Guide to VAT Refund 2023: How to consult it and claim it if you are a beneficiary
The VAT 2023 refund is a recent mechanism through which the lowest income families can claim the amount of $80,000 every two months. It was created in order to protect the consumption of the most vulnerable families in the country.
The Value Added Tax, known by its acronym VAT, has been described as one of the most regressive taxes for the country’s economy. This is due to the fact that, being an indirect tax, it is levied on the entire population equally, regardless of the amount of their income. Thus, if a street dweller and the manager of a multinational drink a soda, they pay the same percentage of VAT, regardless of whether their incomes are different.
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On the other hand, in order to prevent this tax from being so regressive in Colombia, different mechanisms have been generated such as exclusions, exemptions, differential rates and, more recently, VAT refunds that some households can benefit from.
We tell you if you and your family meet the requirements to access the VAT refund 2023, and what you must do to claim the amount delivered by the Colombian State.
Step 1: Check if you are a beneficiary of the VAT refund 2023
According to the Department of Social Prosperity, in 2021 close to two million households throughout the national territory were beneficiaries of the VAT refund. These households are identified through the socioeconomic registry of the Identification System of Potential Beneficiaries of Social Programs (Sisbén) IV or the Social Registry of Households.
To access the VAT refund 2023, the Colombian State does not require any type of registration or application, nor does it open calls for the delivery of this economic aid.
For this reason, for the VAT refund 2023, as in other years, it is of utmost importance to keep all the information updated in the records.
To check if you are a beneficiary, go to the VAT refund web page. There you will find the button “Consultation of beneficiaries”, which will open a window where you can enter your ID number to make the consultation.
The system will indicate the status of your household in the 2023 VAT refund program.
Step 2: Avoid becoming a fraud victim
The Department of Social Prosperity, the entity in charge of the VAT refund program, warns the entire population that the procedures of said institution are free of charge and that no intermediaries are required either.
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Likewise, the entity indicates that it will officially communicate all the information related to the VAT 2023 refund. So far, it is known that the last VAT 2023 refund payment was made on January 10. Since that date, VAT refunds have not been made, due to an adjustment in the targeting.
According to the entity, both the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit and the National Planning Department and the Department of Social Prosperity are working on a refocusing process. “Once we have this result we will be informing the payment schedule through our official channels”, explained Social Prosperity.
For the time being, the exact dates of the VAT 2023 refund are not known, nor is it known if the payment will be accumulated. To this end, Social Prosperity details that “it is the only official means that will inform the collection points and the dates in which you will be able to access the Money Transfer. Once the payments begin, you will be able to consult them here”.
To learn more information about the VAT refund 2023, you can contact the following official channels of the Department of Social Prosperity:
- National Line: 01-8000-951100
- Switchboard: (57+1) 514 2060
- Bogota 514-9626 / 595-4410
- [email protected]
- https://devolucioniva.prosperidadsocial.gov.co/
- https://prosperidadsocial.gov.co/iva/
Also, please note the following lines through which Prosperidad Social can communicate with citizens:
- Text messages: 85594
- Telephone: 601 379 1088
- WhatsApp: 318 806 7329
“Any other number or channel may be a scam”, warns the entity.
