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How to get Tax release form after leaving Hong Kong

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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Posts
    29

    How to get Tax release form after leaving Hong Kong

    Hi all,

    I have permanently left Hong Kong since early Feb 2023, however I am currently still employed for a company in Hong Kong and working remotely. My contract ends on the 31st of March 2023, so this is effectively my last month of employment in HK.

    On 28th Feb, my company sent me the IR56G form which I promptly sent to the IRD at [email protected] and requested them to send me the amount I owe in Tax so that I can clear the dues and get my tax release form.

    The automated response I received said it would take not later than 21 days for them to get back to me. As of today (23rd March) it's been about 17 days and I have not received any response.

    So would like some advise on how to proceed:

    1. Should I wait the full 21 days and see if they respond via email? I have sent a follow up email again today.
    2. Should I continue calling on their General Enquiry hotline (i.e. 2519 9316)? I did try a few times but never got through.

    Any advice on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated.

    Thank you in advance


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Feb 2009
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    8,450

    IR56G is for employee that is about to depart Hong Kong, and should be submitted no later than one month before your date of departure from Hong Kong. So you're screwed mate!

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  3. #3

    Join Date
    Jul 2016
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    29
    Quote Originally Posted by bdw:
    IR56G is for employee that is about to depart Hong Kong, and should be submitted no later than one month before your date of departure from Hong Kong. So you're screwed mate!

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    Yes. As I can't do anything about it now, I am wondering how can I get a response from IRD about my situation? i.e. what would be the best way to contact them

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Feb 2009
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    If your company has paid your final salary, there is no need to contact IRD. Just do a regular tax return using form BIR60 after end of March as you do every year, which can all be done online.

    Only if your company is withholding your final months salary then you need to mess around separately with IRD. If you need to do this, I guess will be quite tricky to do from overseas, need to visit about 5 different people on 5 different levels of IRD building to do an interim tax return, make the payment, get handed the letter in a sealed envelope which you are not allowed to open, then you hand it to your company, company pays your final month salary.


  5. #5

    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Posts
    29

    Thank you @bdw

    I guess they are going to withhold my final months salary as the accounts department at my company sent me an email asking for a transaction slip of my tax settlement.

    I am guessing no other option now other than continuing to call the IRD general hotline and see if I can go through.


  6. #6

    Join Date
    Feb 2009
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    If you company is "nice" and reasonable and you leave on good terms, try to get them to pay your final salary and tell them you will do taxes as normal after March 30th. This is not technically correct but many people do this and IRD accepts it, there are some grey areas here. But there is risk to your company, if you take off and dont pay final takes, they can be punished. So they have to trust you. This is completely your companies decision whether they will do this or not, if they do will make your life much easier.

    My company HR were arseholes that did everything by the book, even I keep working from them from an overseas branch office they still withheld my HK salary and made me spend half a day in the tax office doing stupid things to get a release letter before they paid me.

    ecy5mak likes this.

  7. #7

    Join Date
    May 2021
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    1,725
    Quote Originally Posted by bdw:
    If your company has paid your final salary, there is no need to contact IRD. Just do a regular tax return using form BIR60 after end of March as you do every year, which can all be done online.
    How do you deal with provisional tax in this case? File separately to claim it back or wait for next year tax return!!

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Posts
    8,450
    Quote Originally Posted by ndt:
    How do you deal with provisional tax in this case? File separately to claim it back or wait for next year tax return!!
    You do your tax as normal. Demand notice comes back saying you owe $XYZ which is the final tax for previous year, plus provisional tax for next year. Before payment is due, you then contact IRD and apply to hold over the provisional tax, on the grounds that you have ceased to derive income chargable to salaries tax. IRD will then revise the demand notice and in most cases you will pay very little tax, or might even get a refund.
    ndt and shri like this.