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Latest Posts in TaxTim's Blog

Here is the process to follow if you have a dormant company



It seems that dormant companies are on SARS' radar.

If you registered a company with CIPC some time ago and forgot about it, that company could land you in hot water with SARS. Read more to find out what the financial repercussions could be and why you should get a hold on the situation.

What is a dormant company?

A dormant company is classified as a company that has not actively traded for the full year of assessment.  Because there is no activity in the compan...

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The Deduction of Home Office Expenditure




Nowadays, work culture has evolved massively and “Flexible employment” has become the new buzzword. This is especially relevant at the moment, where many employees are still working from home due to the global Corona virus outbreak of 2020.

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How to set up a payment arrangement with SARS



With the end of the tax year looming, SARS tax collectors are on high alert to collect taxes and meet their revenue targets.

If you owe SARS, you should be receiving constant reminders to pay your debt. This may be in the form of SMS's, phone calls or even posted letters.

If the debt is unfamiliar or if you are not in agreement with the debt, you can File a dispute with SARS , howe...

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Track your tax return on the SARS website



SARS have recently introduced a new way to track your tax return online via the SARS website.

See TaxTim's step-by-step guide to help you nagivate this new process:

1. Please go to the SARS website www.sars.gov.za click on "Contact Us" 

2. Scroll down the page then click o...

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I have received an Additional Assessment from SARS - what does this mean?




After you have submitted your supporting documents to SARS, they have 21 working days to review them, assuming all sufficient documents have been received.  Once their review is complete, you will either:

  1. Receive a request for additional documents; or
  2. Receive a Completion Letter; or,
  3. Receive an Additional Assessment

Additional Documents Request

If SARS still requires for documents from you, they will either send ...

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The new SARS auto-assessment



Step 1:

If you have been auto-assessed by SARS,  you may see the screen below when you log into SARS eFiling.

Please click on "View".

You may also see this screen:

If you ...

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Payment for asking a Tax Question



Why am I receiving a request for payment for asking a tax question?

During the process of assisting taxpayers with the completion and submission of their tax return, we sometimes receive tax related questions to our Helpdesk which fall beyond the scope of the tax return and therefore requires some more of our time. This is because documents may need to be reviewed or calculations to be performed or even in some cases, external experts to be consulted.

For this reason, you may receive a request for a payment in response to your tax question...

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How to start saving money




In these uncertain economic times, we all want to stretch our budgets a little further. With a few simple financial habits, anyone can save some extra cash each month. So, if you're ready to start saving but not sure where to begin, here are ten handy tips to get you started:

1) Track Your Spending

Keep an eye on where your money goes, and you'll naturally start spending less. Keep a record of your daily expenses and distinguish between needs and wants. Need...

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Getting your debt under control



By Debtline

Managing debt can be daunting, but it doesn't have to define or control your life. In South Africa, many individuals face the complex task of effectively handling their finances and debts.

Keep reading, and we’ll equip you with practical strategies and valuable insights to take control of your debt and financial future.

Let's delve into how you can regain control of your debt and finances and pave the way for a brighter future.

<...

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A beginner's guide to investing in South Africa




You are doing well. You are earning enough money to cover your monthly expenses, and have some extra cash remaining at the end of each month. You could keep that money in the bank for a rainy day, or you could invest it, with the hopes of growing your savings significantly. This guide aims to help you understand why investing is important, how investments differ and what options are available to you in South Africa.

Why investing is important

Your money does not keep it's va...

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After all my documents submissions to SARS, they disallowed my expenses, why?




We are starting to see some common trends whereby taxpayers’ expenses are disallowed because the documents submitted are falling short of SARS’s requirements.  To avoid unnecessary frustration and time wasted in raising disputes, read on to see if any of these areas apply to you.

Travel deduction

In prior years, the submission of a logbook detailing your business mileage used to be sufficient to justify your travel claim. In recent years howev...

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Tax-Efficient Wealth Protection: Understanding Life Insurance




By Josh Kaplan - OneSpark

Life insurance: it sounds about as exciting as watching paint dry, right? However, just like that fresh coat of paint protects your walls from wear and tear, life insurance is all about protecting your loved ones from the financial burdens that could pop up in your absence.

If you've ever been out to dinner with friends and spent more time figuring out how to split the bill than actually enjoying your meal, then you'll understand why ...

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How to buy your first property




The thought of buying a house can be daunting. It might seem almost impossible when you are just getting started. But like any financial goal, you can achieve it if you understand what's involved, and break the process up into small, bite-size steps.

Buying your first home is also exciting! Choosing where you will live, how many rooms you need, what colour to paint the walls, and what furniture to fill it with are part of the fun. Use that excitement to get you through the admin involved....

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What you need to know about SARS auto-assessments




What is an auto-assessment?

This is an automatic assessment issued by SARS to certain taxpayers.

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Tax Season 2023



The 2023 filing season opens this year at 8pm on Friday, 7 July.  The countdown's on, it's almost here!

It is important to be aware that the season is shorter than prior years. This means that SARS are giving you less time to file your return.

Important Filing Deadlines

23 October 2023: non-provisional taxpayer (i.e. salaried employees)

24 January 2024: provisional taxpayer (i.e self-employed, rental earners, freelancers, ...

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Don't file on SARS eFiling before 7 July



Last year, we noticed that many taxpayers filed their tax returns before the tax season officially began (i.e July). However, doing so caused delays and problems with their tax refunds.

There are only three specific instances where you can file your tax return (ITR12) directly on eFiling before tax season starts:

  • If you have been declared insolvent / sequestrated or, 
  • If you need to file a tax return for a deceased estate or, 
  • If you are em...


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Why refund/tax liability estimations may differ from the SARS calculator and final SARS ITA34 assessment




TaxTim and SARS use all the financial information you provide to work out the most accurate estimate of your potential refund (or tax liability) for the current tax season. However, there may be some information we don’t have access to that won’t be included in the estimate of your tax refund or tax liability.

Information from previous tax seasons

Just like the SARS eFiling tax calculator, TaxTim doesn’t take into account provisional tax ...

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How to add your Company Tax Number to your eFiling profile



As part of SARS’ mission to simplify the eFiling system, the Tax Type Transfer process was updated in 2020 for all Tax products in a bid to offer users complete control of their eFiling profiles. 

What's new on eFiling?

 Overall, you can expect to see the following key changes introduced to eFiling from the end of April 2021: 

  • Changes to adding taxpayers to a profile (Organisations, Practitioners & individuals)
  • The removal of multiple capture fields to simplify the process
  • Validation requirements for captured information to ensure alignment to SARS records, e.g...


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9 Steps to File an Objection to Your Tax Assessment




You’ve been diligent with your tax obligations, you’ve paid your PAYE (employees tax) each month without fail, you’ve kept all the supporting documents for your deduction claims and you’ve carefully filled out your tax return, making sure you’ve put all the right amounts in all the right places, against all the right codes. (Pssst, if you used TaxTim to help you complete your tax return, you wouldn’t have had to worry about all the right places and codes because that’s all automated for you)...

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What to do if your tax return was rejected by SARS a few months after filing?



If you've received a letter from SARS saying that your tax return has been rejected and you're not sure why, there could be a few reasons why this has happened. Here are some of the most common reasons, along with the corrective steps you need to take:

Reason 1: You were auto-assessed by SARS for the 2020, 2021 or 2022 tax year, but you submitted your tax return after the 40-day period SARS gave you, and you failed to request an extension in time. Please click here to read more about auto-assessments. ...


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Auto-Assessed Taxpayers Alert



SARS has given you just 40 working days to submit your tax return. If you received your auto-assessment at the beginning of July, your time to submit has already expired. Auto-assessments issued on 4 July 2022, expired on 30 August 2022. Count your work days carefully. SARS is applying this rule very strictly. If you do nothing, your auto-assessment will very soon become FINAL.

For more on auto-assessments and their deadlines, please read Read more →

Should I file a dormant return?



Are you confused about whether your company should file a dormant return or a normal ITR14 for companies? It's understandable - dormancy can be a tricky concept to navigate. It's important to understand that the type of tax return you need to file depends on when your company became dormant. But don't worry, we're here to help you figure it out!

First things first, what is a dormant company?

A dormant company is a company which is registered with the ...

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Dormant Company Tax Returns



If you've registered a company with CIPC some time ago and forgot about it, that company could land you in hot water with SARS. Even if the company is not actively trading and has no assets or liabilities, you still have a duty to submit its tax returns to SARS. Failure to do so can result in administrative penalties that ...

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11 Types of Tax Directives



                                                     

Imagine you’re an estate agent or luxury car salesman. Chances are that you don’t earn much (if anything) as a basic salary and you rely on a few big deals and commission payments to keep you afloat during quieter months.

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How you can avoid load-shedding while reducing your tax bill



In his Budget Speech on 22 February 2023, Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana announced the introduction of tax incentives intended to encourage the rapid uptake of renewable energy.

Government has developed the scheme in a bid to encourage households to invest in clean electricity generation capacity. The programme is intended to minimise demand on the national grid by reducing the number of households that are entirely reliant on Eskom for their power.

The incentives will r...

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