Income Tax Return when leaving Taiwan

Legal Taxes
1

I have some questions about tax returns when leaving Taiwan. I have searched all over, but cannot find recent, relevant information.

I have been in Taiwan for more than 183 days in 2024. I will stop working before January 1, 2025, and will leave Taiwan sometime in January of 2025. I need to file my taxes before i leave so I can get a refund.

I have been told by the tax office that I need to file before leaving, and my refund will be issued in August, 2025. They said I cannot get the refund before leaving Taiwan.

The tax office said I could have the refund deposited into a Taiwanese Bank account, or designate someone to come pick up a physical check.

Although my former boss was kind enough to offer, I would prefer not to inconvenience him with having to go to the office to collect the check, deposit the check into his account and then wire the money to me.

If I leave Taiwan and my ARC is cancelled, can I leave my bank account open so the refund can be deposited there?

Is there an easier way to go about this?

Thanks in advance.

2

I think that’s risky. IIUC, they’re supposed to lock your account when your ARC expires, though I’m not sure whether they always do.

I wonder if it’d be possible to open a basic account with the post office using the record of ID number rather than your ARC? I’m not sure, but might be worth looking into.

3

I did this for a friend. The refund is deposited into an account he had not mine. I then used his ATM card to withdraw the funds and wire the funds to him. He did not have an ARC atm though lol

4

I wouldn’t be surprised if they sometimes continue to work after they shouldn’t… but that’s nothing I’d want to rely on either, especially while abroad with no easy way to fix…

5

He had yet to complete his final year of college and worked in Taiwan for many years before returning to the USA to finish his degree. He returned to the same company he worked for an got a work permit later on JFRV APRC .

6

Yeah, but once his ARC expires or gets cancelled, the bank might just lock his account along with the ATM card until they get to see a new ARC…

That’s how things work in Taiwan for those of us who are merely foreigners and not citizens…

7

Tax office will allow to have a proxy handle his taxes.

8

So using his boss as a proxy might be OP’s only way of getting their money back. Unless they have another friend who can take the role of a proxy.

Sucks for those with no friends in Taiwan and untrustworthy bosses :man_shrugging:

9

I feel like they might be more punctual with newer accounts than ones opened many years ago. Maybe there are some gaps in the older records.

I have an account in China that was supposed to be locked two or three years ago when the passport they had on file expired. There’s some note in my internet banking saying “subject to judicary freezing” or similar too. It still works, and I can still receive and withdraw money. I try not to keep much in it though, because who knows when it’ll finally stop working. :man_shrugging:

10

Yeah, OP said that in the original post. It just might not be the easiest thing to set up from abroad if ultimately the bank account gets locked and the transfer doesn’t go through, so would be better to set up in advance.