The Korean National Tax Service (NTS) said it refunded certain stock capital-gains tax overpayments on November 3, 2026, after reviewing returns for income years 2021 through 2025. It found 4,687 people who had omitted the basic deduction when filing and had consequently paid too much tax. The total refund was KRW 2.1 billion, with a maximum of KRW 790,000 per person in this action. This is not a refund for everyone who sold shares. Nor is the KRW 2.5 million basic deduction a cash payment. It is an amount subtracted from taxable capital-gains income in the calculation. The cover is an AI-generated scene, not a screenshot of NTS records or a notice.
Determine whether this correction applies
The November action concerns previously filed stock capital-gains tax returns for 2021–2025 in which an omitted basic deduction resulted in excess tax. Someone who already used the deduction is not part of this omitted-deduction group. A return for which applying it produces no refundable tax is not included either. The NTS reviewed the filed returns and made the correction without requiring a separate refund claim from the people it identified. This announcement does not establish that every stock sale was reportable, that every taxpayer underpaid or overpaid, or that a reader has a particular refund waiting.
The basic deduction has several limits that matter when checking older returns. Taxable domestic and foreign stock gains share a combined KRW 2.5 million annual stock deduction; they do not each receive that amount separately. The NTS says the stock deduction is separate from the basic deduction for real-estate capital gains in the same year. An unused stock-deduction balance cannot be carried forward to the next year. Multiple transactions and returns in a year therefore need to be considered together rather than multiplying the headline number by the number of shares or accounts.
Check the official refund record, even without a text message
The NTS says a person can check both paid and uncollected refunds after signing in to Hometax or the mobile Sontax service. On Hometax, follow Payments, Notices and Refunds → Detailed Refund Inquiry. On Sontax, open the top-right full menu, then Payments, Notices and Refunds → National Tax Refund → Detailed Refund Inquiry. The English names here explain the Korean menu route; screen translations may vary. Select the inquiry period and type to display the tax category, payment date and refund amount. According to the release, an item with tax category capital-gains tax, income year 2021–2025 and a refund decision dated October 2026 is part of this action.
Not receiving a message does not, by itself, rule out a refund. Conversely, a message containing a link is not proof that money is due. The official account view is the basis for identifying a person's actual amount and payment status. If the expected item is absent or the figures are difficult to reconcile with a return, check the filed records and seek guidance through an official NTS route. A generic example from the release cannot decide an individual case.
Receive the money through the correct route
If the NTS already has a registered refund bank account, it says the money is deposited there without a separate payment application. A person without such an account who wants a transfer can use Payment Application within the detailed refund inquiry and enter an account in their own name. The option to provide an account for this refund is different from registering or changing a refund account for future use. Check which action the official screen offers before submitting details, especially if an old account has been closed.
For someone unable to receive a bank transfer, the release describes cash collection at a post office with the national-tax refund notice and identity document. A lost notice can be reprinted through Hometax or reissued by a nearby tax office. NTS says it sends a mobile notice to account-payment recipients and a postal notice to cash-payment recipients. Those are communication routes, not reasons to supply bank credentials to anyone contacting you outside the official service.
Why the deduction differs from the deposit
KRW 2.5 million reduces the relevant income used to calculate tax; it is not transferred to each person. The NTS example applies the deduction to roughly KRW 6 million in gains, producing a KRW 750,000 refund of principal tax plus about KRW 36,000 in refund interest. That example does not predict another taxpayer's result. Gains, applicable rates, losses, other relief and interest affect the calculation. Overdue tax liabilities may also be offset under the law, so the money actually deposited can differ from a headline refund figure.
The release also states that the related local income-tax refund is handled separately, without a separate application, in the month after the national capital-gains tax refund is paid, at 10% of that refund. Confirm the actual eligibility and timing with the relevant local government. Before assuming any payment is missing, distinguish an amount already paid from one not yet collected, and verify the bank account or cash-collection route shown in the official inquiry.
Avoid refund impersonation
The NTS explicitly says it does not ask for an account password, card number, internet-banking information or an advance transfer to make this refund. Do not enter credentials through a link in an unexpected message or pay a purported processing fee. Navigate to the official Hometax or Sontax service yourself. The release gives 112 for police, 1332 for the Financial Supervisory Service and 118 for the Korea Internet & Security Agency if electronic financial crime is suspected. The official documents below are the primary source for the action and its detailed questions and answers.
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The Life Mokcha editorial team reviews official announcements and primary sources to explain practical information. Check the linked original sources for applicable terms and later updates.
