Taiwan’s Uniform Invoice Lottery is a drawing that happens every odd-numbered month. All receipts you get in Taiwan will have a set of numbers. Match those to the winning numbers for a chance to win up to NT$10 million.
I’ve lived in Taiwan for more than 5 years and have familiarized myself with Taiwan’s receipt invoice lottery. I want to share my knowledge to help you optimize your experience while living in (or visiting) Taiwan.
Summary
- Receipt lottery is a means to encourage businesses to pay taxes.
- Locals & tourists can claim prizes.
- Drawings are every odd-numbered month (e.g., November).
- Claim winnings at convenience stores or banks.
What Is the Taiwan Receipt Lottery?
The Taiwan Receipt Lottery, Uniform Invoice Lottery, or 統一發票 (Tǒngyī Fāpiào) is a drawing held by the ministry of finance (MOF) every odd-numbered month. Those holding receipts with winning numbers can claim up to NT$10 million from the MOF.
The MOF created this system to create an incentive for customers to ask stores for receipts. Thus, putting pressure on store owners to pay taxes.
Taiwanese residents, travelers, expats, digital nomads, and whoever can claim the prizes. I’ll cover how in a bit.
There’s no benefit to not checking your numbers. If you don’t stay in Taiwan during a receipt lottery drawing, donate the receipt to a store or individual. They can then claim the winnings if drawing a winning number.
It’s a great way to prevent wasted winning tickets. Plenty of these tickets go unclaimed every drawing [2].
Let’s see how it works.
How Does the Taiwan Receipt Lottery Work?
Every 2 months (during an odd-numbered month), you will need to check the last 3 digits of your receipt’s invoice number.
I’ll show you where in a second.
Upon finding a winning number, you must fill out the information on the back of your receipt and redeem it. Winnings under NT$1,000 will require you to claim your reward at a convenience store or supermarket.
Anything over requires a trip to the bank.
There’s an “easier” way to deal with receipts. Use an EasyCard. But it’s not easy.
You must check your winnings at electronic kiosks throughout convenience stores. And usually, the options for receipt lottery stuff are in Chinese.
Connecting a receipt lottery app to your bank account allows you to automatically read and transfer your winnings. It’s my preferred method.
Here are the various receipt lottery periods:
| Lottery Drawing (Day) | Period | How Long You Have To Redeem Prize |
|---|---|---|
| January 25th | November–December | February 6th–May 6th |
| March 25th | January–February | April 6th–July 6th |
| May 25th | March–April | June 6th–September 6th |
| July 25th | May–June | August 6th–November 6th |
| September 25th | July–August | October 6th–January 6th |
| November 25th | September–October | December 6th–March 6th |
Claim your prize immediately upon finding a winning number. Otherwise, you may forget and lose extra money you could put toward bubble tea.
Let’s check out how to check whether you won.
How Can I Check My Taiwan Receipt Lottery?
Check your receipts manually or by using an app.
How you’ll check your physical receipts depends on the invoice type.
The first row beneath the shop’s name says it’s a receipt. The second row displays the date. And the third shows the invoice lottery number.
To know whether it’s a lottery number, you’ll see 2 letters. For instance, “FC-########.” Read the last 3 numbers and compare them to the period’s winning numbers.
Whether you’re moving or traveling to Taiwan, I recommend downloading a receipt lottery app. It’ll remove human error. Travelers and short-term stayers will want Colibri.
It doesn’t appear Colibri is on the Apple App Store. I’ll suggest an alternative in a second.
The app is in English and takes less than a minute to set up. Upon opening the app, tap “START SCANNER’ or ‘MANUAL CHECK.’ The former requires you to scan your receipt’s QR code or lottery number.
You’ll need to enter your number manually for the latter. I only recommend this option if the receipt’s ink is too faded for your app to read.
After scanning your receipts, go to the “Receipts” tab, and it’ll tell you whether you have a winning number.
I use and recommend 發票存摺+統一發票對獎機 for Taiwan expats:
The app’s only in Chinese, but easy to navigate. Press the “+” button in the lower right corner of your screen and tap the QR code icon. It’ll present options to scan a QR code or lottery numbers.
When scanning these numbers, you’ll hear an ear-piercing beep. Mute the beep by tapping the tiny audio icon toward the upper-right side of your screen.
Scan your receipts and navigate back to the main menu. From there, press this area:
It’ll let you know whether you won.
Here’s why I like this app:
- Connect a bank account: a winning number triggers the app to transfer funds to my account
- Cloud receipts: cashiers scan your app’s generated receipt barcode & stores receipts as cloud receipts
- Integrates with other rewards programs: generates barcodes for reward programs (e.g., Family Mart)
- Displays EasyCard & icash 2.0 card balance
- Widgets for barcodes: no need to open the app
A Taiwanese friend introduced me to this app, and I can’t honestly recommend other apps. I wish it was in English, but their demographic isn’t English-speakers. It’s a trade-off I can live with.
Real quick:
If you use the cloud receipt barcode, ensure you tell the cashier “發票 (fāpiào)” when checking out. Also present the barcode to them. They’ll scan your barcode and send your receipt to the cloud.
How to Redeem My Winnings
When redeeming your receipts in person, you’ll need to write the following information on the back of your receipt:
- Prize: amount you won
- Name: as written on your Taiwan ARC or passport
- Phone number: Taiwan phone number
Here’s a picture of the prize entry form translated for traditional receipts:
And here’s the back of a regular receipt:
You’ll need to bring your passport or Taiwan Alien Resident Certificate to a convenience store or supermarket. Show the staff the back of the receipt, and they will likely understand your needs through context.
If they don’t understand, try saying the following:
我要換中獎發票 (Wǒ yào huàn zhòngjiǎng fāpiào).
Anyone winning prizes of more than NT$1,000 will require you to visit one of the following banks:
- Chang Hwa Bank
- First Commercial Bank
- Agricultural Bank of Taiwan Corporation
Other than using the apps I used earlier, the Ministry of Finance has an app that allows you to claim your winnings. So long as you have a bank account:
The app’s only in Chinese. And it doesn’t have the best ratings. Thus, I don’t recommend it.
Taiwan Receipt Lottery Prizes
Here are all the prizes available for winners of Taiwan’s Uniform Invoice Lottery:
| Prize Type | Winning Amount | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Special Prize | NT$10 Million | Match all the Special Prize numbers |
| Grand Prize | NTD$2 million ($69700) | Match all digits of the Grand Prize |
| First Prize | NTD$200,000 ($6900) | Match all eight digits of First Prize |
| Regular Prize | NTD$40,000 ($1300) | Match the last seven digits of First Prize |
| Second Prize | NTD$10,000 ($350) | Match the last six digits of the First Prize |
| Third Prize | NTD$4,000 ($140) | Match the last five digits of the First Prize |
| Fourth Prize | NTD$1,000 ($34) | Match the last four digits of First Prize |
| Fifth Prize | NTD$200 ($7.00) | Match the last three digits of First Prize |
| Sixth Prize | NTD$200 | Match any of three digits of additionally drawn |
FAQs for Taiwan’s Receipt Lottery
Read on to find commonly asked questions about Taiwan’s receipt lottery.
How Do I Claim My Taiwan Receipt Lottery Price?
Claim prizes NT$1,000 and under at convenience stores and supermarkets. Prizes more than NT$40,000 will require you to claim your receipt at a bank. Whether you’re Taiwanese doesn’t affect where you claim your winnings.
