Interpretation and Implementation Guide of 2026 Qianhai Import and Export Tax Refund Policy

2026 New Qianhai Import and Export Tax Refund Policy: Coexistence of Dividends and Challenges

In the first half of 2026,many import and export enterprises in Qianhai Free Trade Zone found that export tax refunds are credited much faster than last year,but some enterprises received tax warnings due to untimely supplementary materials.This situation comes from the implementation of the new Qianhai import and export tax refund policy,and how to capture new policy dividends while avoiding risks has become a core demand for many enterprises.

I.Breakdown of Core Points of the New Policy

Director Zeng,a senior consultant of a foreign trade agency,mentioned that the 2026 new Qianhai tax refund policy has two key adjustments,covering two dimensions: product scope and audit procedure:

• Tax Refund Rate Optimization: Rate for Some Mechanical and Electrical Products Increased to 17%: It covers three categories of products including new energy vehicle batteries,motor parts,core components of intelligent industrial robots,and high-end medical device accessories.The original tax refund rate was 16%,and under the new policy,enterprises can get an extra 10,000 RMB tax refund for every 1 million RMB of export volume;
• Audit Procedure Upgrading: Enterprises in the Free Trade Zone Enjoy "Refund First,Audit Later": Import and export enterprises registered in Qianhai Free Trade Zone can first submit core documents such as customs declarations and value-added tax invoices to apply for tax refund,and supplement supporting documents such as contracts and logistics documents within 15 working days after the refund is credited.Compared with the original "audit first,refund later" mode,the average crediting time is shortened by 4-7 working days.

II.Opportunities and Challenges of the New Policy for Enterprises

After the implementation of the new policy,opportunities and challenges faced by enterprises are clearly differentiated:

• Opportunities: Accelerated Cash Flow + Increased Revenue:
  • The increased tax refund rate directly increases enterprises’ working capital: a new energy parts enterprise had 80 million RMB export volume in 2025,and can get an extra 800,000 RMB tax refund per year under the new policy;
  • "Refund First,Audit Later" shortens capital turnover cycle: small,medium and micro enterprises reported that early-arrived tax refunds can be directly used for raw material procurement,avoiding short-term capital gaps;
• Challenges: Upgraded Compliance Requirements + Classification Risks:
  • Strict requirement for document supplement deadline: supporting documents must be fully supplemented within 15 working days after refund crediting,overdue will affect subsequent tax refund applications;
  • HS code classification requires high accuracy: if the code of some segmented products (such as cathode materials for new energy vehicle batteries) is incorrectly declared,enterprises will not only fail to enjoy the 17% tax refund rate,but may also face tax verification;

III.How Zhongshen Helps Enterprises Implement the New Policy

Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in foreign trade agency for over 20 years,and has launched targeted services for the new Qianhai policy to help enterprises capture dividends and avoid risks:

• Accurate HS Code Sorting: Avoid Classification Errors: Manager Pang’s team will check the HS code of each export product of the enterprise one by one to confirm whether it falls into the scope of tax refund rate increase.One enterprise previously misclassified intelligent robot core components as ordinary mechanical and electrical products,after sorting,it qualified for the 17% tax refund rate and obtained an extra nearly 200,000 RMB tax refund;
• Process Optimization for "Refund First,Audit Later": Pre-audit and Prepare Supplementary Documents in Advance: Pre-audit core documents such as customs declarations and VAT invoices,and organize supporting documents such as contracts and logistics documents in advance,ensuring full supplement within 15 working days after refund crediting and avoiding overdue for enterprises;
• Compliance Training: Establish Document Filing System: Provide practical training for enterprises to teach them how to file logistics documents,contracts and other documents according to time nodes,reducing the time cost of subsequent document supplement;

IV.Practical Suggestions for Enterprises

Finally,we offer a practical suggestion for enterprises: Sort out customs declarations of export products from the past 6 months now,extract HS codes,and contact your agency to confirm whether they qualify for the increased tax refund rate under the new policy — many enterprises missed the benefits because they did not notice the classification adjustment for segmented products,sorting in advance can avoid omissions.