adóvisszatérítés

Adóvisszatérítés is the refund of overpaid or incorrectly assessed tax by the Hungarian tax authority, the Nemzeti Adó- és Vámhivatal (NAV). It occurs when the tax that an individual or company has paid in the form of prepayments, advance tax payments, or withholding tax exceeds the amount ultimately due for the period. The refund is credited back to the taxpayer’s bank account or can be used to offset future tax liabilities.

There are several categories of tax refunds. A common type is the withholding tax refund (adókedvezmény), applied when an employee’s income tax withholding is higher than the final tax owed, often because of multiple employers or a change of employment. Another form is the advance tax payment refund (előlegadó visszatérítés), which occurs if quarterly or annual advance tax payments are artificially high. Both individual and corporate taxpayers can benefit, provided they submit the necessary declarations and documentation to NAV.

The typical procedure involves filing a tax return (adóbevallás) that reflects actual income, deductions, and tax credits. After submission, NAV performs a calculation. If the result shows a surplus, the taxpayer will receive a notification of the refund amount. NAV usually processes refunds within 30 to 60 calendar days, though delays can happen during peak filing periods or if additional documentation is required.

Eligibility criteria include having made tax payments in the relevant period, having correctly reported income and possible deductions such as medical expenses, pension contributions, or educational costs, and being a resident taxpayer. Overpayments can also occur through payroll adjustments or earnings in multiple currency accounts. The refund amount is calculated purely on the difference between paid and due taxes, not on any benefit of delay.