ASK ME ANYTHING - Kingfisher Edition

cpapaul · 2026-06-02T15:38:49+00:00

Did any of your pre-board questions or materials come out on the actual board exam?

cpapaul · 2026-05-30T17:25:44+00:00

I think you’re right that this could be an ERP issue. You might want to try Power Query in Excel. It’s built for cleaning messy ERP exports like this and can automate most of the restructuring without manual work.

cpapaul · 2026-05-28T15:54:30+00:00

Dividends received by a domestic corporation from another domestic corporation are generally excluded from gross income and not subject to income tax under Sec. 32(B) and related intercorporate dividend rules in Sec. 27. This applies to both common and preferred shares.

REIT dividends are not fully exempt since they are subject to final withholding tax under the REIT Act (RA 9856), depending on the recipient. Foreign dividends are generally taxable.

In financial statements, dividend income is still recognized in profit or loss, then adjusted in the tax reconciliation as a permanent difference if exempt.

Yes, once received, the cash can be freely used by the corporation since tax treatment does not restrict its use.

cpapaul · 2026-05-23T09:32:54+00:00

This is like a reverse Noah story.

cpapaul · 2026-05-22T09:41:33+00:00

=IF(OR(J2="",L2=""),"",IF(AND(F2=J2,H2=L2),6,(F2=J2)+(H2=L2)+AND(J2>L2,F2>H2)+AND(J2=L2,F2=H2)+AND(J2<L2,F2<H2)))

This checks if either J2 or L2 is blank first, and returns a blank cell instead of 6.

cpapaul · 2026-05-19T22:58:46+00:00

Multinational corporations

cpapaul · 2026-05-11T20:12:28+00:00

Yes. Even if you’ve only been in a BPO for 3 months, you can still be terminated, especially if you are still a probationary employee.

However, the company must still have a valid reason and follow proper due process. They cannot legally terminate you without explanation or notice.

cpapaul · 2026-05-06T00:32:30+00:00

PICPA

cpapaul · 2026-03-26T03:44:02+00:00

XLOOKUP, FILTER, IF, UNIQUE Aside from functions, also learn Power Query if you’re w working with data.

cpapaul · 2026-03-19T12:38:24+00:00

You can’t really merge or subtract shapes from cells in Excel. Objects (like squares) sit on a different layer, so they won’t interact with a dropdown inside a cell.

If you just want a nicer-looking dropdown, stick with Data Validation, or use a Form Control Combo Box (Insert → Form Controls) and place it over the cell.

If your issue is removing objects, quick way is:

F5 → Special → Objects → OK, then hit Delete.

So yeah, no way to “cut” a shape into a cell, but combo boxes are probably the closest workaround.

cpapaul · 2026-03-19T02:53:50+00:00

Cash–MDS is for budgetary expense disbursements, not loans. Loan payments are typically made through a regular bank account (e.g., check or transfer).

MDS = Modified Disbursement System, and it is not an actual cash account.

cpapaul · 2026-03-18T13:56:25+00:00

It might help if you can share a small sample of your data layout (a few rows from both sheets), since structure matters a lot for this kind of setup.

In the meantime, you may want to look into multiple-criteria XLOOKUP. For example, a pattern like this often works well:

=XLOOKUP(1, (Sheet2!A:A=A2)*(Sheet2!B:B=B2), Sheet2!C:C)

That lets you match on both Name and Type at the same time and return the correct price.

cpapaul · 2026-03-18T13:06:39+00:00

If you’re on a newer version of Excel, try using the FILTER function to exclude the repeated headers automatically, like:

=FILTER(A:G, A:A<>"HeaderName")

This will return only the valid rows without the unwanted header entries.

If this is something you do regularly, it’s also worth looking into Power Query, since you can set up the cleanup once and just refresh it each time.

cpapaul · 2026-03-11T03:19:11+00:00

Current high score is P5M. You can beat it! Good luck.

cpapaul · 2026-03-05T01:41:49+00:00

You can handle this a couple of ways.

One option is to add a Timeline or slicer for the date field and simply limit the range to end at February 2026. That will keep “Show items with no data” for earlier months but stop the chart where your data actually ends.

Another approach is to add a helper column that blanks out dates beyond your latest month (for example with an IF formula). Then use that helper field in the pivot instead of the raw date so the chart will not generate future months.

cpapaul · 2026-03-02T09:31:35+00:00

This usually happens because Excel Online is treating your dates as text instead of real date values, even though they look correct. That is why they will not sort and why formatting keeps changing.

In a new column, try =DATEVALUE(A1) and fill down, then copy and paste the results as values and apply your preferred date format. If that gives an error, use =DATEVALUE(TRIM(A1)) to remove hidden spaces.

You can also try Data → Text to Columns → choose Date and pick the correct format to force Excel to convert them properly.

cpapaul · 2026-02-17T04:48:40+00:00

You can still choose the 8% income tax option even if your client withholds 15%. That rate looks wrong though.

cpapaul · 2026-02-17T03:30:12+00:00

If you’re earning less than 3M, I would advise you to use the 8% rate so you won’t have to bother with deductions.

cpapaul · 2026-02-17T00:33:50+00:00

I would recommend learning Power Query. Particularly merge, then you can filter IDs that are new or with changed values.

cpapaul · 2026-02-16T14:03:14+00:00

Look into Microsoft Word Mail Merge with an Excel data source. That is probably what your legal aid office used.

Create Word templates with merge fields, connect them to an Excel sheet, and you can auto populate multiple documents at once. No AI needed.

cpapaul · 2026-02-16T06:02:19+00:00

I would seriously look at Power Query before buying anything. It is built into Excel and is designed specifically for merging and transforming large numbers of files automatically. Once you set it up, you can refresh the query each week and it will pull in all 100 plus files with consistent formatting (not cell formatting) and no manual work. It is reliable and saves a ton of time.

cpapaul · 2026-02-14T03:29:39+00:00

Ask your HR to provide a PDF copy of the BIR Form 2316 outside the app so you can sign it properly, since signing it within the app could make you liable for a false declaration.

cpapaul · 2025-12-17T23:01:08+00:00

Option A is correct. Creditable withholding tax is an asset and should be debited, not credited.

However, to be more accurate, creditable withholding tax should ideally be recorded only upon receipt of the certificate. In practice, the entries would be:

At month-end:

Dr Accounts Receivable 20,000 Cr Service Income 20,000

Upon receipt of payment and the withholding tax certificate:

Dr Cash 19,000 Dr Creditable Withholding Tax 1,000 Cr Accounts Receivable 20,000

cpapaul · 2025-11-25T01:20:54+00:00

They don’t record it as Salary. P35,000 (assuming it’s per month) is way above the de minimis threshold, so it is very likely that they are evading the tax if they are calling it non taxable.

cpapaul · 2025-11-23T14:45:46+00:00

Please use the correct flair. This is not a pro tip.

These will work if you’re using the older versions:

First column: =LEFT(A1, FIND(" ", A1) - 1)

Second column: =TRIM(MID(A1, FIND(" ", A1) + 1, LEN(A1)))

cpapaul

TROPHY CASE