Tax Agency?

Do you know of any tax agencies that can represent me for the tax refund on lumpsum withdrawal of pension funds?

Thank you

You can actually represent yourself if you maintain your bank account in Japan. If your bank supports online banking than it would be a simple matter to remit the money to your bank account abroad using a service such as golloyds.

Thank you. I didn't know that it's possible. But, how do we file for tax refund when we're not in Japan?

Appreciate your reply.

Assuming that you registered your tax representative before leaving Japan, then upon receipt of your pension refund you mail in the a form and the letter that they send you that verifies that the refund has been deposited to your account. Then you wait a few months and the tax refund will be deposited into your tax representative's account.

This site has the forms that your require and a good description of the procedure:

http://www.gunmajet.net/node/614

If you didn't register your tax rep before leaving Japan then it may be more difficult. I know that you can return to your tax office in Japan and register in person, but I'm not sure that they accept registration by mail (I would guess not). In that case you will need to find someone to be your tax rep who will need to register in person for you. I'm sorry, but I don't know of any agencies that provide this as a service.

I see. So I really need someone to be my tax representative to file the tax refund form.

yllwsmrf, thank you for your reply.

Anyone else who knows some companies that can be my tax representative?

This is quite a confusing process. Apparently, you can assign a tax rep after leaving Japan.

http://www.sia.go.jp/e/lw.html

Claims for tax refunds can be made at tax offices. Before leaving Japan, please submit a gnotification of tax agenth (provided at each tax office) to the relevant tax office (tax office with jurisdiction over the address where you filed for alien registration before departure from Japan) and designate your agent. Eligibility as a tax agent requires only gresidence in Japanh. If you left Japan without filing the gnotification of tax agent,h please submit it when making your claim for a tax refund.

A saw a company that will be your tax rep for 25,000 yen. You don't have any friends in Japan that can do this for you (for free)?

I think it will be difficult for them to fill-up the tax refund form in Japanese coz they're all foreigners.

Its really very easy, and just requires that you just write down a few names and addresses. I'm sure your friends can write their address in Japanese, and if not then you can fill out the form and post it to them to turn in at the tax office. Actually I think you can even fill it out in in Romaji. Here's a copy of the form (which was included on the link I posted earlier).

http://www.gunmajet.net/files/Tax%20Representative%20Form%20%28Pension...

for the link but I was talking about the tax refund form and not the tax representative form

Sorry i misread your earlier post. As for the tax refund form, if I remember correctly the information that was required was of your tax representative's bank account, i.e. bank name, branch, and account number, and it was not difficult to fill out. Do you have any Japanese colleagues that would be willing to do this for you?

Those are the only items needed for the tax refund? I thought that the form would look something like the tax return forms. I can't find the form in the internet.

Anyway, I'll search for it again.