You may be entitled to a refund of taxes you've paid. Employees may receive one through year-end settlement, while sole proprietors and freelancers may receive one after filing comprehensive income tax. Korea's National Tax Service offers Hometax on the web and Sontax on mobile to check refunds and take any necessary steps. Services such as 3.3 and Toss can help, but you can use the official channels yourself without paying a service fee. Here's how to find and receive a refund.
Prepare a joint certificate (formerly called a public certificate) or a financial certificate from a bank or other issuer. Simplified authentication through a private certificate provider may also be available. Check the sign-in options.
A bank account in your name
Have the correct account number ready for receiving the refund.
Information about the tax, if needed
For example, if you expect a comprehensive income tax refund, having your filing details handy can help. In most cases you can look them up after signing in.
How to Receive a Refund with Hometax on a Computer ๐
If you prefer to use a computer, here's how to look up a refund and provide the necessary details on the Hometax website.
You can generally look in My Hometax or a related menu after the settlement filing period, often from around May. A refund already paid through your employer may not appear separately.
Comprehensive income tax
After the May filing period, refunds determined from those filings are commonly paid around late June or early July. Check your filing history or the detailed refund lookup for the status and expected amount.
Value-added tax for businesses
Any refund due after a VAT return is paid according to its applicable schedule. Look in Detailed Refund Lookup or a similar menu.
Step 3: Review the Refund and Enter or Update Your Account ๐
In the refund menu, select a date range and review the tax type, decision date, amount, and other details. If you have a refund but no account is registered, or if you need to change it, look for the payment account screen.
Enter the correct bank name and account number, then select Verify Account or Register. You can also choose an account already on file or enter your information through Register or Change a Refund Account.
Register or change a refund account
Step 4: Complete the Request and Check Timing ๐
After entering or confirming the account details, select Apply or Confirm and check for a success message. Refunds are generally deposited into the registered account within a few weeks of the request or refund decision. The detailed refund lookup may show a scheduled payment date.
How to Receive a Refund with the Sontax Mobile App ๐
Download it from the Google Play Storeโ or the Apple App Storeโ. You can also search the store for โ์ํ์คโ (Sontax) or โ๊ตญ์ธ์ฒญ ํํ์คโ (National Tax Service Hometax).
Open the app and sign in with a joint certificate, financial certificate, simplified authentication, or fingerprint authentication if you've enrolled it.
Sontax sign-in screen
Step 2: Find Refund Lookup and Request Options ๐
The mobile menus may be simpler than the desktop menus.
Open All Menus from the top or bottom menu bar, usually represented by three horizontal lines.
Look for refund options under My Hometax, Lookup and Issuance, or Filing and Payment.
For example, try All Menus > Lookup and Issuance > Find National Tax Refunds, or My Hometax > Tax Payments, Refunds, and Notices > Refund Lookup.
As on the website, you may find options to check year-end settlement and comprehensive income tax refunds.
Look for names or icons related to refunds.
Refund-related menus
Step 3: Review the Refund and Enter or Update Your Account ๐
Select a date range and review the refund details as you would on the website.
If prompted to enter or update your payment account, type the correct bank and account number and tap Verify Account or Register.
You can also use the Register or Change a Refund Account option shown above.
Step 4: Complete the Request and Check Timing ๐
Check the account details and tap Apply or Confirm.
Payment timing follows the same process as on the website.
typically follows settlement between January and March. Refunds are commonly paid through the employer or directly between March and May.
Comprehensive income tax
refunds typically follow the May filing and are commonly paid around late June or early July.
VAT refunds for businesses
may follow regular filings in January or July, or a filing for an early refund.
Other payments
can include earned income and child tax credits or an education expense credit related to student loan repayments.
Payment deadlines
The article describes a 30-day statutory period from the refund decision, with payment often arriving sooner. Check the payment date for your specific refund in Hometax.
Find an unclaimed refund
Use Find Unclaimed Refunds in Hometax or Sontax to check for older refunds you may have missed after moving or for another reason. The article describes a five-year window for claiming them.
Watch out for text and phone scams
The National Tax Service and tax offices do not ask by phone or text for bank passwords, card numbers, or certificate passwords. Treat tax-refund messages that request sensitive information with caution. Call the agency directly using its official number if a message seems suspicious.
You can use Hometax on a computer or Sontax on a phone to look up national tax refunds and complete the steps needed to receive them. It may look complicated at first, but it is easier once you've gone through the menus yourself. Remember to check for refunds you're entitled to and keep up with your annual year-end settlement or comprehensive income tax filing.
Check and Receive Korean Tax Refunds with Hometax or Sontax
