There's income on my 个税APP I never received — was my identity stolen? How do I appeal?
Not necessarily stolen — but don't ignore it. A mystery income entry usually means a former employer kept reporting you after you left, or a company you never worked for used your identity to fabricate payroll. Either way, the fix starts the same: verify with the payer first, then file an in-app appeal. The tax bureau will investigate, and the entry disappears from your APP once you appeal.
Step 1: Check with the payer before you appeal
Tax offices advise this order: open the income record in the 个税APP, contact the company that reported it, and ask what happened. Two common outcomes:
- It was the payer's error (e.g., your old employer forgot to file your departure date, or HR reported the wrong ID number). The company can file a corrected return itself — this is the fastest resolution.
- You genuinely never worked there. Then it is identity misuse, and you move to Step 2.
Don't skip this step just because you're angry. If it's a clerical error, a correction by the payer closes the case in days; an appeal triggers a formal investigation that takes longer.
Step 2: File the appeal inside the APP
For a suspicious income record: go to the income-details page, tap the record, then tap "申诉" (appeal) in the top-right corner. Choose the appeal type, write a short explanation of why the income isn't yours, and submit. If several records look wrong, use "批量申诉" (batch appeal) on the results page to appeal them together.
For a company you never worked for showing under your employment records: go to 个人中心 → 任职受雇信息, tap the company, tap "申诉", and choose "从未在职" (never employed there). If it's a former employer that won't let go, choose "曾经在职" (formerly employed) and fill in your departure date.
Once you submit, the disputed entry stops showing in your APP, and the result comes back through the APP's message reminders (you can also track it under the appeal/inquiry module). The bureau contacts the company to verify — you don't have to confront them yourself.
Why this matters for your annual settlement
Phantom income is not just a display glitch. It is counted in your 综合所得 (comprehensive income: salary + labor remuneration + manuscript + royalties), which means it inflates your annual taxable income — shrinking your refund or creating tax you don't actually owe. Handle it before you file the March–June settlement, not after. If the appeal is still open when you file, declare only the income you actually received.
Protecting your identity information
A few practical rules tax officials repeat every year: only ever use the official 个税APP or the natural-person e-tax bureau website — the tax bureau never authorizes other "express refund" channels. Never give your APP account, password, or bank details to anyone, including outfits promising "refund hacks" (a recent enforcement case involved 1,797 taxpayers and over ¥15 million in recovered tax, surcharges, and fines). By law, tax offices must keep taxpayer information confidential, and anyone caught filing false returns with someone else's identity faces repayment, fines, and potential criminal referral.
Frequently asked questions
My old employer is still reporting me months after I quit. Appeal or talk to them first?
Talk to them first. In the APP, file the appeal type "曾经在职" with your departure date, but also ask their HR to file your departure and correct the returns. Most of these cases are lazy HR, not fraud.
Will appealing affect my credit or my refund?
Filing an appeal itself doesn't hurt you — it's the legitimate channel. What hurts is leaving fake income in your settlement: it raises your taxable income and can cost you real money. Appeal early, then file.
Someone used my parent's ID for their elderly-care deduction, so I can't claim mine. What now?
This is the most common deduction-identity clash. If it's a relative who filed by mistake, ask them to correct it. If it's a stranger, bring proof documents to a tax service hall — the bureau will verify and order the other party to delete the entry or suspend their deduction.
Sources
- Shanghai Tax Bureau, 个税汇算清缴热点问答 (in-app appeal steps): https://shanghai.chinatax.gov.cn/zcfw/rdwd/202306/t467423.html
- 国家税务总局宁波市税务局 interview on disputing income records: https://www.bjcc.gov.cn/article/600515890.html
- 《中华人民共和国税收征收管理法》 Article 8 (taxpayer confidentiality)