2026 Detailed Import and Export Tax Refund Process: Full Guide for Compliant Enterprise Declaration

2026 Detailed Import and Export Tax Refund Process: Policy Changes and Practical Guide

Many foreign trade enterprises in Shanghai have been paying attention to new trends of import and export tax refund recently.Since 2026,tax authorities have made several key adjustments to the export tax refund process,which directly affects the capital turnover efficiency of enterprises.General Manager Li,who is new to foreign trade,often asks how the current tax refund process has changed and what pitfalls to avoid during declaration.Manager Tang from Zhongshen,with over 20 years of agency experience,breaks down the details clearly for all.

I.Analysis of Core Changes to 2026 Export Tax Refund Policy

This year’s tax refund policy adjustment focuses on two key points,which seem simple but have far-reaching impacts:

• Extended declaration period: Previously,export tax refund declaration needed to be completed before January 15 of the following year,which is now extended to April 30.Enterprises have more time to sort out documents such as customs declaration forms and value-added tax invoices,and no longer need to rush to urge customers to supplement materials around the Spring Festival.
• Increased tax refund rates for some commodities: The tax refund rate for electromechanical products such as smart home appliances and industrial robots has been raised from 15% to 17%,while the rate for textiles remains unchanged at 13%.An enterprise exporting 10 million RMB worth of smart home appliances used to get a 1.5 million RMB refund,but now can get 1.7 million RMB,gaining an extra 200,000 RMB in profit.

II.Opportunities and Challenges of Policy Changes for Enterprises

For Shanghai foreign trade enterprises,these adjustments bring both opportunities and challenges:

Opportunities:

• More flexible capital turnover: After the extension of the declaration period,small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises no longer need to advance funds to meet the tax refund deadline,and their cash flow pressure is significantly relieved.
• Expanded profit margin: The increased tax refund rate for electromechanical products directly increases revenue from export links,and some enterprises have adjusted their export structure to take more orders for smart home appliances.

Challenges:

• Compliance requirements are not relaxed: Tax authorities conduct stricter review of declaration materials.The commodity codes on customs declaration forms and value-added tax invoices must be completely consistent,and any minor error may lead to application rejection.
• New process adaptation cost: Some enterprise financial staff are not familiar with the new deadline,so they are prone to miss the declaration time,leading to unnecessary losses.

III.How Does Zhongshen Help Enterprises Implement the Tax Refund Process?

In response to policy changes,Manager Tang from Zhongshen summarizes three major implementation service directions to help customers solve practical problems:

General Manager Zhang,who started cooperation last year,used to be frequently rejected for tax refund due to inconsistent codes on customs declaration forms and invoices when handling it independently,and it took 2 months to get the tax refund.Now with document verification by Zhongshen specialists,he receives the tax refund 10 days after declaration,with greatly improved capital turnover efficiency.

IV.2026 Detailed Import and Export Tax Refund Process (Practical Version)

Many enterprises ask about the current tax refund process.Manager Tang summarizes 6 key steps combined with practical operation:

• Pre-document preparation: Obtain the customs declaration form (special copy for export tax refund) after export goods declaration,request the special value-added tax invoice (deduction copy) from the supplier,and ensure that the invoice title and commodity code are consistent with those on the customs declaration form.
• Declaration on electronic tax bureau: Log in to the system and enter the "Export Tax Refund Declaration Module",fill in the "Export Goods Tax Refund (Exemption) Declaration Details Form",and upload electronic scanned copies of customs declaration forms and invoices (no need to mail paper copies in 2026).
• Tax review feedback: Tax authorities complete the review within 3-5 working days.If there are errors in materials,feedback will be given through the system (such as inconsistent codes,amount differences),and enterprises need to revise and resubmit within 10 days.
• On-site verification (for some enterprises): For newly established enterprises or enterprises with export volume exceeding 5 million RMB,tax authorities may conduct on-site verification of goods authenticity (warehouse inventory and logistics records need to be provided).
• Tax refund approval and disbursement: After review is passed,tax authorities submit the application to the state treasury,and the tax refund will be credited to the enterprise account within 5-7 working days.
• Subsequent financial follow-up: Conduct financial accounting after receiving the tax refund,and Zhongshen assists in checking the credited amount to avoid errors.

It should be noted that the "customs declaration electronic signature verification" requirement is newly added in 2026.The PDF version of the customs declaration form with official customs electronic signature must be uploaded during declaration,otherwise the review cannot be passed.

V.Practical Suggestions for Enterprises: Sort Out Commodity Code List in Advance

Manager Tang gives a practical suggestion to all foreign trade enterprises: sort out the customs code list of export commodities in advance,and confirm with the supplier whether the invoice code is consistent before placing each order.Many enterprises have their tax refund applications rejected because of inconsistent codes.For example,mistyping "smart inverter washing machine" as "washing machine",with a two-digit difference in code,will lead to tax refund failure.Zhongshen can help enterprises sort out the code list for free to avoid such pitfalls.

Competition among foreign trade enterprises in Shanghai is fierce now.Faster tax refund process and faster capital turnover can give enterprises an extra advantage over peers.If enterprises find it troublesome to handle tax refund on their own,or are not familiar with new policies,they may consider seeking support from professional agents.A team with over 20 years of experience can help you avoid many unnecessary detours.