Can export tax rebates be operated like this? One article will help you avoid all the pitfalls!

"Ms. Li's cross-border e-commerce orders suddenly surged, but she got stuck in the tax rebate process and lost six-figure profits..." Stories like this are happening in the foreign trade circle every day. Export tax rebates, as an important policy of the country to encourage foreign trade, have deterred many enterprises due to the complicated process. Today, we will use the most straightforward language to disassemble the correct way to open this "policy red envelope".

To successfully obtain tax rebates, the preparatory work is like the foundation of building a house:

• Complete the registration of customs import and export rights (it takes about 15 working days)
• Obtain the general taxpayer qualification (small-scale taxpayers are not eligible)
• Establish a complete financial ledger for export business (it is recommended to use specialized financial software)

Mr. Zhang's clothing factory once used personal accounts to receive foreign exchange, resulting in the inability to provide compliant foreign exchange collection vouchers later, and thus lost 8% of the tax rebates in vain.

The entire process can be summarized as "three documents, two audits, and one refund":

• Step1 Declaration for Export: Obtain the customs declaration form marked with "Tax Rebate Copy" (it can be downloaded from the e-port)
• Step2 Verification of Foreign Exchange Collection: Foreign exchange should be collected through the corporate account and the declaration of foreign-related income should be completed in the bank.
• Step3 Issuance of Invoices: Issue ordinary VAT invoices with "Tax Exemption" noted in the tax rate column.

Special attention: The policy of electronic export tax rebate filing documents newly added since 2023 requires enterprises to save electronic vouchers such as transportation documents for at least 5 years.

According to more than 300 enterprise cases served by Zhongshitong, these traps are the most common:

• The commodity codes on the customs declaration form are inconsistent with those on the VAT invoices (the error rate exceeds 37%)
• The time span between the export date and the foreign exchange collection time exceeds 1 year (pay special attention to forward letters of credit)
• Cross-border e-commerce uses the "purchasing orders for export" model (unable to provide VAT invoices)
• The declared amount is reserved to 4 decimal places (automatically verified by the system)
• Forgetting to do tax exemption declaration and directly making zero declaration (tax exemption should be done first before applying for tax rebates)

Now through the e-tax bureau, you can:

• Automatically match the information of customs declaration forms and invoices (the error rate is reduced by 80%)
• View the audit progress in real time (the average is shortened by 7 working days)
• Receive tax rebates directly into the bank account (T+3 arrival is achieved in some areas)

After using the intelligent declaration system, an exporter of lamps reduced the tax rebate cycle from 45 days to 11 days, and the capital turnover rate was increased by 3 times.

According to calculations, for every one-month delay in obtaining tax rebates, the enterprise is equivalent to losing 0.5% of the capital cost. Now, take a photo of your customs declaration form with your mobile phone and check whether it meets the following conditions: 1) The commodity codes are consistent. 2) The foreign exchange collection vouchers are complete. 3) The invoices are issued in accordance with the regulations. Welcome to share your practical difficulties in tax rebates in the comment area, and we will select 3 typical questions to be answered free of charge by senior consultants!