Tax Basics
filing taxes US taxes in Taiwan Taxes in Taipei can be tricky at first. At the end of the tax cycle you will either get back 7%-14% of everything that you made or you will lose 20%. It depends on when you arrive in the country and how long you stay here per tax year. You must be in the country for 183 days during the course of the tax year (Jan. 1- Dec. 31). This means that if you arrive before July 1st you will receive a return of anywhere from 30,000nt-70,000nt when you file your taxes depending on how much you work. If you arrive after July 1st you won't get anything and the government will keep the 20% of your salary that they took out. It is therefore better for you to get here before July 1st. The 183 days are counted by the time you have been in the country according to your passport, not the time you have had your ARC. This means that if you arrive on July 1st and decide to go on a five day vacation to Bulgaria you have only been in the country for 178 days and you now receive no refund. For the first 183 days you are in the country 20% of your income will be withheld by the government for taxes. After that time you will be switched over to the resident tax plan and taxed at 6%-40% depending on your income. Here is the current income chart, but it does change occasionally:
How and Where to File  You can file your taxes at Zhonghua rd. Sec. 1, No. 2. It's on the corner of Zhonghua rd. and Zhongxiao rd. on the west side of the city. When you go you will need the following things:
Once you have filled out your Income Tax Form take it to the nice people at the counter behind you. If there is a line you will need to take a number from the handy dandy ticket machine located somewhere on the counter area. You will be given a receipt and you will have to return in a month or two to receive your big fat check. Do not lose your receipt. Also don't forget to bring your passport and ARC with you when you pick up your check. Getting your Taxes Back Early If you are a normal foreigner then it is very possible that you wont be here in a few months to pick up your big fat check. If this happens there are two options available to you. Although neither of them are extremely fun or easy. Option 1: File for Early Return Option number 1 is to file for an early return. To do this simply ask the nice people at the desk for the below form. Then find a Taiwanese friend with a job and ask them to sponsor your early tax return. Your Taiwanese friend must then sign the form and then have their employer sign the form. Then they will return the form to you. Then what happens is you get the money in a week. Later the tax bureau will check your income tax form and if there are any mistakes in the form then your Taiwanese friend and their company will be responsible for paying your taxes if there was a mistake made in your benefit. As you can imagine this is an easy way for foreigners to cheat the locals out of money and it is sometimes hard to find friends and friends employers who are willing to vouch for your taxes. This is however the easiest way to get your money. Agent approval form: Option 2: Give it to a Friend to Give to you Your second option is to have your refund check mailed to a friend who will then cash the check and send or transfer the money to you. For this you don't need a business to sponsor you. But you do need a friend in Taiwan who will cash the check and send you the money. The Taiwan government will not send the check to a location out of the country and even if you could get the check it cannot be cashed anywhere outside of Taiwan. To fill out the form your friend does not need to be present but you should bring a copy of their passport and ARC. Below is the form you will need. Proxy Statement: Good luck and happy tax hunting. |
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