Tax Refund Estimator
Tax-free shopping doesn’t return the whole 10%. Refund operators keep a handling fee, and small receipts lose the most. Enter your receipts to see what actually comes back.
Enter each receipt separately. The refund is worked out per receipt, and each one needs at least ₩15,000 at a single Tax-Free store.
| Eligible spending | 120,000 KRW |
| VAT inside your prices | 10,909 KRW |
| You get back (est.) | 7,000 KRW |
| Operator’s handling fee (est.) | 3,909 KRW |
| Refund rate on spend | 5.8% |
An estimate anchored to the refund chart published by Global Tax Free, one of the refund operators (as of Aug 25, 2026). Other operators’ charts differ slightly, and for amounts between chart rows the tool estimates the in-between value. Not advice, and nothing you enter is stored.
How it works
How much of Korea’s tax-free shopping refund actually comes back to you, receipt by receipt. It uses the refund chart that Global Tax Free, one of the refund operators, publishes. Between two chart rows it estimates the in-between value, and other operators’ charts differ a little.
Korean prices already include 10% VAT, so the tax inside a price is price × 10/110, about 9%. Refund operators are allowed to keep a handling fee out of that, and the fee bites hardest on small receipts. That’s why real refunds run from roughly 3% to 8% of what you spent.
Because the rules work per receipt: each one needs at least ₩15,000 at a single store, a receipt under ₩1,000,000 can be refunded right at the register, and the refund steps up in brackets as the receipt gets bigger. Splitting a purchase into receipts under ₩15,000 loses the refund entirely, and small receipts usually get the worst rates. The bracket each receipt falls into is what sets the amount.
No. There’s no login, and the math runs in your browser. Nothing you type is stored.
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Questions visitors ask
Yes. Staffed counters and kiosks at Incheon (T1 3F near Gate 28; T2 3F near Gates 250–253), Gimpo, Gimhae, and Jeju pay cash in KRW (some desks also USD/JPY/CNY), or to a credit card, Alipay, or WeChat. Card refunds take roughly 1–2 months to arrive, and large amounts may be paid to card rather than cash.
Be ready to. Goods must leave Korea unopened and unused within 3 months of purchase, and customs can ask to see them before stamping. Operator guides say a physical check is expected once a refund passes roughly ₩75,000. Keep refund items in your carry-on until after the customs step, then check the bag.
You get the money early, but the operator holds about 110% of the refund on an international credit card. If you don’t complete the customs step at the airport before leaving (within about 3–4 weeks of the refund, depending on the operator), the hold is charged to your card.
Figures as of Aug 25, 2026. Every number, with its official source, is in the full tax-refund guide.