Songpa-gu, 2024 Second Half Local Tax Unclaimed Refunds Repayment

7,616 Cases to be Settled in the Second Half of This Year... Refund Applications Available via Internet (iTax), Phone, and Text
Annual Simultaneous Settlement Period Operated in First and Second Half → Encouraging Refunds Before 5-Year Expiration

Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) has designated the entire month of November as the "Local Tax Unclaimed Refunds Intensive Settlement Period" and is taking steps to return 636 million KRW in unclaimed taxes to taxpayers.

The target for unclaimed refunds in the second half of 2024 in Songpa-gu totals 7,616 cases, of which 81% are small refunds under 50,000 KRW. These mainly arise from situations such as automobile tax prepayment followed by vehicle ownership transfer or cancellation (e.g., scrapping), income tax correction decisions, taxpayer reporting errors, and double payments.

Since these amounts cannot be reclaimed after five years from the payment decision date, the district operates the Local Tax Unclaimed Refunds Intensive Settlement Period every year in both the first and second halves. In the first half of this year, Songpa-gu successfully settled 1.57 billion KRW, which is 91% of the total unclaimed refunds amounting to 1.72 billion KRW.

In the second half, the district continues to strive to minimize unclaimed refunds. After reorganizing resident registration data such as the addresses and names of refund recipients, refund notices are sent by mail. For small amounts under 1,000 KRW, a donation application form is enclosed to encourage easy participation in sharing. For corporate taxpayers, location updates, on-site investigations, and notification letters will also be conducted.

Notably, during this year’s second half intensive settlement period, KakaoTalk notification messages will be sent to local tax refund recipients who have not yet claimed their refunds. Taxpayers receiving the notification can immediately check and apply for local tax refunds through the STAX (app) via the link provided in the notification message.

Seok-Suk Seo, Mayor of Songpa District

The KakaoTalk notification service, which began sending messages in July this year, showed a high refund rate of approximately 89% for refund applications after receipt and viewing, according to results up to September.

Additionally, the district promotes the intensive settlement period through its website and is making multifaceted efforts to protect taxpayer rights.

Unclaimed refunds can be directly checked and applied for through various channels. They can be viewed and applied for online via ETAX (Seoul City), WETAX, STAX (app), etc. By pre-registering a bank account number in preparation for refund occurrences, refunds will be automatically returned later without separate application, making the process convenient.

Taxpayers who receive refund notices can inquire by phone via ARS or the district’s tax administration department, and applications can also be made via text message. However, if local taxes or non-tax revenues are overdue, the outstanding amounts will be deducted first, and the remaining balance will be refunded.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, stated, “We will focus on promoting this intensive settlement period to ensure that residents’ rights to claim refunds do not expire unnecessarily,” and added, “We will continue to take the lead in protecting the valuable property rights of our residents and realize trusted tax administration.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.