Whether you’re still comparing how to handle accounting for a China entity or already running a WFOE, this guide covers your options — then how we manage your accounting records, tax filings, and fapiao administration on an ongoing monthly basis, so your team never has to track Chinese filing deadlines or navigate the tax bureau directly.
Every WFOE has monthly filing obligations from the date of registration — regardless of revenue or activity. We take care of all of it, and you receive a clean monthly financial package.
Chinese accounting runs on different rules from most Western systems — Chinese Accounting Standards (CAS), a real-time digital fapiao system, and monthly filings that apply from your first month of registration, whether or not you’ve earned any revenue. Most foreign companies handle this one of three ways.
Someone on your team learns the CAS filing system directly. Workable for a very small entity with simple transactions, but Golden Tax Phase IV’s real-time cross-checking makes errors easy to trigger and costly to unwind.
Lower monthly cost, but coverage is usually limited to basic filings. Export refunds, IIT for a foreign legal representative, or coordination with an overseas parent company are often outside scope.
A single provider covers bookkeeping, all statutory filings, fapiao administration, and English-language reporting for your parent company — typically running from a few thousand to over ten thousand RMB per month depending on transaction volume and taxpayer status.
The right fit depends mainly on transaction volume, whether you’re a general or small-scale VAT taxpayer, and whether you need reporting in English for a parent company. If you haven’t registered a China entity yet, the accounting setup — and its ongoing cost — is worth factoring into your market entry planning before you choose a structure.
We maintain your company’s accounting records in accordance with Chinese Accounting Standards (CAS) on a full-cycle monthly basis — from source document collection through to financial statement preparation.
A complete monthly financial package — bookkeeping records, trial balance, and financial statements prepared in both Chinese (regulatory) and English (management). Ready for parent company reporting, bank submission, or auditor handover.
We handle all statutory tax declarations on your behalf — monthly, quarterly, and annual. Every filing is prepared from the bookkeeping records we maintain, submitted on time, and confirmed back to you with the official receipt.
Monthly filing confirmation with official tax bureau receipts. Quarterly CIT prepayment summary. Annual CIT settlement report with year-on-year comparison. All documents stored and available for audit or bank requests.
For tax registration, taxpayer status changes, legal representative updates, and tax deregistration, see our Tax Filing & Compliance service →
China’s fapiao system is fully digitised and monitored in real time by the tax bureau. We manage your company’s invoicing operations end to end — from issuing invoices to clients through to verifying supplier invoices and reconciling your monthly VAT position.
Your company’s VAT taxpayer status determines what invoices you can issue and whether you can claim input VAT deductions. This is set at registration — we advise on the right status for your business model before you register.
Not sure which taxpayer status is right for your WFOE? Tax status interacts with your entity structure, business scope, and client requirements. See our full guide: Entity Structure & Tax Status Planning →
If your WFOE exports goods or qualifying cross-border services, you may be entitled to recover VAT paid on inputs. We manage the full refund application process — from eligibility assessment through to receipt of the refund.
Input VAT on exported goods is refunded after export. Refund rates vary by HS code — typically 9% or 13%. Available to general taxpayer exporters.
Output VAT on the export is waived. Simpler to administer but no separate input VAT refund. Typically applies to small-scale taxpayers.
Consulting, technology, and R&D services provided to overseas clients may qualify for zero-rated VAT treatment with proper contract and FX documentation.
Refund application submitted and tracked. Average processing time: 1–3 months depending on the local tax bureau. Refund amount confirmed and reconciled against your accounting records on receipt.
Foreign legal representatives of WFOEs often have IIT obligations in China that go beyond standard payroll withholding — particularly where income comes from multiple sources or includes overseas compensation. We manage the annual IIT settlement filing on their behalf.
Annual IIT settlement filing confirmed, with official tax bureau receipt. Refund claim submitted where applicable (filing window: 1 March – 30 June of the following year). Written summary of the year’s IIT position for your records.
We monitor all filing deadlines across the calendar year as part of our ongoing service. Nothing falls through the cracks.
Monthly outsourced bookkeeping for a foreign-invested company typically runs from a few thousand RMB for a small-scale taxpayer with low transaction volume, up to over ten thousand RMB per month for a general taxpayer with higher volume, export activity, or payroll to process. The exact fee depends on transaction count, VAT taxpayer status, and whether English-language reporting is required. We provide a fixed monthly quote after a short review of your entity’s activity.
Yes, for the ongoing monthly bookkeeping and tax filing services on this page — these are tied to a registered China entity’s tax obligations. If you’re still deciding whether to set up a WFOE, representative office, or another structure, our market entry strategy service can help you choose the right structure first, with accounting requirements factored into that decision.
Yes. Filing obligations begin from the month of tax registration — typically within a few weeks of company registration. A company with no revenue must still submit nil (zero) declarations each month. We handle this as part of our standard monthly service, so you don’t need to track it yourself.
Not directly. Small-scale taxpayers can apply to the local tax bureau to have special invoices issued on their behalf for specific transactions, but this is not a standard arrangement. If your business regularly needs to issue special invoices — because your clients are general taxpayers who require input VAT — upgrading to general taxpayer status is usually the practical solution. We advise on this during onboarding.
A VAT refund means the input VAT you already paid on goods and materials used in the exported product is refunded in cash after export. VAT exemption means the output VAT on the export transaction is simply waived — but there is no refund of input VAT. For manufacturing exporters with significant input costs, the refund is generally more valuable. We assess which mechanism applies to your business as part of our export refund service.
Potentially yes. A foreign legal representative who qualifies as a Chinese tax resident (present in China for 183 days or more in a calendar year) is subject to IIT on worldwide income — including salary paid by the parent company overseas. We conduct a residency and income review for legal representatives as part of our IIT service to determine their actual filing obligations.
Golden Tax Phase IV significantly increases the tax bureau’s ability to cross-check your reported figures against bank transactions, invoice data, and third-party sources in real time. For a detailed breakdown of what has changed and what it means for WFOE operations in 2026, read our dedicated guide: Golden Tax Phase IV: WFOE Compliance Guide 2026 →
We manage monthly bookkeeping, all tax filings, fapiao, and year-end compliance — so your team can focus on the business.