"How much does it cost to register a company?" is one of the first questions every founder asks, and the honest answer is: less than you'd think in government fees, more than you'd think once you add everything else. The official charges are modest. The real spend is in professional help and a couple of permits that scale with your size. Here's the breakdown.
The government fees are small
The fees the SEC charges to incorporate are surprisingly low. They're driven mainly by your authorized capital, plus a handful of fixed charges:
| Item | Rough cost |
|---|---|
| SEC filing fee | ~1% of authorized capital (minimum ₱2,000) |
| Legal research fee | 1% of the filing fee (minimum ₱10) |
| Bylaws registration | ~₱1,010 |
| Stock and transfer book | ~₱470 |
| Name reservation | ~₱120 |
For a corporation with ₱1 million in authorized capital, the SEC side lands around ₱3,000–3,500 in total. That's the part people overestimate.
Then the BIR side
After the SEC, you register with the BIR. The charges there are also light: a small documentary stamp tax and the cost to set up your invoices (the authority to print, typically a couple of thousand pesos). Note one thing that's no longer on the list — the old ₱500 annual registration fee was abolished by the Ease of Paying Taxes Act, so there's no recurring BIR fee to budget for.
Tip
Don't budget the ₱500 annual BIR registration fee — it's gone. Your Certificate of Registration no longer expires or needs a yearly payment.
The permits that scale
Local permits are where size starts to matter. A barangay clearance is minor (a few hundred to about ₱1,000), but the mayor's (business) permit is assessed on your capital or gross receipts and can range from about ₱1,000 to ₱50,000 depending on the business. For a small operation it's modest; for a larger one it's a real line item.
Where the money really goes
Add up the government charges and you're still in the low thousands. The bulk of a realistic registration budget is two things: notarial fees for your incorporation documents (a few thousand), and professional fees — the accountant, lawyer, or corporate services firm that handles the filings end to end. Those range widely, roughly ₱30,000 to ₱150,000 depending on structure, foreign ownership, and who you hire.
Put together, a complete domestic corporation registration commonly totals somewhere around ₱85,000 to ₱150,000 all-in — and professional fees, not government charges, are the largest share.
How to read your own number
If a quote looks far higher than the government fees alone, that's expected — you're paying for the work, not the filing windows. The questions worth asking a provider are what's included (SEC, BIR, and local permits, or just one of them), and whether foreign ownership or a special structure is pushing the professional fee up. Knowing that the official fees are small lets you judge the rest of the quote for what it is.
Key takeaways
- SEC incorporation fees are modest — around ₱3,000–3,500 for a ₱1M-capital corporation.
- BIR charges are light, and the old ₱500 annual registration fee no longer exists.
- The mayor's permit scales with your capital or gross receipts and can be a larger cost.
- The biggest share of a real budget is professional and notarial fees — expect ₱85,000–150,000 all-in.
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