Introduction to China IIT Law Five-year Exemption Rule
Article 6 of the existing Regulations for Implementation of the Individual Income Tax Law of the People's Republic of China (‘Old Regulations’) offers a Five-year Exemption Rule to foreign individuals and residents of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, that is, foreign individuals who are considered to be China tax residents but has been staying in China for less than 5 consecutive years are exempted from tax on income sourced from outside China.
The Regulations for Implementation of the Individual Income Tax Law of the People's Republic of China (Revised Draft Seeking Opinions) (‘New Regulations’), announced on 20 October 2018 by the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation, keeps the Five-year Exemption Rule with a couple of minor changes to the requirements.
The consultation period for the New Regulations had just ended recently on 4 November 2018. It is pending the final revision by the State Tax Administration with the public opinion collected. The revised implementation rule is set to take effect from 1 January 2019.
1. Tax Resident and “Five-year Exemption Rule” under Old IIT Law