On March 31, the National Tax Service officially launched the 'One-Click Service', which allows users to receive free refunds of up to five years' worth of comprehensive income tax with one click.
If you click the 'One-click Refund Report' button on the Hometax or Sontax app, you can check the comprehensive income tax refund history for the past five years and apply immediately. If there are no changes, the refund will be paid within one month of application, and there is no need to provide personal information or pay any fees.
The new service is expected to benefit mainly those who are likely to miss filing their comprehensive income tax refunds, such as delivery riders, private tutors, and other human service workers, N-jobbers (24%), and senior citizens over 60 (34%). The National Tax Service plans to return a total of KRW 290 billion (an average of KRW 93,000 per person) to 3.11 million people this year.
The National Tax Service's strengthening of public services is having a big impact on private tax platforms, especially 'Samjwisam'. 'Samjwisam' receives a fee of 10~20% when applying for a refund and must delegate the user's personal information and access to Hometax, which has also caused controversy.
In 2024, there was a surge in excessive refund applications due to exaggerated advertising, which resulted in the paralysis of the National Tax Service computer network and the imposition of additional taxes. The National Tax Service explained the background of introducing the one-click service as an accurate and safe alternative, saying, “National computer resources cannot be used for the profit-making purposes of a specific private platform.”
Jarvis & Villains, the operator of Samjyeonsam, is pushing to enter the Japanese market in preparation for the shrinking domestic refund market. The analysis is that Japan has a refund market 2-3 times larger than Korea and there is no B2C tax refund platform, so there are many opportunities. Jarvis stated, “We will continue to operate domestic services and monitor the trends of National Tax Service users.”
Individual guidance will be provided to those eligible for a refund through the National Tax Service's official notification message, and there is no need to worry about smishing through Hometax (www.hometax.go.kr) and verify your identity to check whether you will receive a refund. The National Tax Service explained, “Because the refund amount is calculated by reflecting the deduction requirements through big data analysis, the possibility of an over-refund is low and there is no risk of additional taxes.”
