Post-Registration Services in China

Registration is the easy part. The real work starts the day your business licence arrives: post-registration services in China cover the filings, accounts and reports that keep a foreign-invested company legal, bankable and audit-ready for as long as it operates.

Rheaura Group has handled this work for foreign investors since 2018, backed by a group heritage dating to 1992 — more than 2,000 companies served from our base in Qingdao. This page explains what has to happen after incorporation, when each deadline falls, and what we take off your desk.

Not registered yet? Start with our China company registration services or the WFOE registration guide — then come back here for what follows.

What Comes After Company Registration?

Most FDI companies complete the same set of formalities in the first weeks after the licence is issued. Miss one and the bank account freezes, invoicing stops, or the entity is flagged as abnormal.

• Company chops — the official seals (company, finance, contract and legal representative) carved and recorded;
• Tax registration and taxpayer category — general VAT taxpayer or small-scale, with the electronic tax account opened;
• Bank accounts — the RMB basic account and the foreign-currency capital account;
• Capital contribution — registered capital remitted from abroad, verified and reported through the foreign exchange system;
• FIE filings — registration in MOFCOM’s information system, plus the annual foreign-invested enterprise report;
• Social insurance and housing fund — opened before the first employee is onboarded;
• Fapiao system — digital invoice issuance enabled so you can bill customers.

Accounting, Bookkeeping and Tax Filing

Chinese accounting runs on its own calendar and its own chart of accounts. Monthly filings typically include VAT and surcharges, individual income tax withheld from payroll, and stamp duty where it applies. Quarterly filings add corporate income tax prepayment, while the annual corporate income tax reconciliation closes the year by 31 May.

Even a dormant company must file. A zero return keeps the entity in good standing, while missed filings trigger late fees and a tax credit-rating downgrade that blocks invoice issuance and export tax rebates.

What we handle every month

• Bookkeeping on China’s standard chart of accounts, with bilingual management reports for head office;
• VAT, surcharges, stamp duty and payroll IIT filings through the electronic tax bureau;
• Corporate income tax prepayment, year-end reconciliation and audit support;
• Zero returns for pre-revenue entities, so nothing lapses;
• A tax-risk review before any restructuring, dividend or profit repatriation.

Fapiao: Official Invoice Management

In China an invoice is a tax document, not just a receipt — costs cannot be deducted without the correct fapiao. We apply for your invoice quota with the tax bureau, enable fully digitalised e-invoicing, and verify that invoices you receive from suppliers are valid, matched to contracts and deductible.

• Invoice quota application and adjustment as revenue grows;
• Digital e-fapiao issuance, delivery and archiving;
• Supplier invoice vetting before payment — the wrong fapiao means a non-deductible cost;
• Red-letter invoice handling for returns, discounts and corrections.

Bank Accounts, Capital and Cross-Border Payments

The RMB basic account is your operating account; the capital account is the only channel through which registered capital and foreign-currency funds legally enter and leave. Keeping both compliant is an ongoing job, not a one-off formality.

• Capital contribution — remittance, verification and conversion of registered capital;
• Annual equity verification filed with the foreign exchange authority;
• Bank KYC refreshes, beneficial-owner declarations and transaction documentation;
• Cross-border payments — dividends, service fees, royalties and trade settlement — each with its own tax and foreign-exchange requirements.

Annual Compliance Calendar

These are the recurring obligations that apply to a foreign-invested company in China. Dates are the statutory deadlines for the financial year.

Obligation	Deadline	Applies to	Filed with
Monthly VAT, surcharges and payroll IIT	By the 15th of the following month	All companies	Electronic tax bureau
Quarterly corporate income tax prepayment	Within 15 days of quarter end	All companies	Electronic tax bureau
Annual corporate income tax reconciliation	31 May	All companies	Tax bureau
Enterprise annual report	30 June	All companies	SAMR credit system
FIE annual investment report	30 June	Foreign-invested companies	MOFCOM system
FDI equity verification	30 September	Companies with foreign capital	Foreign exchange authority / bank
Statutory annual audit	Before the tax reconciliation	Companies meeting audit thresholds	Licensed CPA firm

Payroll, Social Insurance and Staff

Hiring turns compliance into a monthly cycle: payroll, individual income tax withholding, social insurance and the housing fund. Employers contribute on top of gross salary, and contribution bases are recalculated on a fixed date each year.

• Payroll processing and bilingual payslips;
• Social insurance (pension, medical, unemployment, work injury, maternity) and housing fund registration and monthly contributions;
• Employment contracts aligned with PRC labour law, plus terminations and severance calculations;
• Work permits and residence permits for expatriate staff — see our China visa services guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an accountant if my China company has no revenue yet?

Yes. Every registered company must file monthly and quarterly returns, even at zero. Non-filing brings late fees and a downgraded tax credit rating, which in turn blocks invoice issuance and export tax rebates.

How much does ongoing compliance cost?

It depends mainly on transaction volume and headcount rather than on registered capital. Most trading and consulting companies fall into a predictable monthly bookkeeping-and-filing range, with add-ons for payroll, audits and annual reports.

What happens if we skip the enterprise annual report?

The company is listed as abnormal in the national credit system, which affects bank business, government tenders and customs clearance. Reinstatement means paying penalties and back-filing first.

Can Rheaura take over from our current accountant?

Yes. We normally begin with a compliance review of the last 12–24 months of filings and ledgers, list the gaps, then take over bookkeeping, filings and reporting.

Do you support companies registered outside Qingdao?

Yes — we handle the Shandong region directly and coordinate with partner firms and remote filing systems for companies registered elsewhere in China.

Keep Your China Company in Good Standing

Compliance in China is cumulative: the cheapest year is the one where every deadline was met. Book a compliance review with Rheaura Group and we will map your filings, accounts and deadlines into a single calendar — or message us on WhatsApp (+86 134 6589 2035) to talk it through.

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