Automated Tax Refund Support System

Abstract

An automated tax refund support system is provided. An automated tax refund support system according to one embodiment includes a service server that communicates with a user terminal via a network and provides a tax refund support service that collects and analyzes tax filing data of small business owners and sole proprietors, calculates the likelihood of a refund, and supports a refund application, and one or more user terminals that access the service server to receive the tax refund support service.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tax refund support system targeting small business owners and business operators. More specifically, it relates to an automated tax refund support system for simplifying the national tax refund process through tax data collection, scraping, analysis, recommendation, and expert matching. Background Technology

[0002] Although current tax administration procedures allow for electronic filing and simple refund processing through government websites such as the National Tax Service’s Hometax or local tax portals, determining eligibility and accurately calculating refund amounts requires a comprehensive understanding of relevant laws, including the Restriction of Special Taxation Act, the Income Tax Act, and the Corporate Tax Act. Furthermore, the complexity is high for individual users to perform these tasks, as applicable deductions and exemptions vary depending on the business scale and employment type. For instance, to apply Article 29-7 (Employment Increase Tax Credit) and Article 30-4 (Social Insurance Premium Tax Credit) of the Restriction of Special Taxation Act to an increase in employment for a sole proprietor, one must comprehensively consider workforce fluctuations, social insurance payment history, and wage increases. This process entails the cumbersome task of individually collecting and manually calculating various data scattered across the systems of public institutions like the Korea Workers' Welfare Service and the National Health Insurance Service, as well as the National Tax Service.

[0003] Furthermore, small and medium-sized business owners and micro-enterprises frequently lack the personnel to professionally handle tax and employment support systems. Consequently, they often fail to accurately calculate estimated refund amounts, missing potential refund opportunities, or fail to receive refunds on time due to missing documents caused by complex application procedures. For instance, even though some business owners are aware that they can receive tax credits for increasing their workforce, they often fail to make appropriate decisions because they do not know exactly when and how many employees to hire to maximize the benefits. As a result, they frequently lose opportunities for tax savings.

[0004] Meanwhile, although numerous software and accounting programs exist on the market for automating tax administration tasks, a significant number of them remain at the level of simply organizing sales and purchase data or transmitting Hometax tax returns. Due to these issues, business owners often have to invest considerable time and effort in handling tax refund procedures themselves, or even when entrusting the work to external experts, they fail to secure sufficient refund amounts because they cannot accurately identify the deductions they are entitled to. Accordingly, there is a demand for tax refund support measures capable of analyzing refund eligibility by scraping data from public institutions and applying automated calculation logic. Prior art literature

[0005] Korean Registered Patent No. 10-2471136, published November 28, 2022 The problem to be solved

[0006] The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide an automated tax refund support system that scrapes data from the National Tax Service and other public institutions to automatically analyze the possibility of tax refunds and provides strategies to optimize tax benefits for each business operator.

[0007] The problems of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned technical problems will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. means of solving the problem

[0008] An automated tax refund support system according to one embodiment for solving the above problem includes a service server that communicates with a user terminal via a network and provides a tax refund support service that collects and analyzes tax filing data of small business owners and sole proprietors, calculates the possibility of a refund, and supports a refund application, and one or more user terminals that access the service server and receive the tax refund support service.

[0009] The above service server may include a communication unit for transmitting and receiving data with the user terminal via a network, a database for storing user data, tax filing data, employment data, tax benefit data, and analysis and statistical data, a tax refund calculation unit for scraping tax filing data and performing refund analysis, refund recommendation, and refund application support, an employment strategy providing unit for simulating tax benefits and proposing employment strategies based on changes in the number of employees and employment types, a user interface providing unit for providing a user interface to the user terminal and processing user input, and a control unit for controlling the overall operation of the service server and performing security and authentication.

[0010] The above database may store user data storing user membership registration information, authentication information, and workplace information; tax filing data including tax filing details, payment history, and correction claim history scraped from the National Tax Service and local tax-related public institutions or uploaded by the user; employment data storing employment status including the number of employees within the workplace, employment period, work type, employment status, social insurance enrollment history, and employment insurance payment amount; tax benefit data including legal and policy information regarding various deductions, exemptions, and refunds, as well as information on subsidies and incentives; and analysis and statistical data including refund analysis results, actual refund amounts, statistical indicators, and history.

[0011] The above tax refund calculation unit may include a scraping module for automatically collecting, refining, and storing data from external agencies including the National Tax Service and the Korea Workers' Welfare Service; a refund analysis module for calculating an estimated refund amount by analyzing tax return information and employment information collected by the scraping module; a refund recommendation module for guiding tax deduction items and procedures to maximize the tax refund and suggesting ways to meet additional requirements based on the tax refund probability and estimated amount calculated by the refund analysis module; a refund application support module for supporting the process of automatically generating document forms required for correction claims or amended returns and electronically submitting them; and an expert matching module for connecting experts to allow requests for expert consultation or agency services.

[0012] The scraping module described above accesses a public institution system based on authentication information provided by a user, automatically collects tax filing records, payment records, and employment insurance history, converts the collected data into a standardized field and table structure and stores it in the database, and can update parsing rules to respond to changes in the structure of external institutions' websites or APIs.

[0013] The refund analysis module described above automatically determines the requirements for tax credits under the Restriction of Special Taxation Act by integrating user data, tax return data, and employment data stored in the database, calculates the potential refund amount and applicable deduction items that the user can receive by applying the employment increase tax credit and the social insurance premium tax credit, and automatically updates the changed deduction rates and requirements by reflecting the latest changes in tax benefits through government agency APIs or update files.

[0014] The refund recommendation module above, based on the estimated refund amount and deduction items calculated by the refund analysis module, guides tax credit items and procedures to maximize the refund amount; provides guidance in the form of a step-by-step checklist on the conditions and procedures that the taxpayer must satisfy for each scenario, such as additional employment, social insurance enrollment, and adjustment of document submission timing; and supports the prevention of omitted documents or missed deadlines in advance by generating notifications or messages to the user terminal.

[0015] The aforementioned employment strategy provision unit receives information from the business operator regarding the number of new hires and employment types planned for the next year via the user terminal, establishes two or more employment scenarios based on workplace characteristics and workforce recruitment plans, analyzes financial impacts including expected tax credit effects, additional labor cost burdens, and changes in net profit based on the established employment scenarios, provides additional incentives and reduction schemes by region and industry to the user terminal by linking with a database, predicts future expected sales revenue and appropriate workforce demand by utilizing big data and artificial intelligence (AI) technology including the user's past sales revenue, sales fluctuation trends, number of employees, growth rate, and average productivity by industry, calculates and provides the user with the required number of employees, recommended additional employees, optimal hiring timing and number, and corresponding tax credit benefit information based on the predicted information, visualizes and provides expected salary costs, tax refunds, deduction benefits, and the timing of local government subsidies and grant payments for each employment scenario on a monthly, quarterly, and yearly basis, and automatically generates various application and supporting documents required for tax credit and employment incentive applications by linking with the aforementioned refund application support module. It can prepare, utilize information from government ministry and local government websites or APIs to generate automatically filled-in documents based on application forms, and guide users through the step-by-step submission process.

[0016] The above employment strategy providing unit, in accordance with a request signal from the user terminal, links with an external job search platform to receive applicant information including the applicant's profile, age, career, and social insurance enrollment history from the job search platform, determines whether the applicant meets the requirements for the employment increase tax credit and the social insurance premium tax credit, and if the determination result indicates that the applicant meets the requirements, displays the applicant in a priority recommendation list, and calculates the tax creditable amount, the estimated refund amount, and the change in the refund amount before and after the employment of the applicant by reflecting the applicant information, and provides this information to the user terminal. Effects of the invention

[0017] According to an automated tax refund support system according to one embodiment, it is possible to automatically scrape employment growth or social insurance premium payment status from public institutions to quantitatively analyze the possibility of tax credits and provide automated tax refund services.

[0018] Furthermore, the present invention analyzes tax benefits related to an increase in the number of employees, calculates an optimal employment strategy, and proposes it to the user. This module predicts the business operator's sales volume and growth, and calculates the tax benefits available in the event of additional hiring, thereby enabling the user to simultaneously achieve cost reduction and tax exemptions through workforce recruitment.

[0019] The effects according to the embodiments are not limited to those exemplified above, and a wider variety of effects are included in this specification. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0020] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the interlocking structure of an automated tax refund support system according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a service server of an automated tax refund support system according to one embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a database of an automated tax refund support system according to one embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a tax refund calculation unit of an automated tax refund support system according to one embodiment. FIGS. 5 and 6 are schematic diagrams illustrating examples of the display of a user interface of an automated tax refund support system according to one embodiment. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0021] The advantages and features of the present invention and the methods for achieving them will become clear by referring to the embodiments described below in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below but may be implemented in various different forms. These embodiments are provided merely to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims.

[0022] All flowcharts, state transition diagrams, and pseudocode should be understood as representing various processes performed by a computer or processor that can be substantially represented on a computer-readable medium, regardless of whether the computer or processor is explicitly depicted.

[0023] The functions of the various elements illustrated in the drawings, including functional blocks represented as processors or similar concepts, may be provided by the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in conjunction with appropriate software. When provided by a processor, said functions may be provided by a single dedicated processor, a single shared processor, or a plurality of individual processors, some of which may be shared. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals refer to the same components.

[0024] The terms "...part" and "module" as used in the specification refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and this may be implemented in hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0025] Parentheses used in the specification may mean "for example." Specifically, where indicated as "network (Bluetooth)," "Bluetooth" may be proposed as an example of a "network." In this case, the "network" of the present disclosure is not limited to "Bluetooth," but "Bluetooth" is proposed as an example of a "network."

[0026] The present invention provides a tax refund support system capable of reducing the tax administration burden on users and maximizing refund efficiency by configuring an automated tax refund support system that includes a scraping module and an employment strategy provision unit. This system resolves the inconvenience of conventional small business owners and sole proprietors having to manually collect scattered data from the National Tax Service, the Korea Workers' Welfare Service, and others and complexly verify requirements to apply for employment increase tax credits and social insurance premium tax credits, thereby automatically calculating the probability of a refund and proposing an optimal employment scenario.

[0027] Specific embodiments will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0028] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the interlocking structure of an automated tax refund support system according to one embodiment.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 1, the automated tax refund support system (10) includes a service server (100) and one or more user terminals (200).

[0030] The service server (100) communicates with the user terminal (200) via a network, stores and manages a database for tax refund support, scrapes tax return data, performs refund analysis, refund recommendations, and application support, and provides tax refund support services including estimated refund amounts, tax benefit information, and employment strategies in response to a request from the user terminal (200). The service server (100) collects and analyzes tax return data of small business owners and sole proprietors, calculates the likelihood of a refund, and provides tax refund support services to assist with refund applications.

[0031] The user terminal (200) communicates with the service server (100) via a network and receives tax refund support services. The user terminal (200) can access the service server (100) and use functions such as checking tax refund eligibility, proceeding with a refund application, verifying employment strategies, and requesting expert consultation.

[0032] The user terminal (200) can be configured in various forms depending on the type of business operator and the purpose of use. The user terminal (200) may be a terminal for a small business owner or individual business owner to access the system to check the possibility of a tax refund or to proceed with a refund application.

[0033] In this specification, the term "tax refund support service" encompasses services and functions that support small business owners and sole proprietors in analyzing refund possibilities based on their own tax filing data and utilizing optimal tax benefits. The tax refund support service is linked with a database (110) accumulated in a service server (100) and performs a refund analysis process based on data entered or linked by the user. First, it calculates the refund possibility by analyzing tax information entered by the user or data scraped from public institutions such as the National Tax Service and the Korea Workers' Welfare Service. In this process, it calculates the tax credits, reduction benefits, and refundable amounts that the user can enjoy. During the analysis process, it supports the user in effectively proceeding with the refund procedure by comprehensively considering business type, employment status, and changes in tax benefits. Additionally, through an employment strategy provision function, the system analyzes and recommends ways to increase tax credit benefits when the user increases the number of employees. For example, if the user hires new employees, it calculates and proposes optimal tax benefits, including applicable employment increase tax credits and social insurance premium deductions. In addition, it automatically generates the necessary documents to enable users to proceed with the refund application process and simplifies the process by guiding them through the steps.

[0034] The service server (100) links with government agencies or external tax-related organizations as needed to reflect the latest tax policies and refund standards, thereby supporting users so that they do not miss out on refund benefits under the latest laws. Through this service, small business owners and sole proprietors can maximize their refund potential and effectively utilize tax benefits linked to employment strategies.

[0035] The user terminal (200) may be implemented as a computer capable of connecting to a remote server or terminal via a network. Here, the computer may include, for example, a notebook, desktop, or laptop equipped with a web browser. Additionally, it may be implemented as a terminal capable of connecting to a remote server or terminal via a network. For example, the user terminal (200) is a wireless communication device that ensures portability and mobility, and may include all kinds of handheld-based wireless communication devices such as navigation, PCS (Personal Communication System), GSM (Global System for Mobile communications), PDC (Personal Digital Cellular), PHS (Personal Handyphone System), PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), IMT (International Mobile Telecommunication)-2000, CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access)-2000, W-CDMA (W-Code Division Multiple Access), Wibro (Wireless Broadband Internet) terminal, smartphone, smartpad, and tablet PC.

[0036] A network refers to a connection structure capable of exchanging information among each node, such as multiple terminals and servers. Examples of such networks include, but are not limited to, RF, 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) networks, LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks, 5GPP (5th Generation Partnership Project) networks, WIMAX (World Interoperability for Microwave Access) networks, the Internet, LAN (Local Area Network), Wireless LAN (Wireless Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), PAN (Personal Area Network), Bluetooth networks, NFC networks, satellite broadcasting networks, analog broadcasting networks, and DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) networks.

[0037] The automated tax refund support system (10) according to the present invention is implemented based on a server-client structure and can be implemented in various ways, such as in the form of a web service and an application. When implemented in the form of a web service, the service server (100) can be built in a cloud environment or in its own IDC (Internet Data Center) and then provide services through a web server and an application server. By running a web browser through a user terminal (200) such as a desktop, laptop, or smartphone and accessing a web application provided via HTTPS, the user can check data scraping results from public institutions such as Home Tax or the Korea Workers' Welfare Service, and utilize various functions such as calculating the refund amount and issuing documents for a refund application.

[0038] It can also be implemented in the form of mobile or desktop applications. In this case as well, functional components such as scraping modules and refund analysis modules are deployed on the server side, and core calculation logic and data storage are performed on the server. The application can be developed as an app running on mobile operating systems such as iOS and Android, or as a standalone program for Windows or macOS. These client programs send API requests to the server to transmit and receive data, and retrieve the latest information in real time from external agencies such as the National Tax Service or the Korea Workers' Welfare Service.

[0039] Furthermore, the present invention can be extended to API or SaaS (Software as a Service) methods. That is, server-side functional modules can be provided as public APIs to enable integration with external services or enterprises (e.g., e-commerce solutions, ERP, accounting programs), and multiple individual users or organizations can share and use the same server in a multi-tenant structure.

[0040] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a service server of an automated tax refund support system according to one embodiment.

[0041] Referring to FIG. 2, the service server (100) includes a communication unit (110), a database (120), a tax refund calculation unit (130), an employment strategy provision unit (140), a user interface provision unit (150), and a control unit (160).

[0042] The communication unit (110) performs data transmission and reception between the service server (100) and the user terminal (200). The communication unit (110) includes physical and software interfaces for network communication and supports various network types.

[0043] FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a database of an automated tax refund support system according to one embodiment.

[0044] Referring to FIG. 3, the database (120) may store user data (121), tax return data (122), employment data (123), tax benefit data (124), and analysis and statistical data (125).

[0045] User data (121) includes membership registration information of users, including sole proprietors and small business owners, who use the tax refund support service. For example, authentication and identification information such as the user's name, contact information, email address, business registration number, password, or authentication token is stored. Basic personal information entered from the user terminal (200) upon membership registration is stored and is used for comparison verification for authentication when accessing the system in the future.

[0046] Additionally, user data (121) may include business registration number, business resident registration number, representative's date of birth, business name, representative's name, contact information, opening date, closing date, employee information, special related persons among employees, list of disabled employees, company phone number, representative's mobile phone number, in the case of manufacturing, business relocation history, presence of corporate branch, presence of two or more sole proprietorships, acquisition, merger, division, conversion to a corporation history, and information on the business location including government subsidies for the four major insurances.

[0047] User data (121) can be linked with the security and authentication module of the control unit (160) to perform user login and authentication and to control access rights. User data (121) can also be used for personalized services for each user, for example, to check refund history and to provide desired regions / fields when matching experts.

[0048] Tax filing data (122) stores records related to tax filing that are scraped from relevant public institutions, such as the National Tax Service Home Tax and local tax portals, or uploaded directly by the user. Specifically, it may include comprehensive income tax filing data, value-added tax filing history, past payment history, and correction claim history. Tax filing data (122) can be stored by converting and organizing filing data automatically collected by the scraping module (131) in conjunction with the National Tax Service Home Tax.

[0049] Tax return data (122) is used in the refund analysis module (132) to calculate the possibility of a refund based on the user's past filing history and tax payment history. The refund application support module (134) can automatically generate or electronically submit correction claim documents based on the data.

[0050] Employment data (123) stores information regarding employment status, such as the number of workers employed by the user, employment period, type of work, employment status, wage level, social insurance enrollment history, and employment insurance payment amount. Employment data (123) stores information about workers employed by the business and, based on the contents of the worker employment information status, may include the worker's name, worker classification (general worker), resident registration number, employment status (e.g., employed, employment terminated), employment date, employment termination date, employment insurance acquisition report date, leave start date, leave end date, whether unemployment benefits for those over 65 years of age apply, and the worker's average monthly remuneration.

[0051] Employment data (123) may include employment insurance details scraped from relevant institutions such as the Korea Workers' Welfare Service and the National Health Insurance Service, information on enrollment in the four major insurances, and social insurance payment amounts. Employment data (123) can be used to calculate the increase in the number of regular employees compared to the previous tax year when calculating the employment increase tax credit within the refund analysis module (132). Additionally, the employment strategy provision unit (140) can analyze and recommend expected tax benefits when hiring additional personnel based on this employment data.

[0052] Tax benefit data (124) includes information on laws and policies related to deductions, reductions, and refunds, such as the requirements for the employment increase tax credit under Article 29-7 of the Restriction of Special Taxation Act or the requirements for the social insurance premium tax credit under Article 30-4, as well as information on government subsidies and various incentives.

[0053] The service server (100) periodically updates information on changes in tax laws or changes in deduction rates through government agency APIs and public data to keep the tax benefit data (124) up to date. The refund analysis module (132) can calculate the amount of deduction that a user can receive by referring to the tax benefit data (124) and comparing it with the user's actual employment and tax payment data.

[0054] In the event of future changes to laws (e.g., increase in deduction rates, establishment of new deduction schemes), these changes can be reflected in the automated analysis logic without a separate system upgrade by updating this data.

[0055] The analysis and statistical data (125) stores analysis results, predicted refund amounts, actual refund amounts, comparison information between predicted refund amounts and actual refund amounts per user, statistical indicators, and history, which are calculated through the refund module (130) and the employment strategy provision unit (140). The refund analysis results, recommendations presented by the refund recommendation module (133), and records of refund amounts received by the user after applying for a refund are accumulated and stored. Based on this accumulated data, the tax refund support system (10) can be utilized for sophisticated refund prediction, employment strategy simulation, and AI analysis in the future.

[0056] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a tax refund calculation unit of an automated tax refund support system according to one embodiment.

[0057] Referring to FIG. 4, the tax refund calculation unit (130) includes a scraping module (131), a refund analysis module (132), a refund recommendation module (133), a refund application support module (134), and an expert matching module (135).

[0058] The scraping module (131) automatically collects tax filing information or employment information from servers of external organizations such as the National Tax Service Home Tax, the Korea Workers' Welfare Service, and employment and industrial accident-related agencies, and refines and stores the data so that it can be utilized by the refund analysis module (132) without separate manual work. Specifically, when a user logs into the system and requests the scraping function, or when the system internally issues an operation instruction at regular intervals through a scheduler, the scraping module (131) connects to the relevant external organization and retrieves the necessary data.

[0059] During the connection process, the scraping module (131) first verifies authentication information for the user or workplace. For example, if necessary permissions such as certificate information or a simple authentication token in the case of Home Tax, or the right to view membership history in the case of the Korea Workers' Welfare Service, are secured in advance on the server side, the automatic login process is carried out based on this. After the connection is successfully established, various forms of responses such as HTML, XML, and JSON are received from external websites or APIs. The scraping module (131) can analyze and decompose this response data through specific parsing logic to extract necessary information such as tax filing information (income tax, value-added tax), employment insurance enrollment status, and social insurance payment history for each user.

[0060] The extracted data is converted into a form required by the system, specifically into standardized data fields or data table structures, and then recorded in the database (120). For example, the corresponding information is mapped to the tax return data (122) and employment data (123) tables, respectively, and key fields such as increased employment figures or payment history are organized so that they can be immediately utilized in the subsequent refund analysis process. At this time, if data is missing or the format is different, the scraping module (131) can perform exception handling to retry or leave an error log. In addition, if the structure of an external agency's website or API changes, the parsing rules within the module are updated to enable continuous and stable scraping.

[0061] Meanwhile, the scraping module (131) is of great significance in that it does not require separate manual input on the user terminal (200). That is, work efficiency is greatly improved because the system automatically retrieves data after only going through the authentication process, without the user having to access the Home Tax or Korea Workers' Welfare Service website every time to download data, organize it into Excel, and upload it. In addition, since actual reporting records and employment history are collected through the scraping process, the refund analysis module (132) can perform more accurate refund calculations. Consequently, in the present invention, the scraping module (131) is a component that substantially supports the refund automation process by taking charge of the automatic collection, conversion, and storage of data from multiple public institutions.

[0062] The scraping module (131) automatically collects tax return data by accessing public institution systems, such as the National Tax Service and the Korea Workers' Welfare Service, based on authentication information provided by the user. The collected data may include tax payable, tax deduction details, business registration information, and sales and expense details.

[0063] The refund analysis module (132) calculates the estimated amount that a taxpayer can actually receive as a refund based on tax return information and employment information automatically collected through the scraping module (131). User information, workplace information, past filing history, employment status, and various tax credit regulations under the Restriction of Special Taxation Act (e.g., employment increase tax credit, social insurance premium tax credit) are all applied in combination, and the refund analysis module (132) quantifies the possibility of a refund by comprehensively calculating this data and presents it to the user.

[0064] The refund analysis module (132) first checks the user's personal details and business scale, and retrieves various information from the database (120), such as tax records reported so far, actual payment amounts, and employment insurance payment history. Based on this, the refund analysis module (132) checks the eligibility requirements for tax credits stipulated in relevant laws, such as the Restriction of Special Taxation Act or the Income Tax Act, and then automatically applies conditions for the deduction rate or deduction limit according to each user's situation. For example, in the case of the employment increase tax credit, the deduction amount is calculated by reflecting how many regular employees have increased compared to the previous tax year, the salary level of the increased employees, and whether they are enrolled in social insurance. Likewise, for the social insurance premium tax credit, the amount that the user can receive the deduction is calculated by referring to the premium payment records obtained from the Korea Workers' Welfare Service.

[0065] The results calculated by the refund analysis module (132) are broadly categorized into the estimated refund amount, applicable deduction / reduction items, and additional conditions that would be beneficial to satisfy, and are displayed through the user interface providing unit (150). Furthermore, the refund analysis module (132) is designed to reflect environmental variables or changes in laws and regulations in real time, and frequently checks for changes in tax-related systems, including the latest deduction rates or deduction requirements, through government agency APIs or automatic update files. As a result, users can identify various tax benefits they might miss at once without complex tax knowledge, and obtain precise refund calculations without having to consult a separate expert individually.

[0066] The refund recommendation module (133), based on the tax refund possibility and estimated amount data calculated by the refund analysis module (132), guides the user on tax credit items and procedures to maximize the refund amount and suggests ways to meet additional requirements. Through this, it can provide specific measures to maximize the refund amount the taxpayer can receive and to simplify the procedures. First, after referring to the estimated refund amount and applicable tax credit items derived by the refund analysis module (132), it systematically presents the conditions and sequence necessary to realistically achieve those figures. For example, it can provide guidance on how much the tax refund can increase if additional hiring occurs in light of the current employment status, what documents or registration procedures must be submitted before a certain point in time, and how to prepare specific documents (request for correction, application form) to receive the refund.

[0067] The refund recommendation module (133) can also comprehensively reflect the different circumstances of each user (e.g., business type, income level, employment type, residence) to distinguish between benefits that can be utilized immediately in the short term and benefits that require additional preparation or fulfillment of requirements. For example, it can emphasize the procedure for submitting certain documents for social insurance premium tax credits for workplaces with many newly enrolled workers, and for workplaces where employment has already increased sufficiently, it can suggest reporting deadlines or the possibility of applying regional benefits to maximize the calculation of employment increase tax credits.

[0068] The refund recommendation module (133) may generate sequential checklists or step-by-step guides so that they can be easily understood and processed on the user terminal (200). Based on the estimated refund amount and deduction items calculated by the refund analysis module (132), the refund recommendation module (133) provides guidance on tax deduction items and procedures to maximize the refund amount. It also provides guidance in the form of step-by-step checklists on the conditions and procedures that taxpayers must satisfy according to scenarios such as additional employment, expansion of social insurance enrollment, and adjustment of document submission timing. Furthermore, it can generate notifications or messages on the user terminal (200) to support the prevention of missing documents or missed deadlines in advance. Through this, the user can grasp at a glance what tasks need to be done first and what additional requirements must be met to increase the refund amount, without needing complex tax law knowledge. In addition, the refund recommendation module (133) is linked with the security and authentication functions of the control unit (160) to safely process various sensitive information while generating push notifications or alert messages to ensure that the user is informed of refund opportunities they might otherwise miss in a timely manner.

[0069] The refund application support module (134) supports the refund application by automating and simplifying the actual refund application process based on the refundable amount and procedure guidance calculated and presented by the refund analysis module (132) and the refund recommendation module (133). Generally, to proceed with the refund procedure on the National Tax Service Home Tax platform, the user must go through a cumbersome process of individually preparing and uploading correction claim forms or application documents, or submitting them in writing via mail or fax. However, the refund application support module (134) of the present invention automatically prepares necessary documents based on user information and supports the electronic submission process to reduce such document work and procedures.

[0070] First, the refund application support module (134) automatically generates the necessary document forms for filing an amended tax return or correction report by linking user personal information, workplace information, employment and tax payment history, and tax benefit information recorded in the database (120). At this time, an existing standard form (e.g., National Tax Service form) is used as a template, and the document is completed by automatically entering the user's unique items (business registration number, name, number of increased employees). If additional documents are required, the user may be guided to attach necessary documents, such as proof of new employment or social insurance payment confirmation, according to the guidance of the refund recommendation module (133).

[0071] Subsequently, the refund application support module (134) links with the electronic filing system of the relevant agency, such as Hometax or the local government portal, to automatically attempt file uploading or online submission. By using a web crawling method or API linkage, the refund application process can proceed without the user having to access the agency's website individually, and supporting documents are also transmitted to minimize rejection or denial due to unnecessary typos or missing documents. In addition, after submission, the receipt number and processing status can be checked in real time, and the results are provided through a user interface provider, helping the taxpayer easily understand the progress of the refund process.

[0072] Meanwhile, the refund application support module (134) is linked with the expert matching module (135) in cases where the refund application process is complex or where expert review of the documents is required. If the user wishes to proceed through a third-party agent, such as a tax accountant or a professional tax firm, rather than handling it directly, this module delivers the refund application documents in a simplified manner and supports the relevant expert in quickly reviewing and supplementing them within the system and submitting them to the institution. Through this, the user can reduce the procedural burden of the refund application and receive the refund as quickly as possible by submitting accurate information in a timely manner.

[0073] The expert matching module (135) performs the function of automatically connecting relevant experts when a user wants to receive assistance from professional personnel (tax accountants, certified public accountants, tax firms) during the refund process or tax processing process. Previously, taxpayers had to search for experts directly online or through the local community, or visit offline offices one by one, but through this module, they can immediately search for and be assigned an expert within the service with just a simple application process.

[0074] Specifically, the expert matching module (135) operates based on two pieces of information stored in the database (120). First, when a user checks the refund amount calculated through the refund analysis module (132) or the complexity of the refund procedure and expresses an intention to "request expert assistance," the user's information (industry, region, sales volume) and refund type (employment increase tax credit, social insurance premium tax credit, correction claim) are identified. Then, the expert matching module (135) extracts a list of experts suitable for the user from a pool of experts registered in advance. This includes each expert's field of expertise (income tax, value-added tax, corporate tax, local tax), experience by industry, region, and fee model, and may refer to ratings or user reviews based on past matching records.

[0075] Subsequently, the expert matching module (135) can support internal system messaging or video consultation functions to facilitate smooth communication between the user and the expert, and can be linked with the refund application support module (134) to allow the expert to view and review the user's data and submit documents on their behalf. If necessary, the expert may review the employment incentives or tax benefits calculated by the employment strategy provision unit (140) and provide additional advice.

[0076] The expert matching module (135) basically reduces the burden of refund work for the user and enables them to receive agency or consultation more efficiently. From the user's perspective, it allows them to connect with a trustworthy expert with just a few simple clicks, and from the expert's perspective, it provides the advantage of discovering potential customers and expanding the scope of services.

[0077] The service server (100) may also produce various statistical indicators, such as the industry with the largest refund amount and the region with the highest employment growth effect, through the analysis of statistical information.

[0078] When a user terminal (200) logs in, the service server (100) performs user data (121) authentication and checks tax filing data (122) and employment data (123). The scraping module (131) can automatically collect and update data from the National Tax Service and the Korea Workers' Welfare Service if new data is available, and reflect it in the database (120). Subsequently, the refund analysis module (132) can compare tax benefit data (124), user employment data (123), and tax filing data (122) to calculate potential refund amounts based on employment increase tax credits and social insurance premium deductions, and record the results in the analysis and statistical data (125). Based on these results, the refund application support module (134) can automatically generate correction claim documents and transmit them to the user terminal (200) to support the refund application.

[0079] The employment strategy provision unit (140) can propose a comprehensive employment strategy through employment strategy simulation and analysis. The employment strategy provision unit (140) does not stop at simply providing information to increase the number of employees to receive employment increase tax credits, but supports the business owner (user) in making optimal personnel and financial decisions by proposing a comprehensive employment strategy that includes various simulations, analyses, linkage with local government incentives, and automatic application support.

[0080] The employment strategy provision unit (140) receives information regarding the number of new hires planned for the next year and the employment type (regular, contract, youth, middle-aged, disabled) through the user terminal (200), and sets up two or more employment scenarios based on workplace characteristics and personnel hiring plans, and can analyze financial impacts including expected tax credit effects, additional labor cost burdens, and resulting increase in net profit or cost reduction effects when actual hiring is carried out accordingly. For example, it can compare and analyze the difference in tax benefits between increasing the workforce by three people at once and increasing it by one person each year in stages, and present specific figures as simulation results so that the employer can adjust the timing of hiring according to the situation.

[0081] The employment strategy provision unit (140) often has additional incentives or reduction schemes available by region and industry, in addition to general employment increase tax credits or social insurance premium tax credits. The employment strategy provision unit (140) links employment incentives, local tax reductions, and startup support funds provided by local governments, industrial complexes, and employment vulnerable areas to a database to identify region-specific benefits that the user might miss. For example, if a business is opened or relocated in a specific region and young workers are hired, information on receiving additional support funds is automatically searched and provided to the user terminal (200), thereby helping the user expand their business and select an employment strategy.

[0082] The employment strategy provision unit (140) can predict expected sales or appropriate manpower demand over a certain period in the future by utilizing AI based on big data such as the user's past sales, sales fluctuation trends, growth rate, past sales relative to the number of employees, growth rate relative to the number of employees in the previous year, and average productivity by industry. Through this, it can calculate and provide information to the user, such as expected sales, required number of employees, recommended additional employees, optimal hiring timing and number of employees, and tax deduction benefits. This allows for the presentation of cost and manpower optimization strategies in terms of actual business management, rather than simply considering tax refunds.

[0083] The employment strategy provision unit (140) provides detailed information on whether the new hires are young people, middle-aged people, people with disabilities, or women with career breaks, based on workplace characteristics (industry, size, financial status) and personnel recruitment plans collected from the user, and guides the user on applicable deductions or incentives for each type. For example, by showing in a comparison table what benefits arise when additional requirements for the youth employment increase tax credit are met and whether overlapping application with social insurance support systems is possible, the user can be supported in establishing a more efficient personnel recruitment strategy.

[0084] The employment strategy provision unit (140) can visualize information on the timing of expected salary costs, tax refunds, deduction benefits, local government subsidies, and grant payments for each scenario on a monthly, quarterly, and yearly basis. Through this, employers can identify how much labor costs increase at a specific time and, at the same time, when tax credits or refunds occur, thereby reducing net expenditure. Furthermore, the timing of local government subsidies or grant payments can also be reflected and provided.

[0085] The employment strategy provision unit (140) not only recommends optimal employment scenarios and support systems to the user, but can also automatically prepare various application forms and supporting documents by linking with the refund application support module (134). For example, when applying for new personnel employment subsidies to a local government or government ministry, the employment strategy provision unit (140) can obtain information on the local government website or related API in advance, generate automatically filled-in documents according to the application form, and guide the user through the submission process step by step.

[0086] Through these functions, the employment strategy provision unit (140) can not only simply calculate employment increase tax credits and social insurance premium tax credits, but also provide multifaceted support for employment and financial strategies by linking information on support policies by region and industry, or by AI-based prediction and scenario calculation, and can improve work efficiency and decision-making accuracy by automating complex calculations and administrative linkages that are difficult to provide in existing tax programs.

[0087] In addition, users (small business owners and sole proprietors) can maximize the use of deduction and incentive schemes without missing out, while simultaneously establishing employment strategies that align with their financial status and management plans. Furthermore, complex document preparation and administrative procedures are automated, allowing for a reduction in labor costs and tax administration risks.

[0088] The employment strategy provision unit (140) can not only help to centrally utilize tax benefits including employment increase tax credits or social insurance premium tax credits in the automated tax refund support system of the present invention, but also provide comprehensive employment and financial consulting functions such as regional and industry-specific employment incentives, forecasting future sales and manpower demand, comparison of costs and benefits by scenario, and automatic document generation.

[0089] Additionally, the employment strategy providing unit (140), in accordance with a request signal from the user terminal (200), receives one or more applicant information including the applicant's profile, age, career, and social insurance enrollment history from the job search platform in conjunction with an external job search platform, determines whether each applicant qualifies for the employment increase tax credit and the social insurance premium tax credit, and if the determination result indicates that the applicant is eligible for the employment increase tax credit and the social insurance premium tax credit, displays the applicant in the priority recommendation list, and calculates the tax creditable amount, the estimated refund amount, and the change in the estimated refund amount before and after the applicant's employment by reflecting the applicant's information, and provides this information to the user terminal (200).

[0090] For example, when a request for hiring personnel is received through an external job search platform via a user terminal (200), the employment strategy provider (140) may transmit recruitment request information to the job search platform according to a pre-configured API or integration protocol. In this case, the recruitment request information may include the job position, desired work type (regular, contract, part-time, youth intern), work location, working conditions, salary range, and the number of personnel required. The job search platform retrieves a list of candidates who meet the corresponding hiring conditions from an internal DB or applicant pool and transmits basic information such as the candidate's age, experience, qualifications, home location, and available working hours to the employment strategy provider (140). Subsequently, the employment strategy provider (140) compares the received candidates' age, experience, and social insurance enrollment history with the requirements stipulated in the provisions of the Special Taxation Restriction Act. At this time, by analyzing whether the candidate is a youth (aged 15 or older and 34 or younger), whether they are eligible for deductions when newly enrolling in social insurance, and whether there are additional subsidies or separate deductions when employing special employment workers or persons with disabilities, the candidate who is more suitable for maximizing tax benefits can be displayed as a priority recommendation list.

[0091] By linking with such external job search platforms, the system is enabled to intervene in the actual matching of new personnel to maximize tax benefits, thereby easily determining eligibility for tax credits based on applicant profiles. Through this function, for example, if a candidate meets additional deduction requirements under the Restriction of Special Taxation Act—such as youth (ages 15–34), persons with disabilities, or specific vulnerable groups—the system automatically identifies that the refund amount may differ and recommends them first, allowing for immediate verification of real-time tax deduction amounts. This enables business owners to consider the financial impact of hiring in real time.

[0092] The user interface providing unit (150) synthesizes information generated through each component of the automated tax refund support system (10) and provides an intuitive and convenient screen (UI) to the user terminal (200). The user interface providing unit (150) dynamically configures a web screen or an app screen based on data generated on the server side and transmits user input into the system.

[0093] More specifically, the user interface providing unit (150) retrieves data such as user information, tax filing history, employment status, and deduction calculation results stored in the database (120) to create a customized UI tailored to each user's situation. For example, it provides a dashboard that allows users to see at a glance the estimated refund amount or deductible items calculated by the refund analysis module (132), or visualizes the step-by-step checklist presented by the refund recommendation module (133) in the form of a GUI. Through this, users can easily and quickly identify what documents need to be prepared and what additional deductions are available without complex tax law knowledge.

[0094] Additionally, the user interface providing unit (150) can be linked with the refund application support module (134) or the expert matching module (135) to display input fields and guidance messages required when a user performs a refund application procedure or applies for an expert agency service. For example, when the refund application button is pressed, a list of required documents and a file upload window are displayed sequentially, and if there are any missing items, a request for supplementation is made or an error message is displayed. Such dynamic screen transitions can be implemented through server-side rendered HTML / CSS and JavaScript, or UI components of a mobile app, and can also be linked with functions such as touch interfaces, notifications, or chatbots to maximize user convenience. Furthermore, the user interface providing unit (150) can collaborate with the security and authentication module of the control unit (160) to process user logins, maintain valid authentication sessions, and verify necessary access rights whenever a user views or inputs sensitive information.

[0095] The control unit (160) comprehensively manages and controls the entire automated tax refund support system. The control unit (160) manages various data processing flows, security, and authentication procedures. The control unit (160) controls and schedules the operation processes between each component of the service server (100) and is responsible for exception handling in the event of an error. In addition, the control unit (160) performs and supervises overall security functions such as user login, simple authentication (Kakao authentication, accredited certificate authentication), internal permission settings, and database access control. For example, when a user attempts to log in, the control unit (160) can compare it with the user database (121) to identify whether it is a valid account and grant detailed access rights (view, modify, document submission).

[0096] FIGS. 5 and 6 are schematic diagrams illustrating examples of the display of a user interface of an automated tax refund support system according to one embodiment.

[0097] Referring to FIG. 5, an automated tax refund support system according to one embodiment may display a user interface for inputting user information through a user terminal (200). The input user information may be stored in user data (121) of a database (120). Additionally, a user interface for proceeding with a user authentication procedure may be displayed through the user terminal (200). Based on user authentication performed through this user interface, the tax refund calculation unit (130) may scrape and collect data necessary to proceed with tax refunds from Hometax and the Korea Workers' Welfare Service.

[0098] Referring to FIG. 6, an automated tax refund support system according to one embodiment may display a user interface that provides a calculated refundable amount through a user terminal (200). Through this, the user can check the refundable amount of the current business and decide whether to apply for a refund. Additionally, the service server (100) may display a user interface for expert matching that allows connection with an actual human tax accountant through the user terminal (200).

[0099] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the attached drawings, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention may be implemented in other specific forms without changing the technical concept or essential features thereof. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. Explanation of the symbols

[0100] 10: Automated Tax Refund Support System 100: Service Server 110: Communications Department 120: Database 121: User data 122: Tax Filing Data 123: Employment Data 124: Tax Benefit Data 125: Analysis and Statistical Data 130: Tax Refund Calculation Sheet 131: Scraping Module 132: Refund Analysis Module 133: Refund Recommendation Module 134: Refund Application Support Module 135: Expert Matching Module 140: Employment Strategy Provision Department 150: User Interface Provider 160: Control unit 200: User terminal

Claims

Claim 1 An automated tax refund support system comprising a service server that communicates with user terminals via a network, collects and analyzes tax filing data of small business owners and sole proprietors, calculates the likelihood of a refund, and provides a tax refund support service to support refund applications, and one or more user terminals that access the service server to receive the tax refund support service. Claim 2 An automated tax refund support system according to claim 1, wherein the service server comprises: a communication unit for transmitting and receiving data with the user terminal via a network; a database for storing user data, tax filing data, employment data, tax benefit data, and analysis and statistical data; a tax refund calculation unit for scraping tax filing data and performing refund analysis, refund recommendation, and refund application support; an employment strategy providing unit for simulating tax benefits and proposing employment strategies based on changes in the number of employees and employment types; a user interface providing unit for providing a user interface to the user terminal and processing user input; and a control unit for controlling the overall operation of the service server and performing security and authentication. Claim 3 In paragraph 2, the database is an automated tax refund support system that stores user data storing user membership information, authentication information, and workplace information; tax filing data including tax filing details, payment history, and correction claim history scraped from the National Tax Service and local tax-related public institutions or uploaded by the user; employment data storing employment status including the number of workers in the workplace, employment period, work type, employment status, social insurance enrollment history, and employment insurance payment amount; tax benefit data including information on laws and policies regarding various deductions, exemptions, and refunds, as well as information on subsidies and incentives; and analysis and statistical data including refund analysis results, actual refund amounts, statistical indicators, and history. Claim 4 In paragraph 3, the tax refund calculation unit comprises an automated tax refund support system including a scraping module for automatically collecting, refining, and storing data from external agencies including the National Tax Service and the Korea Workers' Welfare Service; a refund analysis module for calculating an estimated refund amount by analyzing tax return information and employment information collected by the scraping module; a refund recommendation module for guiding tax deduction items and procedures to maximize the tax refund based on the tax refund possibility and estimated amount calculated by the refund analysis module, and suggesting ways to meet additional requirements; a refund application support module for supporting the process of automatically generating document forms required for correction claims or amended returns and electronically submitting them; and an expert matching module for linking experts so that expert consultation or agency services can be requested. Claim 5 In paragraph 4, the scraping module accesses a public institution system based on authentication information provided by a user, automatically collects tax filing history, payment history, and employment insurance history, converts the collected data into a standardized field and table structure and stores it in the database, and updates parsing rules to respond to changes in the structure of an external institution's homepage or API, thereby providing an automated tax refund support system. Claim 6 In paragraph 4, the refund analysis module automatically determines the requirements for tax credits under the Restriction of Special Taxation Act by synthesizing user data, tax return data, and employment data stored in the database, calculates the potential refund amount and applicable deduction items that the user can receive by applying the employment increase tax credit and social insurance premium tax credit, and is an automated tax refund support system in which the changed deduction rates and deduction requirements are automatically updated by reflecting the latest changes in tax benefits through government agency APIs or update files. Claim 7 In paragraph 4, the refund recommendation module is an automated tax refund support system that, based on the estimated refund amount and deduction items calculated by the refund analysis module, guides tax credit items and procedures to maximize the refund amount, provides guidance in the form of a step-by-step checklist of conditions and procedures that the taxpayer must satisfy according to scenarios such as additional employment, social insurance enrollment, and adjustment of document submission timing, and generates notifications or messages to the user terminal to support the prevention of omission of submitted documents or expiration of deadlines in advance. Claim 8 In Paragraph 2, the employment strategy providing unit receives information from the business operator regarding the number of new hires and employment types planned for the next year through the user terminal, sets two or more employment scenarios based on workplace characteristics and workforce recruitment plans, analyzes financial impacts including expected tax credit effects, additional labor cost burdens, and net profit increase / decrease effects according to the set employment scenarios, provides additional incentives and reduction schemes by region and industry to the user terminal by linking with a database, predicts future expected sales revenue and appropriate workforce demand by utilizing big data and artificial intelligence (AI) technology including the user's past sales revenue, sales fluctuation trends, number of employees, growth rate, and average productivity by industry, calculates and provides the user with the required number of employees, recommended additional employees, optimal hiring timing and number of employees, and corresponding tax credit benefit information based on the predicted information, visualizes and provides expected salary costs, tax refunds, deduction benefits, and the timing of local government subsidies and grant payments for each employment scenario on a monthly, quarterly, and yearly basis, and links with the refund application support module to provide various application documents required for applying for tax credits and employment incentives and An automated tax refund support system that automatically prepares supporting documents, generates automatically filled-in documents based on application forms by utilizing information from government ministry and local government websites or APIs, and guides users through the step-by-step submission process. Claim 9 In claim 8, the employment strategy providing unit, in accordance with a request signal from the user terminal, links with an external job search platform to receive applicant information including the applicant's profile, age, career, and social insurance enrollment history from the job search platform, determines whether the applicant meets the requirements for employment increase tax credit and social insurance premium tax credit, and if the determination result is that the applicant meets the requirements, displays the applicant in a priority recommendation list, and calculates the tax creditable amount, the estimated refund amount, and the change in refund amount before and after the employment of the applicant by reflecting the applicant information, and provides the result to the user terminal, an automated tax refund support system.

Images