MundoKit

Japan tax-free shopping calculator

Enter recorded pre-tax amounts and tax, or estimate from tax-inclusive totals for one person at one store on one day. Your purchase date selects the old exemption or the new refund system; fees and exchange rates are your assumptions.

Inputs
Calculator scope: purchases during 2026.
Used to allow for rounding near thresholds; same shopper, store and day only.
JPY
One shopper, one store, one day. Use the price before any tax-free deduction.
JPY
For example cosmetics or alcohol.
JPY
Eligible food and drink, excluding alcohol and dining out.
Relevant only before November 1. Otherwise categories are tested separately.
Assume every item in each included purchase record is exported. If any item is consumed or missing, exclude the entire affected receipt, not just that item. A foreign passport alone does not qualify: foreign nonresidents need Temporary Visitor, Diplomat or Official status, qualifying landing permission (port, transit, cruise, crew, emergency or distress), or U.S. forces status. Students, workers and residents do not qualify merely by nationality. Ordinarily entry must be less than six months ago; the table excepts diplomats, official personnel and U.S. military members. Returning Japanese nonresidents need less than six months since return, a passport and proof of continuous overseas residence for two years or more (qualifying My Number Card, Residency Certificate or Family Register Attachment). See the official eligibility table.
%
JPY
Enter your own exchange rate. Blank omits conversion.

Results

Estimated net refund, subject to confirmation
1,260 JPY
System selected by purchase date
Refund after customs confirmation
Tax-exclusive purchase total
15,000 JPY
Tax component before eligibility checks
1,400 JPY
Eligible tax before deductions
1,400 JPY
Modeled deductions
140 JPY
Estimated final cost
15,140 JPY
Last customs confirmation date
2027-02-12
  • Fees are editable examples, not an operator quote. Actual receipt rounding and payout can differ.
  • Pay tax-inclusive prices first. Present your passport and goods for the required departure procedure; customs does not itself pay the refund.

Results update as you type. The share link stores your inputs after the # in the address, which is not sent to our server, but anyone you send it to can read them.

Last checked 2026-11-14. Rules change, sometimes at short notice. We list the date we last checked each official source; confirm with the official government source before you travel, buy or file. This is general information, not legal or immigration advice.

This is a general estimate for information only, not tax, legal or financial advice. Real rules have more conditions than a calculator can show, so check the official source below or a qualified professional for your situation.

How it works

For purchases from November 1, 2026, pay the full price and seek a refund after customs confirmation. The NTA rules require at least ¥5,000 before tax per shopper, store and day. Goods categories combine, with no former consumable ceiling. Customs confirmation must occur by purchase date plus 90 days, counting the following day as day one.

Tax = general goods × 10/110 + 10% consumables × 10/110 + 8% consumables × 8/108 Tax-exclusive total = inclusive total − tax Net benefit = max(0, eligible tax × (1 − deduction % / 100) − fixed deduction) Converted benefit = net benefit × your currency units per yen

The Ministry of Finance explains the inclusive-price formula. A 10% rate does not mean 10% of the inclusive price is refundable. No intermediate values are rounded; yen results round to the nearest whole yen, conversions to two decimals. In receipt mode, thresholds use the recorded pre-tax amounts and refunds use recorded tax. In inclusive mode, NTA invoice rounding permits rounding down, up or nearest once per invoice per rate. We conservatively flag totals within two yen per included receipt of a threshold for receipt confirmation, withholding refund and final-cost estimates until recorded amounts are entered. This allowance is an uncertainty check, not a statutory tolerance. Include the correct receipt count. For old category checks, obtain any tax allocation from the shop.

Before November 1, the tool estimates checkout savings using separate general-goods and consumable thresholds, or combined consumable treatment when the store packages everything accordingly. This historical mode checks amounts only, not export timing or packaging compliance. Dates are limited to purchases in 2026. For the refund system, include only complete purchase records whose goods will all be exported. If even one item is consumed or missing, exclude the entire affected receipt, not merely that item; services, bullion, exempt goods and unusual reduced-rate general goods are outside this form’s scope.

Worked examples

New system: mixed rates with an example deduction

Buy ¥11,000 of general goods and ¥5,400 of food on November 14, 2026. The tax-exclusive total is ¥15,000; tax is ¥1,400. With an example 10% deduction from tax and no fixed fee, the estimated net refund is ¥1,260 and final cost is ¥15,140. Departing November 21 is within the February 12, 2027 deadline.

The transition changes a mixed basket

A receipt records general goods at ¥3,000 before tax plus ¥300 tax, and food at ¥2,000 before tax plus ¥160 tax. Enter these in receipt mode: ¥460 tax on ¥5,000 before tax. On October 31, separate categories fail their minimums: estimated savings ¥0. Combined packaging can allow ¥460 before fees. For a November 1 purchase, the combined minimum is met without that packaging: ¥460 before fees, with a customs deadline of January 30, 2027.

Late departure

A November 1 purchase of ¥11,000 at 10% contains ¥1,000 tax. Departure on January 31, 2027 misses the January 30 deadline, so the estimated refund is ¥0.

Traveler eligibility

The checkbox assumes the shop has checked your status and documents. A foreign passport alone does not establish eligibility. See the Japan Tourism Agency eligibility table for qualifying nonresident residence and landing categories, the ordinary less-than-six-month condition and its exceptions, and proof required from returning Japanese nationals. Student and work statuses are not qualifying categories.

Frequently asked questions

What happened on November 1, 2026?
Purchases from that date use a refund after customs confirmation. Earlier purchases remain under the checkout-exemption system, even if departure is later. Do not claim a second refund for an already exempt purchase.
What were the old consumable limits?
The old NTA rules set a ¥5,000 tax-exclusive minimum for each category. Consumables also had a ¥500,000 maximum and required special packaging. General goods could be packaged and treated as consumables to combine amounts. These category and packaging restrictions were removed under the new system.
Which purchases use 8% rather than 10%?
The NTA rate table gives 8% for qualifying food and drink, excluding alcohol and dining out. Cosmetics and alcohol use 10%. Use the rate on your receipt; consumable status alone does not mean 8%.
Can I eat the food in Japan and still get a refund?
No. Under NTA refund Q&A Q20–21, if even one item is consumed or missing, all goods in that purchase record fail customs confirmation. Confirmation applies per sales unit, normally a receipt. Exclude the entire affected receipt, not just the missing item. The checkbox assumes every item in every included record will be exported. Removing special packaging does not remove this requirement.
Does passing these checks guarantee a refund?
No. The eligibility checkbox is an assumption. The shop must verify your traveler status and documents, and the departure procedure must be completed. Follow Japan Customs instructions before checking baggage. Refund terms and fees come from your shop or operator.

Sources

Last reviewed 2026-11-14; next review due by 2026-12-14. The method is written out above so you can check our math.