14 Days to Taiwan 2026 Tax Deadline: Extension Applications, Last-Week Tax-Saving Tips, and Refund Inquiry

Taiwan’s 2026 individual income tax filing season ends on May 31 — just 14 days away. Whether you haven’t filed yet, want to amend a return you already submitted, or want to know exactly when your refund hits, this guide covers it. From online filing and extension applications to last-minute deductions and the July refund schedule, here’s how to wrap up tax season without panic. Information current as of May 2026.

14 days left: what to do if you haven’t filed yet

Taiwan’s 2026 income tax filing season runs from May 1 to May 31. Miss the deadline and the National Taxation Bureau adds a 1% late surcharge per day on the tax payable, capped at 15%. Once you’re 30 days overdue, the bureau assesses your tax directly and pursues collection — at that point, you’ve lost any room to push back.

If you haven’t started, you have two paths now: file online, or apply for an extension. Online filing skips the card reader — you can log in with your NHI card and registration password, mobile-phone authentication, or the Ministry of Finance’s eTax Mobile Service app. The recommended portal is the MOF’s Individual Income Tax e-Filing and Tax Payment System, which auto-imports your withholding statements, insurance premiums, donations, and medical expenses. Most people finish in 15 minutes.

If you don’t have a tax password yet, NHI card + registration password is the fastest route — you can register on your phone in minutes. Prefer a physical workflow? Convenience-store KIOSKs can print your income statement so you can review it at home. Use a date calculator to count down to May 31, and set an alarm for May 29 to avoid the last-day system crush.

Truly out of time: 3 steps to apply for installments online

If your trial calculation shows a large amount due and you can’t pay it in one shot, you can apply for installment payments — up to 36 installments, with each installment no less than NT$3,000. The interest rate tracks the one-year postal savings deposit rate, roughly 1.6% in 2026 — far below revolving credit card interest.

Three steps to apply for installments:

Tick the installment box when filing online: In the e-filing system, when choosing your payment method, select “Apply for installment tax payment” and the system calculates each installment amount.
Choose the number of installments: Tax due under NT$20,000 splits into 2–3 installments; under NT$50,000 into up to 6; up to 36 installments maximum. More installments mean more total interest.
Pay after approval: The bureau typically approves within 2–4 weeks. Once approved, you receive a payment slip for each installment — pay on time via ATM or credit card. Miss one installment and you lose installment eligibility entirely.

Note that installments apply only to tax owed, not refunds — if you’re getting money back, you don’t need to apply. If your household has had a major event (job loss, serious illness), you can also apply for a payment deferral of up to one year by submitting supporting documents to your local National Taxation Bureau office.

Last-week tax-saving moves that still work

Many people forget you can take whichever is larger: the standard deduction or itemized deductions. For 2026, the standard deduction is NT$124,000 for singles and NT$248,000 for married couples filing jointly. If your documented expenses add up to more than that, itemizing pays off:

Medical expenses: Receipts for you, your spouse, and dependents (orthodontics, long-term care, childbirth, and health checkups all count). No cap when documented.
Insurance premiums: Personal life insurance, NHI and Labor Insurance, and National Pension contributions — capped at NT$24,000 per person per year.
Donations: Donations to education, culture, public welfare, and charity — capped at 20% of your total gross income. No cap on donations to the government.
Home mortgage interest (owner-occupied): Up to NT$300,000 per household.
Rental expense: If you or your spouse rent a place in Taiwan as your primary residence — capped at NT$120,000 per household.

One more reminder: the Special Preschool Deduction was expanded in 2024 to NT$150,000 per child under age 8, and NT$225,000 per child from the second child onward. Many first-time parents miss this one.

How to check your refund: the 2026 three-batch schedule

Taiwan’s 2026 tax refunds land in three batches:

Batch 1: July 31 — for filers who completed their return before May 10 and chose direct deposit.
Batch 2: October 31 — for filers who filed after May 10, or who filed on paper.
Batch 3: January 20 the following year — for special cases involving supplemental documents or appeals.

To check status: go to the MOF Tax Portal, enter your ID number and date of birth, and look up your record. For the refund method, choose direct deposit to your own bank account — far easier than waiting for a paper check. If your refund hasn’t arrived by early August, first verify that your registered address hasn’t changed and your account number is correct, then call the National Taxation Bureau service line at 0800-000-321.

One critical warning: the National Taxation Bureau will never call you to operate an ATM for a tax refund. Any call asking you to transfer money or share your account password is a scam. Hang up and dial 165 (the anti-fraud hotline).

Filed incorrectly? How to amend your income tax return

What if you realize after filing that you under-reported income, missed a deduction, or applied the wrong tax rate? Two scenarios:

Caught before May 31: Just log back into the e-filing system and overwrite your original return — the system takes the last submission as final. If you filed on paper, you’ll need to resubmit at your local National Taxation Bureau office.

Caught after May 31: You go through the amended return process. If you overpaid, fill out a refund application form and attach the recalculation — you can claim a refund up to 5 years later. If you underpaid, file the make-up payment as soon as possible. Voluntarily paying the shortfall usually triggers only interest; if the bureau catches it first, you face penalties.

Common amendments include: forgetting to claim dependents, omitting dividend income, exceeding the insurance premium cap, and forgetting to list medical receipts. Keep all your documents for at least 5 years after filing — the bureau has a 5-year review window.

FAQ

Will I owe a lot of tax on a monthly salary of NT$40,000?

For a single office worker earning NT$480,000 a year: after subtracting the personal exemption of NT$97,000, the standard deduction of NT$124,000, and the special deduction for salaries and wages of NT$218,000, the taxable income is roughly NT$41,000. That falls in the 5% bracket, so the tax is around NT$2,000. In most cases, the amount your employer already withheld exceeds this, so you’ll see a refund of anywhere from a few thousand to over ten thousand NT dollars.

Is paying tax by credit card worth it?

Depends on the bank’s offer. Most credit cards give 1.5%–3% cashback on tax payments, which usually still nets a profit after the processing fee. But note: most banks don’t count credit card tax payments toward their “regular spending” threshold, so you won’t earn miles or bonus points — just the straight cashback.

Will I get a notification when the refund hits?

Yes. After a direct-deposit refund posts, a notice is mailed to your registered address, and your bank app pushes a notification. Be careful, though: scammers have been sending text messages pretending to be the National Taxation Bureau and asking you to click a link. Only trust the official lookup page on the MOF Tax Portal.

How do I file if I left a job mid-year?

When you leave a job, the company issues a Withholding Statement for Various Incomes listing every salary payment from January 1 to your last day. If you switched jobs mid-year, the new company issues a separate statement — the e-filing system pulls both automatically when you file. Just cross-check the amounts against your original pay slips.

Start now: spend 15 minutes running a trial calculation in the MOF e-filing system to see whether you owe or are owed. If you owe a large amount, apply for installments today. If you’re getting a refund, choose direct deposit to your regular account. With 14 days left, the earlier you file, the sooner your refund arrives — and the sooner this whole tax season is behind you.