Form IA-001 BIR Number Application (Trinidad and Tobago)

What is Form IA-001 BIR number application?

Form IA-001 is the Board of Inland Revenue's Application for BIR Number, Section A, for individual applicants. The BIR number is the file number the Inland Revenue Division uses for a taxpayer in Trinidad and Tobago, and people are commonly asked for it when they start work, deal with PAYE or register a business.

The one-page form asks for your name, date of birth, occupation, sex, mother's maiden name, residential and mailing addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail address, and the number of at least one identification document: your national ID card, driver's permit or passport. If you are self-employed it also asks for your business name, address and nature, when the business started and whether you employ anyone. A last question asks whether you make or intend to make commercial supplies over $500,000, the value-added tax question on this edition.

FileIt asks these questions in plain language and prints your answers in capitals, one letter per box, on the Inland Revenue Division's own PDF. Names and the date of birth can be pre-filled from the person's record in your FileIt vault, and the finished form is filed in their folder. FileIt never submits anything: you print the form, sign it by hand, attach a copy of your ID and hand it in to the Inland Revenue Division.

Who fills it: An individual who needs a BIR number, including the self-employed
Given to: The Inland Revenue Division (Board of Inland Revenue)
Attach: A copy, both sides, of your national ID card, driver's permit or passport
Signatures: The applicant signs line 19 by hand
Edition: Form IA-001 (no date printed; printer's code ending /07)
Pages: 1 (Section A)

Who needs to fill out Form IA-001 BIR number application?

Anyone in Trinidad and Tobago who needs a BIR number and doesn't have one yet, such as a young person starting their first job.
Self-employed people starting a business, trade or profession on their own account, who complete lines 13 to 17 as well.
A parent helping a teenager or a family member get their BIR number, using details from the family's records.
Someone whose employer or another organisation has asked for their BIR number.

When to use Form IA-001 BIR number application

Before you need a BIR number, for example when an employer asks for it for PAYE.
When you start working for yourself and need a tax file as a self-employed person.
When you are asked for a BIR number and have never been given one.

What you need before you start

Your full name, date of birth, occupation and your mother's maiden name.
Your residential address and, if different, your mailing address.
At least one telephone number, and an e-mail address if you have one.
The number of your national ID card, driver's permit or passport, and a copy of both sides of that document to attach.
If self-employed: your business name and address, the nature of the business, the date it started and how many people you employ.
Whether you make or intend to make commercial supplies over $500,000.

What’s on Form IA-001 BIR number application

The 2026 edition has 1 page. FileIt asks for it in 6 parts:

Section A — 1 to 7 About youApplicant
8 Residential addressApplicant
9 Mailing address (if different from above)Applicant
10 to 12 Contact details and identificationApplicant
13 to 17 If you are self-employedApplicant
18 to 20 Commercial supplies and dateApplicant

How to fill out Form IA-001 BIR number application, step by step

1 1 to 7 About you

Write your surname, first and middle names in block letters, your date of birth as dd/mm/yyyy, your occupation, sex and mother's maiden name. Line 7 'Pin Number' isn't explained on the form; leave it blank unless the Inland Revenue Division has given you one.

2 8 and 9 Addresses

Line 8 is your residential address, over two rows of boxes. Fill in line 9 only if your mail should go to a different address.

3 10 and 11 Telephone and e-mail

Give your home, workplace or cell number, at least one of them, and your e-mail address. The e-mail row has 30 boxes; if your address is longer, write it by hand.

4 12 Identification document

Give the number of your national ID card, driver's permit or passport. The form asks you to attach a copy of both sides of the document you mention.

5 13 to 17 If you are self-employed

Give your business name and address, the nature of the business, the date it started, whether you have employees and, if so, how many people you employ. Leave this part blank if you are not self-employed.

6 18 Commercial supplies

Answer whether you make or intend to make commercial supplies over $500,000. If the answer is Yes, the form asks you to complete lines 39 to 41 at Section B, which is not part of this file; ask the Inland Revenue Division for it.

7 19 and 20 Signature and date

Sign line 19 by hand on the printed form and date it at line 20. The space marked 'Do not write in the spaces below' is for the Division.

Common mistakes to avoid

Not attaching a copy of both sides of the identification document given at line 12.
Leaving every telephone line blank, so the Division can't contact you.
Filling in the self-employed lines when you are only an employee.
Answering Yes at line 18 without completing Section B, lines 39 to 41.
Writing in the 'Do not write in the spaces below' area.
Forgetting to sign line 19.

After you fill it out

Print the filled form from your FileIt vault and sign line 19 by hand.

Attach a copy of both sides of the identification document you listed at line 12.

Hand it in to the Inland Revenue Division. FileIt does not submit it, and the form itself gives no fee or processing time.

Keep the copy FileIt saved in the person's vault folder, and record your BIR number there once you receive it.

Fill out Form IA-001 BIR number application online with FileIt

Pick the person. Choose someone from People and FileIt fills in their name, date of birth, address and other details it already knows.
Answer plain-language questions. One part of the form at a time, with the official help text beside each question — 27 fields in all. Your answers save as you go.
Check the live preview. Watch your answers land on the real Board of Inland Revenue, Inland Revenue Division, Ministry of Finance, Trinidad and Tobago form, and let FileIt do any worksheet arithmetic.
Generate the official PDF. FileIt prints your answers into the agency’s own PDF and files it in that person’s folder in your vault.

FileIt fills the form — it never files or submits anything for you. Deliver the finished form to whoever asked for it, the way the form’s instructions say.

Start Form IA-001 BIR number application now — it’s free

Form IA-001 BIR number application: frequently asked questions

What is Form IA-001?

It is the Board of Inland Revenue's Application for BIR Number. Section A, the part on this file, is for individual applicants.

Which identification documents can I use?

Line 12 lists a national ID card, a driver's permit and a passport, and asks you to attach a copy of both sides of any one of them.

Do I need to fill in the business questions?

Only if you are self-employed. Lines 13 to 17 ask for your business name, address, nature, start date and employees.

What is the $500,000 question about?

Line 18 asks whether you make or intend to make commercial supplies over $500,000, as printed on this edition. If you answer Yes, the form points you to lines 39 to 41 at Section B, which isn't in this file.

Can I sign Form IA-001 electronically in FileIt?

No. FileIt prints your answers on the official form, and you sign it by hand before handing it in with a copy of your ID.

Does FileIt send the form to the Inland Revenue Division?

No. FileIt fills the official PDF and files it in your vault; you hand it in yourself.

Official sources

Blank form (PDF), published by Board of Inland Revenue, Inland Revenue Division, Ministry of Finance, Trinidad and Tobago: https://www.ird.gov.tt/Media/Default/IRDForms/F-IA001--.pdf
Official instructions and guidance: https://www.ird.gov.tt/forms
Edition shown on this page: Form IA—001 (no edition date printed; printer's code G.P.,TR./TO.—X 1303—000— /07) (checked 2026-10-01).

FileIt is not affiliated with or endorsed by Board of Inland Revenue, Inland Revenue Division, Ministry of Finance, Trinidad and Tobago or any government. This page explains the form in general terms and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Always read the official instructions, and check that you are using the edition the recipient accepts. Page last reviewed 2026-10-01.