Meta Business wants a tax certificate: escaping the e-Tax “Form 2 or Form 3-2?” maze

You are verifying a business in Meta Business and the document list includes a tax certificate.

Fine.

Then you open Japan’s e-Tax system and meet:

Form 1.
Form 2.
Form 3.
Form 3-2.
Form 3-3.
Form 4.

The simple question becomes:

Which one am I supposed to upload to Meta?

This guide covers one specific situation: Meta’s screen offers a tax certificate as an acceptable document and does not explicitly demand proof of annual income. Meta’s requirements can vary by account and verification flow. If Meta explicitly asks for a particular year, income amount, or named document, follow that instruction first.

1. Form 2 and Form 3-2 prove different things

Japan’s National Tax Agency defines Form 2 as a certificate of income amount. Form 3 proves there is no unpaid tax, and Form 3-2 is the individual version covering declared income tax/reconstruction special income tax and consumption tax/local consumption tax.^[1][2]

So the practical distinction is:

• Need to prove how much income you had → Form 2.
• Need an individual certificate showing no unpaid tax in the covered taxes → Form 3-2.

If Meta merely offers “tax certificate” and does not ask for your income amount, Form 3-2 can be a reasonable candidate because it does not unnecessarily disclose your income amount.

The “Which year?” question mainly belongs to the Form 2 world. Form 3-2 is not an annual income statement.

2. “Request issuance” is the correct e-Tax path

From e-Tax, the flow is essentially:

Filing / applications / payments
→ Application and payment procedures
→ Request for tax certificate issuance (electronic delivery).^[2][3]

“Request” here does not mean the government is billing you for tax. It means you are asking the tax office to issue the certificate.

Japanese administrative language occasionally turns a normal-looking word into a command from a dungeon menu.

3. PDF is usually the easiest electronic format

Electronic tax certificates can be issued as PDF or XML.^[1][3]

If Meta’s upload field accepts PDF, PDF is normally easier to handle. The National Tax Agency also says electronic PDF certificates can be printed, while advising users to confirm whether the recipient accepts an electronic certificate file.^[1][3]

Important rule:

Available in e-Tax does not automatically mean accepted by the recipient.

If Meta specifies a different document or format, Meta’s instruction wins.

4. What goes in the Individual Number field?

For an individual, the “Individual Number” field means Japan’s 12-digit My Number.^[4]

It is not:

• your four-digit card PIN,
• your e-Tax user identification number,
• another number printed on the front of the card.

Do not expose the 12-digit value in screenshots, chats, repositories, or articles.

The instruction “enter your 12-digit Individual Number” is enough. The actual number is never needed for public troubleshooting.

5. Purpose of use: choose “Other”

The tax-certificate request asks for a purpose. Options include borrowing, bidding qualifications, registration applications, guarantor use, and Other. The National Tax Agency’s instructions say to use “Other” and describe the purpose when none of the listed categories fits.^[5]

For Meta Business verification, a simple description such as:

Other → For Meta Business verification

is clear.

“Registration application” may look tempting because you are “registering” something on Meta, but an administrative registration category and an online platform verification flow are not the same thing.

Do not let the same word create a fake equivalence.

6. A receipt number and .xtx file are not the certificate

After submission, e-Tax shows items such as submission time, a submission file name, a receipt number, and error information.

A file name like:

Request for Tax Certificate (Form 3-2).xtx

does not mean the tax certificate is ready for Meta.

It means the request was submitted.

A receipt number means the quest was accepted. It does not mean you already opened the reward chest.

7. Issuance is not always instant

e-Tax explicitly says electronic tax-certificate issuance can take time because the tax office performs confirmation work.^[6]

The National Tax Agency also notes that a certificate may not be issued on the same day immediately after filing or payment.^[3]

So do not expect:

Submit → three seconds → PDF.

Once processing advances, the e-Tax message box provides issuance and payment information. The current fee for an electronic Form 3-2 certificate is 370 yen.^[2][7]

Tax-office counters are open on weekdays from 8:30 to 17:00 and closed on weekends and public holidays.^[3] An online request may be transmitted outside those counter hours, but processing that needs tax-office confirmation should not be treated as instant.

8. The shortest decision path

For an individual using a Meta verification screen that offers a tax certificate without explicitly requiring annual income:

1. Read Meta’s exact document requirement.
2. Log in to e-Tax.
3. Open application/payment procedures.
4. Choose tax certificate issuance for electronic delivery.
5. If the goal is “no unpaid tax,” consider Form 3-2.
6. Use PDF if Meta accepts it.
7. Enter the 12-digit Individual Number.
8. Choose Other if no listed purpose fits.
9. Write “For Meta Business verification.”
10. Submit.
11. Treat the receipt number as proof of submission, not the certificate itself.
12. Wait for tax-office processing.
13. Check the e-Tax message box and pay the issuance fee.
14. Download the PDF certificate.
15. Check that the name/address information Meta intends to match is consistent, then upload it.

If Meta explicitly asks for annual income or a specific year, do not substitute Form 3-2 just because it reveals less information.

The recipient’s requirement is the boss. e-Tax is the equipment shop.

9. Keep private data out of troubleshooting

This workflow exposes sensitive data:

• legal name,
• address,
• My Number,
• e-Tax identifiers,
• receipt number,
• email address,
• Meta Business identifiers,
• the original certificate.

When asking for help, preserve field labels and remove field values.

“An Individual Number field appears” is useful.

“My Individual Number is …” is not.

You do not need to livestream the contents of the treasure chest to solve the dungeon.

Conclusion

The hard part is mostly terminology.

Form 2 = income amount.
Form 3-2 = no unpaid tax for an individual in the covered taxes.

Electronic delivery can provide PDF. The Individual Number is the 12-digit My Number. “Other” fits a Meta verification purpose when no listed category matches. A receipt number or .xtx file is not the certificate. Issuance may take time.

Once the labels are translated into normal language, the maze becomes a straight road.

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References (7)

1. 国税庁「No.9208 納税証明書の請求」（2026-04-01現在法令等） nta.go.jp
2. e-Tax「納税証明書の交付請求について」 e-tax.nta.go.jp
3. 国税庁「G-1 納税証明書の交付請求手続」 nta.go.jp
4. 国税庁「第2 マイナンバー制度の概要」— 個人番号は12桁 nta.go.jp
5. 国税庁「納税証明書交付請求書の記載要領」— 該当する使用目的がない場合は「その他」 nta.go.jp
6. e-Tax「電子納税証明書は、請求すればすぐ取得できますか。」 e-tax.nta.go.jp
7. e-Tax「電子納税証明書の交付手数料はいくらでしょうか。」 e-tax.nta.go.jp