Earlier this year, Bai Bing, an internet celebrity with 40 million followers, was ordered to pay 18.91 million yuan in back taxes and fines for tax evasion. This case is not an isolated incident; it signals that tax regulation in the live-streaming industry has entered a routine phase of ”data-driven tax administration.”

For small and medium-sized live streamers and e-commerce business owners, the most critical change in 2026 can be summed up in just one sentence:The era of fixed-rate taxation has come to an end, and audit-based taxation has been fully implemented.. The money saved in the past through ”tax haven assessments” must now either be repaid or used to properly maintain accounting records and pay taxes.

01

The Era of Fixed-Rate Taxation Has Come to an End

Effective October 1, 2025, the following will be uniformly enforced nationwide: Individual businesses and sole proprietorships established by online livestreaming content creators,In principle, assessed taxation shall not be applied; all cases shall be subject to examination-based taxation.. The old practice of ”registering a shell sole proprietorship and securing an 1% tax rate” has come to a complete end.

The new regulations for 2026 specifically mention businesses with high gross margins and low costs, such as live-streaming e-commerce, online education, software sales, and digital collectibles,Flat-rate assessment is strictly prohibited.. At the same time, only sole proprietorships and sole proprietorship enterprises are eligible to apply for a fixed-rate tax assessment; all corporate entities (including single-member limited liability companies) are subject to an audit without exception.

For example: A Pinduoduo home goods seller with annual sales of 2 million, who previously paid 20,000 per year under the 1% tax assessment method; Now that they’ve switched to an audited accounting system, assuming a profit margin of 15% and a tax rate of 3%, their taxable income is 300,000, with individual income tax of approximately 45,000. When combined with VAT and surcharges, the total tax burden could rise from 20,000 to 80,000–100,000—more than tripling.

02

Which Types of Income Are the Most Risky?

First,Collecting Payments from Personal Accounts. A Guangzhou-based apparel livestreaming company failed to report payments received through personal Alipay and WeChat accounts. It was audited in February 2026 and ordered to pay over 8 million in back taxes, late payment penalties, and fines. The "Golden Tax Phase IV" system has integrated data from banks, payment platforms, and e-commerce platforms, triggering a "100%" warning for payments received through personal accounts.

Second,fraudulent invoicing. A cosmetics company in Guangzhou issued fraudulent special invoices for non-existent goods, and its manager has been referred to judicial authorities. Invoice monitoring has now expanded from ”invoice flow” to ”goods flow” and ”funds flow,” and any discrepancy between invoices and goods triggers an immediate red alert.

Third,Conversion of the nature of income. Illegally reclassifying live streamers’ labor compensation as business income and using flexible employment platforms to take advantage of tax assessments has been explicitly designated as tax evasion as of 2026. As a result, an MCN agency in Guangzhou was required to pay over 3 million in back taxes and late payment penalties.

03

What Has Changed with the Cumulative Withholding Method?

Starting in January 2026, live-streaming platforms and MCN agencies will withhold individual income tax on behalf of streamers and switch toCumulative Withholding MethodThis replaces the previous per-stream withholding method. The tax burden on low- and middle-income streamers has decreased, while that on high-income streamers has increased, and the obligations for withholding taxes have been clarified.

Defining the nature of the income is also crucial: income from an employment contract is classified as wages and salaries; income from a service contract is classified as remuneration for services (with withholding tax at a rate of 20%–40%); and income from a registered sole proprietorship is classified as business income (5%–35%). However, this is contingent uponThe studio features realistic business scenarios.—A fixed workplace, employees, social insurance, and valid contracts; income must align with costs; otherwise, it will still be classified as individual labor compensation.

04

When Is a Cost Invoice Considered Valid?

Under the audit-based taxation system, referral fees, listing fees, and advertising fees are deductible before taxes only if all three of the following conditions are met:The transaction is genuine, payment was actually made, and the supporting documents are valid.. Payments made in cash or from personal accounts, or those lacking compliant supporting documents, are not deductible.

Advertising and promotional expenses are deductible to the extent they do not exceed 15% of the current year’s sales revenue. For expenses related to samples, gift bags, and similar items, be sure to retain purchase invoices and live-streaming platform records to establish a complete chain of evidence.

In 2026, tax authorities have fully launched industry-wide audits. Don’t believe the myth that ”small-time streamers won’t be audited”—even a streamer with 300,000 followers was precisely targeted and ordered to pay a fine of 1.81 million. Audits have shifted from ”targeting high-profile cases” to ”comprehensive coverage.”

05

Even small-time streamers need to self-monitor now

Three common misconceptions to dispel: Small-scale live streamers aren’t audited (wrong—audits are comprehensive); if you deregister your business, you don’t have to pay back taxes (wrong—liability is not dependent on the entity’s existence); and if you don’t issue invoices, you don’t have to pay taxes (wrong—tax obligations are based on business activities, not invoices).

In practice, there are just three things to do: Accurately record and report all income; do not accept payments through personal accounts; ensure that the streamer’s individual income tax is withheld and reported as required; and deduct costs and expenses based on genuine invoices and business documentation.

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