Breakdown of Core Points of 2026 New Export Tax Refund Policy

Since January 2026,the state has made three key adjustments to the tax refund policy for export trading enterprises,which directly affect the tax refund efficiency and revenue of enterprises:

1.Optimized Adjustment of Tax Refund Rates for Some Products

The new policy clarifies that the tax refund rate for 12 categories of mechanical and electrical products (including new energy vehicle parts and smart home appliances) and 8 categories of light industrial products (including new household products and eco-friendly packaging) has been raised from 13% to 16%,involving about 35% of the national total export value of mechanical and electrical products.Manager Ye from Zhongshen explained that most of these products are China’s competitive export categories,and the increase in tax refund rate directly increases corporate profits.Take a home appliance enterprise as an example: its annual export value is 50 million yuan,after the tax refund rate is raised by 3 percentage points,its annual tax refund increases by 1.5 million yuan.

2.Paperless Tax Refund Covers Enterprises of All Credit Ratings

In 2026,the paper document requirement for Class C and D enterprises is abolished.All export enterprises can submit tax refund declarations through the electronic port,and no longer need to submit paper documents such as customs declaration forms and bills of lading to the tax authority.The tax system has been upgraded simultaneously to realize automatic comparison of electronic data with customs and foreign exchange data,reducing manual review links.

3.Accelerated Tax Refund Channel for Export Enterprises in Key Regions

For export enterprises in 10 key foreign trade cities including Shanghai and Shenzhen,a "priority tax refund review channel" has been opened: the tax refund cycle for Class A enterprises is shortened from 7 days to 3 days,for Class B enterprises from 10 days to 5 days,and for Class C and D enterprises from 15 days to 10 days.Meanwhile,the "declare and review immediately" policy is implemented for high-tech export enterprises,and the tax refund funds can be credited to the account within 24 hours at the fastest.

Opportunities and Challenges Brought by the New Policy to Export Trading Enterprises

• Opportunities:-Theincreaseoftaxrefundratedirectlyimprovesprofitmargin,andtheannualtaxrefundofsomeenterprisesincreasesbymorethan20%;-Paperlesstaxrefundreducesthehandlingcostofenterprises,saving3-5workingdaysoflaborinputpermonth;-Theacceleratedchanneleasesthecashflowpressureofmicro,smallandmedium-sizedenterprisesandreducesthecostofcapitalturnover.
• Challenges:-Theaccuracyofelectronicdatacomparisonisimproved,andproblemssuchaswrongcommoditycodesandinconsistentdocumentsareeasilyrejectedautomaticallybythesystem;-Someenterprisesarenotfamiliarwiththenewcommoditycodingrules,andmaymissthepreferentialpolicyofhighertaxrefundrate;-Compliancereviewisstricter,andthepenaltyforfalsedeclaration,falseinvoicingandotheractsisincreasedby30%.

How Zhongshen Helps Enterprises Obtain the Benefits of the New Policy

As a professional institution that has been deeply engaged in the foreign trade agency industry in Shanghai for more than 20 years,Zhongshen has launched targeted services for the 2026 new policy to help enterprises accurately grasp opportunities and avoid risks:

1.Accurate Policy Matching: Avoid Missing Preferential Benefits

Supervisor Ruan’s team at Zhongshen will establish a "commodity code ledger" for each client,and check the 2026 tax refund rate adjustment catalogue one by one.For example,the new functional fabric exported by a textile enterprise was previously subject to a 10% tax refund rate due to wrong code classification.After Supervisor Ruan’s team re-matched the code,it was confirmed that the 13% tax refund rate applies,and the annual tax refund increased by 800,000 yuan.

2.Full-process Agency for Paperless Tax Refund: Shorten the Cycle

For all clients,Zhongshen assists in completing the whole process of operations including electronic port registration,data upload,and document pre-review.A Shanghai-based electronic enterprise previously needed to visit the tax window twice a month for tax refund.Now,through the agency service of Zhongshen,it only needs to submit electronic orders and invoices,the tax refund cycle is shortened from 12 days to 4 days,and the capital turnover efficiency is increased by 60%.

3.Compliance Risk Prevention and Control: Reduce Rejection Rate

Zhongshen has established a "triple review mechanism": ① Review of the matching degree between commodity codes and tax refund rates; ② Review of the consistency of customs declaration forms,bills of lading and invoices; ③ Review of the completeness of foreign exchange receipt certificates.Since 2026,the tax refund declaration pass rate of agency clients has reached 100%,and there is no case of rejection due to data errors.

Comparison Table of Tax Refund Processes Before and After the New Policy

Practical Suggestions for Enterprises: First Step to Adapt to the Policy

It is recommended that all export enterprises complete two key actions before the end of March 2026: ① Sort out the HS codes of export commodities in the past six months,and check against the 2026 tax refund rate catalogue to confirm whether the increased rate applies; ② Contact Manager Liu from Zhongshen to confirm whether the electronic port authority and data upload process are normal.These two steps can help enterprises avoid missing the benefits of the new policy due to wrong codes or unfamiliarity with the process,and reduce compliance risks at the same time.