1.Can the agency really help me get my tax refund?

Professional agencies can indeed assist companies in completing over 90% of the tax refund process,but the ultimate success of the refund still hinges on three core factors:Document Compliance,Commodity tax rebate rateandDeclaration timelinessIn 2025,the "Smart Tax Refund 2.0" system upgraded by the General Administration of Customs will conduct stricter reviews of the following materials:

• VATSpecialInvoice(mustbeauthenticatedviatheStateTaxationAdministrationplatform)
• Electronicdataofthecustomsdeclarationform(mustbecompletelyconsistentwiththecustomssystem).
• Voucher(additionalfilingrequiredforcross-borderRMBsettlement)

2.How to assess the professionalism of an agency?

It is recommended to conduct screening through the "three checks and three reviews":

• Checkqualifications:
  • CustomsAEOcertificationqualification(preferablyselectanadvancedcertifiedenterprise)
  • ForeignExchangeAdministrationDirectoryRegistration
• View the case:
  • Operationalexperiencewithsimilarproducts(especiallythosenewlyaddedin2024)(TaxRefundCase)
  • Specialtrademethodhandlingcapability(e.g.MarketProcurementTrade1039Mode)
• Testing System:
  • Whethertoconnecttothenewversionoftheelectronicportsystem
  • Cantheinvoiceverificationdatafromthetaxbureaubesynchronizedinrealtime?

III.What are the potential risks of tax refund agency services?

New Risks to Watch Out for in 2025 Include:

• Exchangeratefluctuationrisk(Agency’sforeignexchangepositionmanagementcapability)
• Documentdigitizationrisks(upgradedcompliancerequirementsforelectronicseals)
• Supplychaintraceabilityrisks(newrequirementsforrawmaterialtraceability)

It is recommended to clearly specify in the agency agreement: Division of Responsibilities for Document Review,Timeliness of Tax Refund Receipt and A case of a tax rebate dispute caused by an oral agreement of a certain electromechanical enterprise in 2024 shows that when there is a lack of a written agreement,the tax authorities may identify the actual owner of the goods as the declaration entity..

4.How should the agency fees be reasonably calculated?

In 2025,the mainstream charging model in the market will show two major changes:

• Basicservicefee:Chargedat0.8%-1.2%ofthedeclaredcustomsvalue(a0.2%decreasecomparedto2023).
• Value-addedservicefee:
  • ExchangeRateLockService(minimumsingletransactionof500yuan)
  • Pre-taxrefundfinancing(annualizedinterestratenotexceedingLPR+150BP)

Be wary of quotations that include the following hidden fees:Urgent declaration fee,Annual system usage fee,Document Amendment Fee.

5.Will there be any changes to the tax refund cycle in 2025?

According to the latest announcement from the State Taxation Administration,graded time-effect management will be implemented starting from 2025:

• CategoryAenterprises:within15workingdaysafterdeclaration
• CategoryBenterprises:within30workingdaysafterdeclaration
• Newlyregisteredenterprises:Initialdeclarationperiodextendedto45workingdays.

The actual arrival time is also subject to:Bank clearing cycle(It is recommended to choose commercial banks directly connected to the treasury),Adjustment of holidays(Note the newly added "Digital Economy Day" holiday in 2025).

6.Which materials must I prepare myself?

The core materials that enterprises must provide on their own include:

• PowerofAttorneypersonallysignedbythelegalrepresentative(2025editionwithnewlyaddedanti-counterfeitingQRcode)
• OriginalcopyoftheVATinputinvoice(mustbesimultaneouslyuploadedtotheblockchainevidencestoragesystem).
• Foreignexchangepaymentandreceiptdocuments(forforeigncurrencyaccounts,SWIFTmessagesmustbeprovided)

7.Is remote agency feasible?

In 2025,cross-regional agency will exhibit new characteristics:

• Advantages:
  • Eligibleforspecialpoliciesinthefreetradezone(e.g.companiesregisteredinHainanFreeTradePortcanhandleoffshoretaxrefunds).
  • Integrateportresourcesacrossmultiplelocations(particularlysuitableformultimodaltransport)
• Risk:
  • Differencesinlocalregulations(suchasthevariationsinregulatorydetailsbetweentheYangtzeRiverDeltaandthePearlRiverDeltaregions)
  • Logisticsdocumenthandoverrisks(Itisrecommendedtouseadigitallogisticsplatformrecognizedbycustoms)

8.What qualifications does the company itself need to possess?

Even if an agency is appointed,the enterprise must still meet the following requirements:

• CustomsRegistrationofConsignorandConsignee(NewVersionCertificateValidUntil2026)
• E-PortICCard(upgradedtobiometricsmartcard)
• ForeignExchangeAdministrationDirectoryRegistration(additionalfilingrequiredforcross-bordere-commerceenterprises)
• QualificationasageneralVATtaxpayer(notapplicabletosmall-scaletaxpayers).Tradedisputesettlementmechanisms