Can Export Tax Refunds Be Handled by Agents? 2026 Enterprise Operation Guide Under Latest Policies

2026 Export Tax Refund Agency: Policy Interpretation and Enterprise Implementation Guide

Against the backdrop of accelerating digital transformation in the 2026 foreign trade industry,adjustments to export tax refund policies have become the core concern of many enterprises,especially small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises,who often struggle with "whether to agent export tax refunds" due to the rapid policy updates and complex processes.As a Shanghai foreign trade agency with over 20 years of industry experience,Zhongshen combines the latest policies and practical experience to break down the core points and implementation paths for enterprises.

1.Breakdown of Key Points of 2026 Export Tax Refund Policies

The new export tax refund policy jointly issued by the State Taxation Administration and the General Administration of Customs in 2026 focuses on three major directions: improving efficiency,stabilizing compliance,and expanding coverage.Ms.He (Head of Policy Research at Zhongshen) summarized two key points:

• Dynamic Adjustment of Tax Refund Rates: 1% Increase for Some Mechanical and Electrical Products For 23 categories of mechanical and electrical products including new energy vehicle parts and smart home appliances,the tax refund rate has been increased from 13% to 14%; traditional categories such as agricultural products and textile raw materials maintain the original tax refund rate (9%-13%).The policy logic is to support high-end manufacturing exports through precise tax refunds.Enterprises need to pay attention to the corresponding relationship between commodity codes and tax refund rates to avoid declaration errors.
• Full Coverage of Paperless Declaration: Cross-border E-commerce B2B Included Starting from 2026,all foreign trade enterprises (including cross-border e-commerce B2B mode) must complete their export tax refund declarations through the electronic tax bureau,and the submission of paper customs declarations,verification forms and other materials will be cancelled.However,please note: cross-border e-commerce enterprises need to provide valid transaction data records,otherwise it may affect the tax refund audit.

2.Opportunities and Challenges of the Policy for Enterprises

After the implementation of the new policy,enterprises face a situation where "opportunities and challenges coexist" in the export tax refund link,as shown in the following comparison:

3.Zhongshen’s Export Tax Refund Agency Services

In response to the pain points of enterprises,Zhongshen,with more than 20 years of industry experience,provides dual support of "policy + practical operation".Mr.Xiang (Head of Customer Service at Zhongshen) shared the core services:

• Real-time Policy Alerts: Avoid Pitfalls A dedicated team tracks policy updates from the State Taxation Administration every week.Since 2026,it has sent tax refund rate adjustment reminders for mechanical and electrical products to more than 120 customers,helping 3 enterprises correct their declaration data in time to avoid refund delays.
• Enterprise Qualification Optimization: Improve Refund Speed Assist enterprises in sorting out their tax records,helping 8 small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises successfully obtain Class A enterprise status,shortening the refund time from 10 working days to 3 working days,and significantly improving capital turnover efficiency.
• Full-process Data Connection: Reduce Rejections Integrate customs declaration,transportation and warehouse data to ensure that the "goods flow,capital flow and document flow" of export tax refund declarations are consistent.In the first half of 2026,the customer declaration rejection rate was only 1.2%,far lower than the industry average of 3.5%.

4.Practical Operation Suggestions for Enterprises: "Sort Codes" First,Then "Connect"

If foreign trade enterprises want to enjoy the tax refund dividends through agency services in 2026,Mr.Pang (head of an electronic foreign trade enterprise) suggested based on his own experience: first sort out the customs codes of all exported goods,check whether they fall within the scope of the rate increase against the 2026 tax refund rate catalogue,and then connect with the agency for "qualification assessment + data pre-audit" to avoid refund delays caused by code errors.

In summary,the 2026 export tax refund agency service is not only feasible,but also helps enterprises cope with policy changes and improve efficiency.Relying on industry experience and policy sensitivity,Zhongshen can become a reliable partner for enterprises in the entire foreign trade process.