Income tax on rental income under the graduated, 8%, or OSD method.
Total tax due
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Income tax
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Percentage tax
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VAT status
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Three ways to be taxed on the same rent
A Philippine landlord renting out residential property does not face a single rental tax. The same stream of rent can be taxed three different ways depending on the method you elect, and the gap between them is real money. This calculator runs all three so you can see which is cheapest for your numbers. The graduated method taxes your net rent after expenses on the regular income tax schedule, where the first PHP 250,000 of taxable income is exempt. The 8 percent flat option taxes gross rent above PHP 250,000 and replaces both the income tax and the percentage tax. The optional standard deduction, or OSD, keeps the graduated rates but lets you deduct a flat 40 percent of gross instead of tracking actual expenses.
The figures driving each path, the graduated brackets, the 8 percent rate, the PHP 250,000 reduction, the 40 percent OSD, the 3 percent percentage tax, and the PHP 3,000,000 value added tax threshold, are the rates this calculator applies. They follow the structure the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) maintains under the TRAIN law, but you should confirm the current figures with the BIR before filing.
Running PHP 600,000 of rent through each method
The default scenario is PHP 600,000 in annual rent against PHP 120,000 of deductible expenses. Watch how the total tax due moves as you change only the method, using the rates this calculator applies.
| Method | Income tax | Percentage tax | Total due |
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For these numbers the 8 percent flat option is the cheapest at PHP 28,000, because it folds away the percentage tax entirely and the PHP 250,000 reduction takes a healthy bite out of the base. The OSD comes second at PHP 34,500, beating itemised expenses because the flat 40 percent deduction, PHP 240,000 here, is larger than the PHP 120,000 you could actually itemise. Straight graduated rates are the most expensive at PHP 56,500. The chart ranks the three totals.
The percentage tax and the VAT line
Two of the three methods carry a 3 percent percentage tax on gross rent, the PHP 18,000 in the table. The 8 percent flat option does not, which is a large part of why it often wins for smaller landlords. There is a ceiling, though. Once your annual rent crosses the PHP 3,000,000 value added tax threshold, the percentage tax gives way to 12 percent value added tax, and the calculator flags that switch in the VAT status box. Crossing the threshold also reshapes which method makes sense, so a growing rental portfolio should revisit the choice each year.
Picking a method you can actually defend
The cheapest method on paper is not always the right one. The 8 percent option must be elected properly, usually on the first quarterly return of the year, and once you choose it you are generally locked in for the year. Itemised graduated rates only pay off when your real, documented expenses exceed 40 percent of gross, since otherwise the OSD beats them with no receipts to keep. A practical rule: if your costs are modest, lean toward the 8 percent or the OSD; if you carry heavy, well-documented expenses like major repairs or interest, itemising can pull ahead. Keep your records either way, because the BIR can ask you to substantiate whatever you claimed.
Can I switch methods from one year to the next?
Generally yes, the election is made annually, but you cannot freely change mid-year once you have committed. The 8 percent option in particular is typically chosen at the start of the year and binds you for that year. Compare the methods before the first quarterly filing so you lock in the one that suits your numbers.
Is the rent my tenant withholds the same as this tax?
No. A business tenant may withhold a creditable expanded withholding tax on the rent it pays you, but that is an advance against your eventual income tax, not a separate final tax. You still compute your annual tax using one of these methods and credit whatever was withheld against it, claiming a refund or paying the balance.
Does the 8 percent option really skip the percentage tax?
Yes. The 8 percent flat tax is charged in lieu of both the graduated income tax and the 3 percent percentage tax, which is why the percentage tax line shows zero under that method. That combined effect is a major reason it often comes out cheapest for landlords below the value added tax threshold.