Measure follows temporary suspension of local tax services due to administrative restructuring

[Yonhap]
[Yonhap]

The deadline for paying the first-half 2026 vehicle tax has been extended from June 30 to July 3. The extension allows time for system updates reflecting the launch of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City on July 1 and administrative restructuring in Incheon.

The Ministry of Interior and Safety announced Monday that it would extend the first-half vehicle tax payment deadline by three days — from June 30 to July 3 — in light of a scheduled nationwide suspension of the Wetax local tax service at the end of June.

The Wetax system will be taken offline from 6 p.m. June 26 to 8 a.m. June 29, and again from 6 p.m. June 30 to 8 a.m. July 1.

The ministry said it plans to extend the filing and payment deadlines for all local tax categories — not just vehicle tax — to July 3 for any taxes due between June 26 and July 2.

During the outage, all local tax payments will be unavailable, including online bank transfers and telephone banking. However, automatic payments already set up will be processed as scheduled regardless of the suspension.

Services on Wetax, Government24 and unmanned civil service kiosks — including the issuance of tax certificates and other official documents — will also be suspended during this period. Taxpayers who need such documents should obtain them in advance. For further inquiries about Wetax, the government's civil affairs call center can be reached at 110.

Vehicle tax is levied on car owners twice a year, in June and December, in equal installments. Owners who opt to pay the full annual amount at once can receive a 5 percent deduction on the portion covering July 1 through year-end.

Annual prepayment applications are accepted from the 16th through the last day of January, March, June and September, either through the Wetax website or local government tax offices. The June application window has also been extended to July 3 to account for the system transition.

Song Gyeong-ju, director general of the ministry's Local Fiscal and Economic Affairs Bureau, asked for the public's understanding over any inconvenience caused by the outage. "Please make sure not to miss the extended payment deadline," Song said, adding that the ministry would continue working to improve taxpayer convenience.


thlee@heraldcorp.com