- My RDO code was 028, which pertained to my residential address as compared to my employer's address.
- My TIN's taxpayer type was listed under E.O. 98. Because I applied for a TIN to acquire a driver's license, I was listed as unemployed. When I began working 3 years after that, I was not able to update it with my company (and since I already had a TIN, we didn't think it needed any updating).
Trip 1 to RDO 028, West Avenue
During my trip to RDO 028, I filled out Form 1905 so I could do the following:
- Transfer my RDO from 028 to 047
- Change my taxpayer type
I explained the situation to the counter lady, and she just asked me to fill out the form so they could process it. Among the choices was "Change Tax Type". THIS IS NOT THE SAME.
Filling out a 1905 takes at least 5 working days for it to be processed.
Of course, I didn't learn this until our company HR attempted to submit it along with the other employees to RDO 047 a week after, but came back with the explanation that my TIN wasn't under any employer, so that had me attempting to call someone at RDO 047.
Among their many listed numbers, only 1-2 worked, and the rest was scarcely picked up or were telefaxes and were seldom answered. When someone answered, they told me to call a particular number. But upon mentioning to them that the number was always leading me nowhere, she decided to answer my query. She confirmed that my TIN was successfully transferred to RDO 047.
Trip 2 to RDO 047, Gil Puyat Ave
Now the problem was the taxpayer type. She told me to fill out a Form 1905 and submit it to Counter 4 (Tin Issuance). I filled 3 copies out and went to BIR the following morning (April 14) where I talked with the Officer of the Day (O.D.), who then explained to me that it was a Form 1902 that I needed to fill out.
I returned to my office and requested for one. Because BIR had downloadable forms available, we decided to grab those and I took a second jab back at BIR.
Trip 3 to RDO 047
When it was finally my turn at Counter 4, I was expressly told that it was an old copy and they wouldn't be accepting those anymore (the downloadable copies were circa 2008 as opposed to the 2014 physical forms handed out).
Now, the 1902 has a particular requirement -- an NSO-certified birth certificate. I went through the trouble of seeing if my mother already had one of mine, which she did but from 14 years ago. But after a call to the NSOHotline, I was assured that those had no expiration date, which lifted my spirits as well as the shave off some of the stress levels I had been feeling with all these issues.
So I was forced to take some 1902 forms back to the office, have it signed and return the next day, April 15 (deadline of filing taxes) one last time.
Trip 4 to RDO 047
While I was informed that I just needed to show my number from my prior visit, I decided to get new queue numbers to be fair to the others in line. When my number was called for Counter 4 once again, the same man who didn't accept my outdated 1902 accommodated me.
What I was grateful for at this point was that he knew my situation as I mentioned it to him yesterday and he personally updated my taxpayer type on another counter's computer after some debate that I still needed to fill out a Form 2305 (which tied me to a company basically). Nothing became of the xeroxed copy of the birth certificate I scavenged for, but with the 1902's stamped, I was prepped for submitting my ITR!
As was a tactic, I arrived at the RDO and requested for queue numbers for Tin Issuance and Collection, so by the time I finished with Counter 4, I waited for about another half hour to an hour for my number to be called before I successfully submitted my ITR.
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Hopefully this helps anyone who may have gotten themselves in the same situation as me to make sure that you have the right taxpayer type. It's more hassle than it's worth to update, but government offices here seem to be keen on making things difficult for the masses.
