’re a bonafide taxpayer,
scanner. If your job requires chatting online, invest in a display your Form 2303 and your Ask Your Receipt
video camera and headset. If you work with pictures or Notice in a conspicuous part of your home.
graphics, a camera and some art tools or software will be
useful. Think of what services you are offering, and what Other business-related documents you may have on hand
tools will make your job easier. Save and invest in them as are client profiles, email and letter templates, proposals,
you go along.
directories, and other legal papers. File everything related to
your services in one cabinet, your clients’ papers on
another, and other materials and references in a shelf or
two.
Freelancers: Registration & Basics 21
3. Showcase objects that interest you like books and Working at home has a lot of perks. Your home office will be
and souvenirs so that you can continually inspire the first step to making a giant step for your freelancing
yourself throughout the day (If you have clients coming career, so establish it according to your needs and
over, your literary choices may pique their interest on preferences.
you.)