Your first job in Hong Kong: preparing for salaries tax
Keep income records, watch for your return and plan for your tax bill.
Source checked · First-time tax notification and demand notes
Keep income records
Save your employment contract, payslips and income information from your employer. If you change jobs during the year, record each employment period and income separately for your return.
File according to IRD guidance
Complete an individual tax return by the deadline shown when you receive one. If you consider yourself liable for salaries tax for a year but have not received a return, the IRD says to notify it in writing or by fax and request one within four months after the end of the relevant basis period. The salaries tax year generally runs from 1 April to 31 March; consult current IRD guidance.
Budget for payment
A demand note may include final tax for one assessment year and provisional tax for the next. In a hypothetical example, HK$12,000 final tax plus HK$12,000 provisional tax totals HK$24,000 if no provisional tax has already been paid and no other adjustments apply. The provisional amount is credited against the relevant year’s final assessment. Your instalments, allowances and actual liability are shown on your demand note.