HELP FOREIGN BUSINESSES SUCCEED IN CHINA AT EVERY STAGE

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China VAT Invoicing & Export Tax Refunds: We Manage Your Fapiao and Recover Your VAT

We handle your company’s full VAT invoicing cycle — issuing fapiao to clients, verifying supplier invoices, managing deductions — and where your business exports goods or qualifying services, we apply for and track your export VAT refund.

China’s fapiao system is monitored in real time by the tax bureau. Every invoice your company issues or receives is logged the moment it’s created. We make sure your invoicing is clean, your deductions are maximised, and your export refund claims are filed correctly.

Invoice Management

VAT Invoice (Fapiao) Management

We manage all aspects of your company’s VAT invoice operations — issuing invoices to your clients, maintaining your tax control device, and keeping your monthly invoicing records reconciled with your VAT return.

What We Do

  • Issue VAT ordinary invoices (普通发票 / 普票) on your behalf
  • Issue VAT special invoices (增值税专用发票 / 专票) where your company is a general taxpayer
  • Manage monthly invoicing quota and tax control device (金税盘) maintenance
  • Process red-letter corrections (红冲) for incorrectly issued invoices
  • Maintain a full monthly invoicing log reconciled against your VAT return

What You Provide

  • Client billing details (company name, tax registration number, amount, item description)
  • Notification of any invoices requiring correction or cancellation

What You Receive

Invoices issued and delivered to your clients (electronic or paper as required). Monthly invoicing summary report, reconciled with your VAT filing. Any invoicing issues flagged and resolved before month-end close.

普票 vs 专票: Ordinary invoices (普票) cannot be used by your clients to claim input VAT deductions. Special invoices (专票) can — making them essential for B2B transactions where your clients are general taxpayers. We advise on which type to issue for each transaction. For taxpayer status registration and upgrades, see our Tax Filing & Compliance service →

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Deduction Management

Input VAT Deduction Management

Every special invoice you receive from a supplier represents a potential VAT deduction — reducing the net VAT your company pays each month. We verify, certify, and track all incoming invoices to make sure no deductible VAT is missed or forfeited through an expired certification window.

What We Do

  • Verify the authenticity of all supplier invoices received via the Golden Tax System
  • Track deductible input invoices and ensure certification is completed within the statutory window
  • Identify non-deductible situations (entertainment expenses, non-business-related purchases)
  • Calculate net monthly input VAT and apply against output VAT
  • Flag any invalid, duplicate, or at-risk invoices before they are booked

What You Provide

  • All supplier invoices received during the month
  • Context on any unusual or large purchases where deductibility may be in question

What You Receive

Monthly input VAT deduction summary, incorporated into your VAT return. Advance warning of any invoices approaching the certification deadline. Invalid or expired invoices flagged before they create a compliance issue.

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Export Businesses

Export VAT Refund

WFOEs that export goods may be eligible to reclaim the VAT paid on purchases and production inputs — effectively removing the domestic tax burden from exported products. We handle the full refund application on your behalf.

Eligibility: What We Assess Before Applying

Not every exporting company qualifies automatically. Before filing, we review the following factors with you:

What We Do

  • Assess eligibility across all qualifying criteria before application
  • Match customs export declarations (报关单) to corresponding VAT special invoices
  • Prepare and submit the full refund application to the tax bureau
  • Coordinate foreign exchange receipt reconciliation (外汇核销)
  • Assist the legal representative in preparing for and attending tax bureau refund interviews
  • Follow up on application status and communicate progress as it develops

What You Provide

  • Customs export declarations (报关单)
  • VAT special invoices corresponding to exported goods
  • Foreign exchange receipt documentation
  • Export contracts

What You Receive

Refund application submitted with all supporting documentation. Ongoing status updates as the tax bureau processes the claim. Legal representative interview support where the tax bureau requests a face-to-face review. Refund receipt confirmed and reconciled in your accounting records once processed.

On refund timelines: We manage the application and follow-up — but the processing timeline depends on your local tax bureau’s workload and current policy directives. We do not guarantee a specific timeframe. We will keep you informed of progress and escalate where delays arise.

The Three Export VAT Mechanisms

Mechanism
Applicable To
We Provide
出口退税
Export VAT Refund
General taxpayer WFOEs exporting goods; input VAT on production/purchase is refunded after export
Full application management including interview support
出口免税
Export VAT Exemption
Small-scale taxpayers and certain specific goods categories; output VAT on the export is waived
Filing and registration assistance
跨境零税率
Zero-Rate Cross-Border Services
Qualifying services provided to overseas clients (consulting, technology, R&D)
Eligibility assessment and registration — see below

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Service Exporters

Zero-Rate Cross-Border Services

WFOEs providing qualifying services to overseas clients can apply for zero-rated VAT treatment — meaning no output VAT is charged on those service revenues. We assess your eligibility, handle the registration, and integrate this into your monthly VAT filings.

What We Do

  • Assess whether your service type and contract structure qualifies for zero-rate treatment
  • Complete the zero-rate VAT registration with the tax bureau
  • Prepare supporting contract and foreign exchange receipt documentation
  • Integrate zero-rate reporting into your monthly VAT return
  • Monitor policy updates that may affect your qualifying status

What You Provide

  • Service contracts (Chinese and English)
  • Overseas client details
  • Foreign currency receipt documentation

Qualifying Service Types

Management Consulting

Advisory and consulting services delivered to overseas entities

Technology Services

Software development, system integration, technical support for overseas clients

R&D Services

Contract research and development carried out in China for overseas principals

IT & Information Services

Data processing, cloud services, information technology outsourcing

What You Receive

Zero-rate qualification confirmed. Registration completed with the tax bureau. Zero-rate revenues correctly reported in your monthly VAT return, with documentation archived for audit purposes.

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Quick Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a 普票 and a 专票, and which should my company issue?

A 普票 (ordinary invoice) cannot be used by your client to claim input VAT deductions. A 专票 (special invoice) can — making it the standard requirement for B2B transactions where your clients are general taxpayers. If your clients are individual consumers, small-scale taxpayers, or entities that do not need input VAT recovery, a 普票 is sufficient. We advise on the appropriate type for each client relationship during onboarding, and flag any cases where issuing the wrong type could create an issue.

Our supplier gave us a 普票 instead of a 专票. Can we ask them to reissue it?

Yes — you can request your supplier to cancel the 普票 and reissue a 专票, provided your company is a general taxpayer and the transaction qualifies. The supplier needs to process a red-letter cancellation (红冲) of the original invoice before issuing the replacement. We can advise you on how to make this request and what to check before accepting the reissued invoice.

Is the export VAT refund or export VAT exemption better for my company?

For most manufacturing or trading WFOEs with significant input costs, the refund mechanism is more valuable — you get actual cash back on VAT already paid. The exemption only waives future output VAT; it does not recover past input VAT. The right answer depends on your cost structure and taxpayer status. We assess this as part of our eligibility review before recommending which mechanism to apply for.

We only provide cross-border services — we don’t export goods. Is there any VAT we can recover?

Potentially yes. If your services qualify for zero-rate VAT treatment, you will not be charged output VAT on those revenues going forward — which reduces your net VAT liability. Unlike the goods export refund, zero-rate services do not generate a cash refund of past input VAT, but they do eliminate the ongoing VAT cost on qualifying service revenues. We assess whether your service types qualify as part of our onboarding review.

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Want us to manage your fapiao and recover your export VAT?

We handle the full invoicing cycle and export refund process — so you capture every deduction and refund your business is entitled to.

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