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Cathy OB
Joined: 19 Jul 2005
Posts: 32
Location: Brisbane
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 Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 9:15 am Post subject: Getting tax money back - how do you make sure you get it? |
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I paid 20 per cent tax on my salary for a while.
I will soon have been in Taiwan for more than 183 days this year, and have also been working only part time for a while, so will have to pay only 6 per cent overall.
I my brain is still functioning after 11 months in a bushiban, according to my calculations I should get a reasonable amount back before I leave Taiwan in a couple of weeks.
My boss will visit a tax station for me just before I go.
Will I receive cash, or a check?
If a check, who is made out to, whose name is on it, and how long before it arrives?
Also, will it be in Taiwan dollars, or will they do it in another currency?
Would they mail it overseas, or only to somewhere in Taiwan?
Do I have to trust my boss to cash the check and send money to my account back home, or can I nominate another person?
In short, what can I do to ensure I receive the money?
Thanks
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Northwood
Joined: 08 Nov 2005
Posts: 66
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| Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 11:06 am Post subject: |
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| First, are you are registered it Taipei city (the address on your ARC)? |
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Ki
Joined: 23 Jul 2004
Posts: 475
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| Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 11:12 am Post subject: |
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If I remember correctly you can either get a check or have the money put directly into your bank account. I would presume that the address would need to be in Taiwan and it will need to be a Taiwanese bank account depending on which way you want to go.
I would opt for the bank account route. Just remember you need to request permission from the bank to be able to use your account. This has caused me a lot of trouble in the past. Maybe you can request internet banking or give your debit card and PIN to a trusted friend. Oh and you may or may not have your account suspended when your ARC expires too. Not sure about this last point at all.
Anyway, glad to not help.  |
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BigWally
Joined: 07 Jun 2006
Posts: 765
Location: Ottawa, CAN (prev. Kaohsiung "the Dirty South")
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| Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 8:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Cathy....all very good questions....i know I'll be running into the same situation a year from now, so i'd love to see some answers from some of our resident expats...er....experts... |
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atiff
Joined: 14 Jun 2006
Posts: 66
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| Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 5:20 am Post subject: |
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| Typically, we advise our teachers to files taxes just prior to departure (once you have the income statements from your school) and then appoint a friend or co-worker as a proxy to collect your taxes for you once they have been processed. I haven't heard of a situation like this going bad for anyone here. |
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sbettinson
Joined: 22 Jul 2004
Posts: 81
Location: Taichung
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| Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 5:24 am Post subject: |
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Allow me to add my perspective. I left Taiwan in November last year and came back in February this year. I had not originally planned to return so on filing my taxes you take all your usual documents that the school will give you, along with your ARC and passport and file them accordingly. Seeing as how I wasn't going to be in the country I nominated my boss to collect my check for me and wire the money to me in the UK.
When I got back to Taiwan in Feb I went to collect the check myself so my boss didn't need to.
You can nominate anyone to be a proxy to collect the check for you. You just need to sign a form to say you want to do this and take along the person's ID and address so that they can notify the person when it is ready to collect. I would advise against the bank account route because if you are leaving Taiwan for good then wouldn't it be sensible to shut down anything in your name before you go?
On the form when you do all your calculations you will find out exactly how much you will get back and if your friend/boss decides to screw you out of a few dollars you will know about it. 
Hope this helps.
Shaun |
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Cathy OB
Joined: 19 Jul 2005
Posts: 32
Location: Brisbane
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| Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 8:34 am Post subject: |
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Northwood
I'm registered in Kaohsiung county.
Cheers |
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Cathy OB
Joined: 19 Jul 2005
Posts: 32
Location: Brisbane
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| Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 9:05 am Post subject: |
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Wally
I also received some replies from the yahoo group Tainan bulletin:
A suggestion might be to go with your boss and ask those questions of the Tax Office.
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Once your taxes are filed, you find out how much your return is
right then and there. However, it will take months to get the money
and you'll be gone so...
When filing the taxes, you have the give the tax office the address
of where to mail the notification that your cheque is ready, so I'm
guessing the address of your friend who is picking up the cheque. It
will be in NT dollars and ANYONE can cash the cheque so they can
deposit it into their account and wire it to you, send you a money
order, draft or the original cheque for deposit if your bank at home
will accept it.
You have fill out a form (from the tax office), with a photocopy of
your ARC & passport designating who can pick up your tax cheque.
This person will take this form & photocopies with them to pick it
up as proof they are allowed to do so.
So maybe go with your boss to the tax office to do the paperwork so
you know how much you are getting, and where the notification will
be sent. They speak english at the foreign counter so you could
actually do it all yourself if you have your friends address. Just
go the the tax office closest to your ARC address or your work.
Hope this helps! I've just done all the above myself.
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Hi,
Talk to your boss about it. I am sure they will give
you this money since no one reports full salary. Ask
your boss legal tax papers which shows that your
salary and paid tax. I am sure you will never get
those. Best way to ask your bosses to pay you back
this money coz you have continued your work after 6
month and they will report taxes after one year.
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Hi, I would advise you to go along to the head tax office and explain your situation. Most of the people who work there are very friendly and someone always speaks decent English. You should be able to work out a solution to your problem right there regarding the refund.
good luck, Andy
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Dear Whomever,
a) you were supposed to have done your taxes by may 30, so now you will have to pay late fees.(I don't think this is correct - Cathy)
If you live in Tainan city, the office is directly opposite the train station and beside that horrendously ugly brown building. bring a chinese speaking friend with you to do it. only takes about 10 mins, thats it. bring ALL ID including passport, arc, etc. proof of residence.
b) get you tax receipt from your boss. This way you can actually see what he declared as your income. If your boss underdeclared your income, you can charge him and you won't have any probs.
c) if you want to get your money back, you can get it in person, it takes about 1-2 mos. they can give you a direct deposit or a cheque to mail to your house in taiwan. or you can give the money to be deposited in a friend's account (that is, if you trust your friend, heheh)
good luck,
stephen
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773
Joined: 29 May 2005
Posts: 213
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| Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 6:44 pm Post subject: |
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I acted as the proxy for a friend once here. But, when the check came, it was in HER name, not mine, and I had a hell of a time cashing it.
My friend had closed her accounts, and the banks said they could only deposit it into an account under her name. The only reason I was able to eventually cash it was because my bank felt sorry for me...they let me sign her name on the check and "illegally" cashed it so that I could send her the money!
The tax office where I live doesn't have a single employee who speaks English. Frustrating to say the least, as I will be leaving in 2 weeks and have asked a friend to be my proxy. I am going to have to leave my account open in case the same thing happens to her!  |
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Northwood
Joined: 08 Nov 2005
Posts: 66
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| Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 2:36 pm Post subject: |
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Cathy OB, the reason I asked you if you are registered in Taipei city is because there is a way of getting a �quick tax rebate� which takes about one week in total. I don�t know if you can do the same thing in Kaoishung.
Forgetting the fast rebate system for a moment, here are answers to your questions:
| Quote: |
| Will I receive cash, or a check? |
A check.
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| If a check, who is made out to, whose name is on it, and how long before it arrives? |
Ask for the check to be transferable. There is a form for this. This allows another person (whoever you nominate, to pay the check into their account).
If you don�t complete the transfer form, nobody will be able to do anything with your check � without some major headaches. Also, by the time you receive the check rebate, you will be long gone and your bank account will be in suspend mode because your ARC will likely have expired (yes, the banks 'freeze' accounts). You could ask a friend to pay the check into your account on your behalf, but it would be pointless as you would not be able to withdraw the money without an active ARC anyway, so you wouldn�t be able to access it. Your Taiwan bank card will not work from abroad either - so forget tryingt to withdraw it via ATM.
Rebates for tax you paid during any part of 2006 are processed by the tax office no earlier than 2007, so you will have to wait quite a while for the refund. You will get your check in the second half of 2007. Of course, you can lodge the 2006 paperwork before you leave (you don't have to wait until 2007), but the refund won�t come through any quicker. So, your trusted friend needs to still be in Taiwan into late 2007. To give you some perspective of timeframes, if you paid tax in 2006, you would have to claim for your 2006 rebate in the early part of 2007. You wouldn't get the money back until late 2007.
| Quote: |
| Also, will it be in Taiwan dollars, or will they do it in another currency? |
Taiwan dollars.
| Quote: |
| Would they mail it overseas, or only to somewhere in Taiwan? |
Taiwan
| Quote: |
| Do I have to trust my boss to cash the check and send money to my account back home, or can I nominate another person? |
It is up to you who you nominate. You should choose someone you trust to still be here and obviously to transfer the money back to you. This is up to you. You are responsible for this.
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| In short, what can I do to ensure I receive the money? |
Check everything with the tax office. Ensure you have completed all the paperwork before you leave (transfer forms, tax forms, address for tax office to send the check to, etc).
One thing I just thought of but don't know much about: the possibility of trying to pay the check they give you (in NT$) directly into your account back home. I don't know if this is possible, but thibk it unlikely. Maybe ask your bank back home- and then check with the tax office here. Some checks can only be cashed in the country they were issued in. |
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Northwood
Joined: 08 Nov 2005
Posts: 66
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| Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 3:42 pm Post subject: |
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| you may or may not have your account suspended when your ARC expires too. Not sure about this last point at all. |
Hi Ki, as you are aware, the banks are aware of your ARC dates (I seem to remember showing it to them when I opened my account all those years ago). I have been told: if you or your employer don't notify your bank that your ARC has been renewed (year to year), the account will eventually get frozen. I don't know if this is true or not. My guess is that innactivity of an account combined with an expired ARC is the major reason for acounts being put into suspense. Just a guess.
One thing for sure though (from bitter experience): When your ARC expires, the banks stop you from accessing your money from outside Taiwan (for example, using your Taiwanese bank abroad). The bank later told me that it is up to the individual to you to inform them when an ARC is renewed.
I have been stranded in a few foreign countries due to my Taiwan bank card being rejected - and it's all because they thought I didn't have a valid ARC. Ignore this advice at your peril! |
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Ki
Joined: 23 Jul 2004
Posts: 475
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| Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 1:11 am Post subject: |
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Northwood,
I do possess two bank accounts which are not linked through my ARC. Both of these were acquired a few short years ago and took some effort to acquire.
I have been stranded before in other countries due to not being able to access my Taiwanese bank accounts. It seems that I have had the biggest and most conclusive problems with my one bank acount which IS linked with my ARC. |
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I_is_teach_English
Joined: 01 Aug 2006
Posts: 44
Location: Taiwan
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| Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 7:58 am Post subject: |
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| Northwood wrote: |
Rebates for tax you paid during any part of 2006 are processed by the tax office no earlier than 2007, so you will have to wait quite a while for the refund. You will get your check in the second half of 2007. Of course, you can lodge the 2006 paperwork before you leave (you don't have to wait until 2007), but the refund won�t come through any quicker. So, your trusted friend needs to still be in Taiwan into late 2007. To give you some perspective of timeframes, if you paid tax in 2006, you would have to claim for your 2006 rebate in the early part of 2007. You wouldn't get the money back until late 2007. |
This is not strictly true. The normal time for filing tax is May every year, however, as they know foreigners leave at anytime during the year, you can file your tax at anytime in my area (it may be different in Taipei etc.). This is worth remembering even if you aren't leaving as it means you can actually file yor tax anytime after the 31st December and you will get your tax check quicker as you will avoid the office's busiest period. I normally file in March and have a check by April.
I have acted as proxy for two friends in two tax offices (Taichung and Fongyuan) and here's the process as I have experienced it.
1) You need your proxy to complete a form, with photocopies of their passport and ARC as proof of identity when they come to pick up the check.
2) If the rebate is more than NT$50,000 (I am relying on my memory here and am willing to stand corrected on the amount) then the check will be stamped Account Payee Only. You need to fill in another form to ensure that this does not happen. If your rebate is less than this amount then they don't stamp it. It would be worth checking on this anyway.
3) Give the tax office your proxy's address so they can contact them when the check's ready.
4) I have a savings account with the Bank of Overseas Chinese, so I can't tell you if other banks are more stringent, but they have always let me pay in someone else's check (I write my name and account number on the back).
5) I then wire the money to my friend's account abroad.
How long will it take? The first person I did this for had a rebate of less than NT$50,000, used a Taichung tax office and I picked up the check after a month. The second person had a rebate of more than NT$50,000, used the Fongyuan tax office and it took five months. The check also had about six different chops of approval on it, so I don't know if it was the tax office being slow or the bureaucratic workings of dealing with the larger amount (apparently the check had been to a main tax office in Taipei and back).
| Quote: |
| One thing I just thought of but don't know much about: the possibility of trying to pay the check they give you (in NT$) directly into your account back home. I don't know if this is possible, but think it unlikely. Maybe ask your bank back home- and then check with the tax office here. |
Due to the political legitimacy of the government in Taiwan, you'll probably find it is very hard (if not impossible) to cash a Taiwanese Government check in NT$ in your home country. I remember trying to order Taiwan $ before I came from my bank in England. After arguing with them for 5 mins that it was Taiwan $ and not Thai Baht that I wanted, they then told me that NT$ weren't an officially recognised currency by that bank. |
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