Do your Tax with TaxTim and WIN R10,000  More info   T&C's apply


Independent Contractor versus Personal Service Company



Gregory says:
30 March 2022 at 10:30

I'd like to get some clarity on whether there is a difference between an Independent Contractor and a Personal Service Company?

TaxTim TaxTim says:
30 March 2022 at 22:04

A Personal Service Provider (PSP) refers to a company that offers particular services and in reality, it is the person providing the services who represent the company. Such as an accountant who sets up a company to offer his/her services and is the only director/employee. The PSP is treated as an employee for tax purposes and tax must be withheld at 28% by the client and deductions available to the PSP are very limited (akin to a salaried employee).

An independent contractor is an individual (unlike a PSP which is a company) who offers services to various parties in their personal capacity. Independent contractors are taxed in 3 different ways depending on how they perform their services. Please check out our decision tree: Am I an Independent Contractor? to see the different ways an independent contractor is taxed. (i.e 1. PAYE is withheld just like a salaried employee 2. PAYE is withheld at 25% 3. no PAYE is withheld and the contractor is responsible for their own tax affairs via the provisional payment system).

This entry was posted in Tax Q&A and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.




Blog Categories


Ask TaxTim

Got a question you want answered about tax?

Visit our helpdesk

Get SARS Tax Deadlines in your Inbox
We'll tell you when you need to file, along with tax tips and updates.