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Independent Contractor Posts in Tax Q&A

How to catch up on outstanding returns when I have no income and expenditure records

  Written by Marc  

I resigned from my job in 2010 and took my pension to buy a small business, which I ran as a sole proprietor for 2. 5 years. During this time, I did not submit a tax return, as I wasn't sure how to do it. Also, I was not making much profit and more or less came out even at the end of every month. I then passed the business on to my son-in-law and started working again in 2013. All the income and expenditure info relating to the business was contained on a laptop, which subsequently crashed, so I...



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Registering as a freelance tax payer

  Written by Marc  

Hi there, I have been working from home for a couple of months now for a company I used to work in-house full time for. Better explained - I now work on a freelance basis for the same company but I get a weekly salary, the same each week and its on-going. I had the understanding that my tax was being deducted off my salary, that the company was taking care of this. I recently realised that this is not the case and I should have registered as a freelance practitioner and taken care of my own tax....



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Vehicle Purchased For Business and Personal

  Written by Marc  

I recently purchased a car cash for business and personal use. The amount paid was R103,000. How can I go about claiming a portion thereof as a tax deductible expense if I also use it for my business?

Changing retirement funds and tax implications

  Written by Marc  

During this tax year, I was retrenched and had to move my retirement fund money from the fund where it was to a new preservation fund. The amount of money transferred shows up on my tax return, but I just want to find out if I will be taxed on this? Will SARS know that the money has been moved to a preservation fund and not paid out cash to me?
Thanks!

Agent fees and tax declaration

  Written by Marc  

If you receive income via an agent which has not been taxed, what is the income declared? Eg: I get paid R10 000 for a job. The agent takes R2000. Do I declare R10 000 or R8000 as income earned?
Also, what proof do I have to show this if audited?

Calculation of travelling & depreciation

  Written by Marc  

Commission earner - Please inform me how to calculate the following:
# travel expenses with a log book
# without a log book - expenses incurred are as follows: fuel, toll, maintenance, license
# depreciation of a motor vehicle

RAF conversion - might flag risk and SARS might want tax on it as they might think it is paid out

  Written by Marc  

I claimed RAF deductions of about R9000 last year but this year it is only R850 because I took an authorised premium payment holiday allowed by Sanlam. I also converted my RAF's to a new generation RAF platform, so they are were never paid out but I am very worried that SARS will think that the RAF's were paid out and want to tax them - what should I do?

Car Allowance Capped / eFiling adjustment considered.

  Written by Marc  

Dear TaxTim. I only recently realised that SARS have been capping my yearly travel allowance (code 3701) at R66,000 which is my monthly car allowance x 12. Thanks for your feedback on that. I do however qualify for an allowance of R100,000 per year based on value of the car and log book total vs. Business km's. When doing my onlie eFiling, the system did allow me to reduce 3601 Income and increase 3701 by the same amount that I decreased the income 3601. I am hoping that this will then prevent m...



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What are those supporting documents that I need to submit

  Written by Marc  

I have received an email from SARS saying my income tax has been identified for verification and I must submit my supporting documents on my SARS eFiling. What are those supporting documents that I need to submit, if I don't have invoices,medical certificate or travel book. Is it the IRP5 still a supporting document?

Did the employer calculated my PAYE correctly?

  Written by Marc  

Please assist with these calculations:

I earn 31650 pm = 379800 pa (no other benefits). On resignation an amount of R14240. 31 was due to me for leave days. A further bonus amount of R28 485 was to be paid plus R 1360 for travel claim. My payslip reflects a PAYE amount of R20691. 76. Is this correct? I think the employer got it wrong.

Business travel expenses for individuals vs. businesses

  Written by Marc  

Hi Tim, I'm considering taking a contract position. I live in Durban and the position is in Johannesburg. Which means I will be commuting weekly to Johannesburg and spending the weekend in Durban with my partner. Including the travel expenses and extra accommodation in my hourly rate drastically increases the tax that I will have to contribute, which means the opportunity is not that lucrative. I end up losing. Would it make more sense for the business to cover the cost of my weekly flights and ...



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Calculation of PAYE

  Written by Marc  

Calculation of PAYE. Earnings include allowances(standby, acting, travel and cellphone). UIF, medical aid and pension fund are deducted.

I am paying to much tax, what now?

  Written by Marc  

I did the tax calculator and my company is subtracting 5 times the amount of tax that I should pay from my salary each month. When I asked them About it they said they have a system that works it out and didn't want to help me. What should I do now?

What are the requirements to claim vehicle depreciation?

  Written by Marc  

What are the income requirements to claim vehicle depreciation?

If commission forms about 25% of my yearly income, and my vehicle is used extensively to travel between clients (core part of the job), can I claim depreciation of my vehicle against my income?

I don't receive any travel allowance or fuel etc. I keep a logbook and can prove travel % to work/personal. Thanks.

Travel expenses self-employed

  Written by Marc  

If I am self-employed - how do I claim for travel expense when completing my Tax tax return?

How much tax is required if you earn R17500 per month

  Written by Marc  

What is tax figure if you earn R17500 monthly and you contributing R810 provident fund

Retirement Benefit of R500,000 Tax free

  Written by Marc  

How do I take advantage of the R500,000 tax free portion AT RETIREMENT? I was retrenched at age 54 and paid full tax on my retrenchment lump sum. Now that I am 56 and would like to retire on the funds in my pension preservation fund, I do not understand why the tax directive on the first R500,000 from my preservation fund was taxed. I have NEVER retired before so I should have the full R500,000 tax free ON RETIREMENT?? Numerous calls to the SARS call centre have me confused between benefits at ...



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Pension fund reflects payout but it was moved to a preservation fund.

  Written by Marc  

When I left my previous job I moved my pension fund to a preservation fund. I did not do my 2014 taxes and now when I go on SARS eFiling my IRP5 seems to reflect that I was paid out the money from my pension fund. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do now. Would signing up for your service show me the steps I need to deal with this on my 2014 tax return?

Deduct home office expenses with split income streams and no IRP5

  Written by Marc  

I work from home - part time as a contractor for a US-based company, and part time for a South African private company of which I'm one of the shareholders / directors. I earn a regular monthly salary from the foreign corporation, but they don't issue an IRP5. I also bill my local company for my time, but irregularly, and often this income is put into a director's loan account rather than paid out in cash. The local company did not issue me an IRP5 for 2014. How do I declare my income in such a ...



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Do I have to pay tax if I earn R6000 basic commission?

  Written by Evan  

Hi, I would like to know how do I get taxed if I get paid a basic salary and commission? My basic is R6000 and get commission of 10% on each services after I have made over R10 000. Please help!

How do I submit 2007 return without documents?

  Written by Marc  

SARS is requesting that my husband submit a 2007 tax return. However, he was only working certain times during that tax period (as a freelance contractor) and has no IRP5. He contacted the company he worked for as well, and they have no record of a IRP5 as well. What do you advise him to do now if he has no documents for that tax period? He may be able to get a record of his retirement annuity contributions, but that is all.

As a sub-consultant should the company I do work for deduct tax?

  Written by Evan  

What is the difference between a sole proprietor and sub-consultant. I am a sub-consultant and work on an hourly rate. My income is not the same every month. I use the companies' offices from time to time. I have been a sub-consultant since August 2015. The company deducts tax from my monthly income and will provide me with an IRP5. My question is should they deduct tax?

Can I claim travel expenses without having a travel allowance?

  Written by Evan  

Can I submit a travel log book with my tax return if I do not have a travel allowance and if my commission is less than 50% of my monthly income?

Car Deductions on Commission

  Written by Marc  

Hi Tim, I am a Commission earner and I claim back on my vehicle usage on depreciation and logbook. When I claim back on my car usage, I keep a logbook as well. But my question is, can I claim back on a paid up vehicle? or do I have to still be paying monthly towards finance. Does the finance amount help with increase my tax return from SARS. Eg if im paying R2500 or R2000. Which will yield a higher tax return?

Depreciation for Commission Earner

  Written by Marc  

Hi TaxTim, I have a lot of questions lined up. I hope its ok. The first one. I am a commission earner and claim back usage of my vehicle for business use. 75%
when calculation deprection over the 5 year straight line method. When does this begin? when I took ownership of the vehicle? or when the vehicle was registered?
2. I bought a vehicle in 2011 and only starting working on commission in 2013. When does my depreciation stop on this vehicle? 2016? or 2018?
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