I have been told that I can claim my rent as a tax deduction but there is one caveat: the landlord must declare the income on their taxes. This, it seems, is uncommon unless specifically asked to do so. Unfortunately, I didn’t know this and would love to get as many deductions as I can. Has anyone run into this problem? Any other tax advice for the noob would be appreciated as I plan to go to the tax office today.
Thanks 
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
For the landlord’s own safety, he/she should declare it.
For you to receive the deduction, you just need to be prepared to show the tax people the relevant documents: the lease and your receipts. (In theory iirc you also need an affidavit saying you don’t use the property for non-residential purposes. I doubt they’ll ask for it if your lease looks normal.)
There is a maximum rent deduction, but most closet size dwellings are under the limit.
I don’t think this is true, you just need to show your contract and proof of payment. Ask in the tax office, they’re usually quite helpful. Don’t worry if they hit you with the landlord will “get in trouble”, not your problem. If it’s beneficial to you to claim the deduction then do so. Note you might be looking for a new place to live soon if you haven’t moved already!
Last year I just showed the lease. But maybe take your bank book with you…a fixed sum going out around the rent day each month is sufficient.
Be aware that if your landlord is against you claiming a deduction (most of them are, so it’s quite likely that there’s a clause in your contract which looks like “不可以報稅” or similar) but you still do it, he may say “okay, but if you want to prolong the contract and continue living here, you will have to pay, say, 2K more each month”. So, do that if you have nothing to lose and you’re planning to move away soon to some other apartment.
Or a lot, or even a WHOLE lot more, depending on how pissed he is that you declared it.
Be a filial son and declare you send money to your parents. Way easier. All you need is a birth certificate or something showing they are your parents. Big cut.
I’ve said 2K as I remember one of my friends having a choice of paying 13K with no tax deduction or 15K with one (of course you’ll guess which one did he choose in the end) while signing the contract. Of course it may be anything.
Update:
I went to the tax office and they were very helpful. They encouraged me to write in how much I paid for the year and even suggested I put the maximum amount (90,000). I also learned that all of the money I sent home to help my parents counted up to 170,000 for each of them. I still haven’t filed formally but I am encouraged by their response at the tax office. They only required my lease agreement but I will also provide a bank statement showing monthly deductions to the landlord’s bank account. this takes a week to get from the post office bank.
To get the deduction for taking care of your parents all that they required was a copy of their passport (perhaps another form of ID will work), a real birth certificate, and proof that they are living (a hospital bill or something with their name on it recently). Very surprised by how easy it seems to file but, like I said, I haven’t filed and will be waiting until September or even November to find out the results.
Thanks for your help everyone
Really? They said I needed a notarized documents from the parents saying they receive X
Taipei city and New Taipei city handle it differently as I’m sure every region and possible office does! In Xindian I’ve never been asked to show money transfer, only proof of life and relationship. My colleague lives just over the bridge in Jingmei and has to prove transfer.