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A few days ago, I had tea with Mr. Chen, who works in international trade. Mr. Chen told me he had received a text message regarding a tax self-audit, which read: “Based on a system comparison, discrepancies have been found in your company’s reported data. Please conduct a tax self-audit within 15 days and report the results.”

老陈做亚马逊快8年了，前几年都是这么过来的，一部分货款走了个人卡，一部分用买单出口，第一次收到这种短信，整个人三天没睡好。问我他该怎么做？

I don’t think this is a concern unique to Old Chen. Recently, quite a few business owners I know who work in foreign trade and cross-border e-commerce have received similar self-inspection notices. Today, I’ll break this down in detail and walk foreign trade business owners through exactly how to handle it step by step.

PART 01

First, let's figure out: What does this text message actually mean?

Many people's first reaction is: “Am I being targeted?” “Are they going to come to my house to investigate me?”

其实先别自己吓自己。现在金税四期上线后，主流外贸平台都要求按季度向税务机关报送卖家的销售数据，现在税务机关已经能拿到平台交易数据、海关出口数据、银行流水、甚至境外金融账户信息，四方数据交叉一比对，只要对不上，系统就会自动发一条自查短信给你。

In other words, this text message is essentially a system alert that gives you an opportunity to correct the error proactively; it does not directly condemn you.

PART 02

Two Common Mistakes—Don’t Fall Into These Traps Yourself

I've seen two of the most common mistakes people make, both of which involve turning small issues into big ones.

第一种就是完全不管，假装没收到。觉得反正我躲着，税务说不定就忘了？不对，规定时间内你不自查不反馈，系统就会把这个预警升级，下一步就是税务人员上门稽查，到那个时候就不是你主动纠错了，性质完全不一样，滞纳金和处罚都会更重。

第二种就是慌了神，上来就补税。有个卖家收到短信，一看差异差了两百万，当场就吓得直接更正申报补了十几万的税，结果后来才发现，差异是因为平台统计口径的问题：平台算的是自然季度的下单总额，卖家是按发货时间确认收入，其中有几十万的订单是跨季度的，其实根本不需要补，白白多交了十几万的冤枉钱。

So remember: when you receive a text message, don’t panic or try to hide, and definitely don’t make any hasty payments. First, take a deep breath and do this: verify the details.

Step 1: First, verify the discrepancies.

The first step in addressing this is actually quite simple: just compare the data from both sides to figure out exactly where the discrepancies lie.

我们要找的是除了时间差之外，还有没有真实漏报的部分，先把能说清的差异区分开，剩下的再处理。

Step 2: Handle Discrepancies on a Case-by-Case Basis

Now that we’ve identified the discrepancies, the next step is to address them on a case-by-case basis. The approach varies significantly depending on the cause, so I’ll walk you through the four most common scenarios.

Scenario 1: Income was indeed underreported or omitted

For example, if your store has completely failed to report its revenue, or if hundreds of thousands of yuan in payment for goods were transferred to a personal bank account and not recorded in your books, there’s no need to beat around the bush. Take advantage of the self-inspection window to quickly correct your filing through the Electronic Tax Bureau and pay any back taxes owed.

Scenario 2: Simply a difference in statistical methodology or timing

You’ll need to prepare screenshots of your order details from the platform, transaction records for returns and refunds, the corresponding shipping documents, and your own financial records. Once you’ve organized these, proactively contact your tax authority and explain the situation clearly; in most cases, the warning will be successfully lifted.

Scenario 3: History of fake orders

The correct approach is to organize your records of fake orders, compile all transfer records and shipping receipts for empty packages related to each transaction, proactively explain the situation to the tax authorities, and cooperate with their assessment. In most cases, they will acknowledge that these are fake orders and will not require you to pay back taxes.

Scenario 4: Export Transactions Based on Historical Invoices

This situation is quite complex, and it may be difficult to handle on your own. We recommend that you contact a professional cross-border tax and finance firm as soon as possible to conduct a compliance assessment. While the self-inspection window is still open, you should adjust your past transactions to comply with export regulations and mitigate risks proactively—this is far better than waiting for authorities to come knocking before taking action.

PART 03

Advice for sellers in the same industry: Strengthen your compliance system to avoid falling into the same pitfalls again.

第一，先把收入确认规则理清楚。

Second, get into the habit of reconciling your accounts regularly.

Third, make good use of tools to reduce errors.

Fourth, once your business grows to a certain size, seek help from professionals.

Going back to Old Chen’s question at the very beginning, what should you actually do when you receive a text message about a tax self-inspection?

总结下来就是三句话：别慌着躲，别乱补税，先核对再处理，最后把坑补上。如果你也面临——收到税务自查短信不知道该怎么处理，欢迎扫码添加我们的在线客服（微信号：JXH23314)，我们会根据你的实际情况，安排专业经理解答疑惑，提供全流程合规方案一对一服务。