I'm a freelancer in Korea — how do I file my income tax (종합소득세)?
I work as a freelance designer without belonging to a company, and 3.3% tax is withheld from my pay. I heard I need to file a global income tax return next May, but I'm not sure if foreigners do the same thing or whether I can get some of the withheld tax back. Can I file myself through Hometax, or do I need a tax accountant?
1 Answer
If 3.3% is withheld from your freelance pay, that's business-income withholding, so you file a global income tax return (종합소득세) the following May. Foreigners with income in Korea file just the same. The key point is that the 3.3% is only tax paid in advance, so once you reconcile your yearly income against your expenses, you can get a refund of the difference if your actual tax is lower, which happens often for freelancers without high income. You can file yourself on the Hometax website (hometax.go.kr) or the Sontax app during the May filing period, following the guided steps. If your expenses are complicated or your income is high, a tax accountant is reassuring, while for simpler cases many people use a refund-helper app like SamjeomSam (3.3) to file and claim a refund easily. It helps to organize your year's payment records and work-related expense receipts in advance.