"Don't Miss Your Refunds" Hanam City Launches Comprehensive Settlement for Unclaimed Local Tax Refunds

by Lee jonggu

Published 26 Jun.2025 14:19(KST)

Hanam City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Hyunjae) announced on June 26 that it will operate a “Comprehensive Settlement Period for Unclaimed Local Tax Refunds” to ensure that taxpayers can claim their local tax refunds in a timely manner.

Hanam City Hall view. Provided by Hanam City

Unclaimed local tax refunds mainly occur when a vehicle for which automobile tax has been prepaid is transferred, deregistered, or scrapped, or when local income tax is refunded following the finalization of national taxes such as comprehensive income tax and subsequent tax adjustments.

As of the first half of this year, Hanam City’s unclaimed local tax refunds totaled 2,561 cases, amounting to approximately 66.94 million KRW. Of these, 2,387 cases involved small refunds of 50,000 KRW or less, accounting for 93.2% of the total cases.

On June 19, Hanam City sent out refund notices en masse to those eligible for refunds through the Kakao AlimTalk (electronic document) service. The AlimTalk service encrypts the recipient’s personal information and delivers the refund notice as an electronic document without the need for a separate application.

Taxpayers who receive the notice can verify the details through identity authentication and easily apply for a refund via WETAX or the Kakao channel. Refund applications can also be made by phone. However, if there are outstanding local taxes or other public dues, the refund amount will first be used to offset the arrears, and only the remaining balance will be paid to the taxpayer.

Hanam City expects this measure to reduce inconvenience for taxpayers who have difficulty receiving mail, such as those staying abroad or foreigners, and to increase the efficiency of civil service processing by speeding up refunds compared to the traditional mail method.

A Hanam City official emphasized, “Local tax refunds are extinguished if not claimed within five years from the refund decision date, so we urge everyone to claim their refunds within the deadline, even if the amount is small. Hanam City will continue to strive for trustworthy tax administration in the future.”