"Get Back Taxes Paid Unknowingly" Hanam-si Refunds Local Tax Overpayments

Gyeonggi Hanam City (Mayor Lee Hyun-jae) announced on the 12th that it will operate the "Local Tax Unclaimed Refunds Intensive Clearance Period" until the 31st to encourage taxpayers to claim their local tax refunds.

A view of Hanam City Hall. Provided by Hanam City.

Local tax unclaimed refunds occur when a vehicle that has prepaid automobile tax annually is transferred, deregistered, or scrapped, or when local income tax is refunded due to tax adjustments following the final national tax filing such as comprehensive income tax.

This year, Hanam City's local tax unclaimed refunds amounted to 2,260 cases totaling 100,256,000 KRW. Among these, refunds under 50,000 KRW accounted for 2,032 cases, representing 89.9% of the total unclaimed refund cases.

During the intensive clearance period, Hanam City plans to increase citizens' awareness of unclaimed refunds and assist with refund applications through various methods such as sending refund notification letters by mail, announcements on the city hall website, and telephone guidance.

In addition, Hanam City will implement a KakaoTalk notification refund guidance service. This notification service sends encrypted personal information electronically to local tax refund recipients without a separate application.

Taxpayers who receive the KakaoTalk notification can view the notice through identity verification and apply for a refund using WETAX or the Kakao Channel. However, if local tax or non-tax revenue arrears exist when applying for the local tax unclaimed refund, the arrears will be settled first, and the remaining amount will be refunded.

Hanam City expects that the KakaoTalk notification service will improve inconveniences for long-term overseas residents and foreigners who have difficulty receiving notices.

A Hanam City official emphasized, "The right to claim local tax refunds expires five years after the refund decision date, so even small amounts should be claimed within the deadline," and added, "Hanam City will continue to strive to realize trusted tax administration."

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