SARS & eFiling: 10 most popular posts
What does a Completion Letter from SARS mean?
Posted 27 November 2018
Completion Letter
You will receive a Completion Letter if all goes well and SARS is happy with your documents. This means that SARS is not adjusting your Original Assessment and if you have a refund due, it should be paid out in 7 working days (provided you have no tax debt due or outstanding tax returns from prior years). Similarly, if you owe tax to SARS per your Original Assessment, the amount you owe will remain unchanged.
An example of a...
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I submitted all my documents to SARS - They've asked again. Why?
Posted 26 November 2018
We are seeing many cases where taxpayers submit their documents to SARS, wait 21 working days (sometimes longer) only to receive a second letter on eFiling which requests the exact same documents again.
The letter we are referring to here is the generic SARS document request which looks like the below:
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) thanks you for submitting the revised income tax return for the 2018 tax period.
The revised information still does not match the information in the possession of the SARS and/or the income tax return has been identified for verification in terms of the Tax Administration Act....
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I have received an Additional Assessment from SARS - what does this mean?
Posted 23 October 2018
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:
- Receive a request for additional documents; or
- Receive a Completion Letter; or,
- Receive an Additional Assessment
Additional Documents Request
If SARS still requires for documents from you, they will either send ...
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How to Change/Verify Your Bank Details at SARS
Posted 22 October 2018
SARS has recently issued a new guide with regards to updating your banking details with them. This was done in order to reduce the risk of refunds being paid into the wrong accounts and also to streamline the process, which has tended to be an onerous one in the past.
Change of bank details can be done:
- in person at a SARS branch (SARS still prefers this way)
- via eFiling (Go to Maintain Taxpayer Registered Particulars Menu) Note, you will still need t...
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File by 31 October or face heavy fines and potential legal action!
Posted 11 October 2018
With the tax season shortened this year by 3 weeks, the deadline to file by 31 October is just around the corner. SARS announced that it will be clamping down on taxpayers who miss the deadline to submit their tax return. Besides stating that they will impose monthly fines for late tax returns, they have even gone so far as threatening criminal prosecution and time behind bars for unpaid tax debt, just as many of us have witnessed with the recent celebrity headlines.
Their ominous slogan “pay your taxes or pay the price” is still in use, with the hope to encourage taxpayers to file their returns on time...
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Why is SARS asking me for outstanding tax returns?
Posted 9 October 2018
When did this happen?
Previously, assuming that SARS did not request any documents for verification and everything for the year was accepted, refunds due were typically paid out quite quickly to taxpayers within 1-2 days.
From 2015, SARS has implemented a new requirement that ALL tax returns, since the first year a taxpayer registered for a tax reference number, must be submitted before any refund is paid out.
...
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After all my documents submissions to SARS, they disallowed my expenses, why?
Posted 4 October 2018
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. This year, SARS is re...
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Multiple Employers, Multiple PAYE payments. Yet I still owe SARS?
Posted 3 October 2018
We receive many questions to our Helpdesk from taxpayers who are faced with the following scenario:
They work for two employers during the year, perhaps even at the same time and earn income from both. Each employer deducts employee’s tax (PAYE) from the taxpayer’s salary every month and issue them with an IRP5 after year end. They submit these to SARS in their Tax Return, however they receive a nasty surprise when they receive their Tax Assessment which indicates that they have not paid enough tax during the year and have a big bill to settle...
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5 Reasons you Still Need to File your Tax Return in 2018
Posted 4 September 2018
SARS, once again, has communicated that if you earn less than R350,000 in a year, and fulfil a series of complicated criteria, you may not have to file a tax return in 2018.
However, we advise you to take GREAT CARE here, and understand your duties properly, because if you don't, you may suffer for it later on.
Here are the top 5 reasons why not to skip filing your tax return this season:
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Tax Breaks For All
Posted 31 July 2018
What?
1.Rebates
Who?
Everybody
Primary, secondary, and tertiary rebates – depending on your age. A rebate is a set amount that SARS whacks off your total tax liability and basically represents the amount excluded by the minimum threshold to pay tax.
Primary rebate is for those under 65 years of age (on the last day of the tax year), the secondary rebate applies to those between 65 and 75 years old, and the tertiary rebate is added for those over 75 years old...
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Why have I received a smaller tax refund from SARS this year?
Posted 24 July 2018
We receive many queries from confused taxpayers who are disappointed to see their tax refunds are smaller than the refund received last year. Often, on the surface, their income and expense situation appears unchanged, so how can this be?
If you are one of these unhappy taxpayers, read on to see some common reasons why your tax refund could be less than last year.
Carried forward retirement contributions
This one is not obvious at all and confuses many taxpayers...
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How Long do I have to wait for my tax refund?
Posted 12 July 2018
Like in previous years, there have always been opening tax season niggles and 2018 has been no different. Patience is a virtue, so the adage goes. And when it comes to waiting for responses from most government departments, they can certainly put your skills of tolerance to the test. Our helpdesk is inundated with questions about how long SARS will take to react or respond to certain requests or submissions. The short answer is ‘typically, quite a while’. You can imagine that during their busy filing season there are hundreds of thousands of documents being processed and not all administration can be automated...
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When Will SARS Pay My Tax Refund?
Posted 6 July 2018
Now that the 2018 tax season is open and hundreds of thousands of South Africans are filing their annual tax returns, every day people ask us “when will I get my refund from SARS?”.
While we’re not involved in the payments of tax refunds, we can provide a little insight into the SARS processes and timelines. So here goes …
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What to expect in 2018 after submitting your tax return to SARS
Posted 1 July 2018
As soon as
tax season opens in July, many taxpayers rush to submit their
ITR12 tax returns as early as possible, eagerly hoping for a nice refund. After the rush, when nothing happens, they often ask us what is happening to their refund? In most cases where an income tax refund is due to a taxpayer, SARS pays it out within one or two days...
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How to calculate totals under source codes 3696 and 3699 for 2018
Posted 13 June 2018
Perhaps you just tried to submit your tax return and you instantly got an error relating to 3696 and 3699. As frustrating as it could be, don’t worry the error can be fixed. Maybe, you might have just simply left an amount out. Let’s have a look at what you should do, in order to crack these codes correctly – in that way making filing much more easier for you.
You’ll need to check your
IRP5 to make sure you answered TaxTim's questions for these amounts correctly...
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How Do Taxpayers Feel About The Proposed New Filing Deadline?
Posted 28 May 2018
On Monday 21st May, TaxTim conducted a simple survey of taxpayers who make use of the TaxTim services about their opinion on SARS’ proposal to shorten the tax filing season by 3 weeks.
An email was sent out containing the following:
“SARS recently published a Draft Notice of who needs to file a tax return and when tax returns will be due for the 2018 tax season. SARS are planning to move the submission deadline 3 weeks earlier to 31st October 2018 for all non-provisional taxpayers. ...
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What supporting documents do I need to submit to SARS?
Posted 28 May 2018
After submission of your tax return, when you receive your tax assessment (ITA34) from SARS, you need to scan down to the block “Compliance Information” to see if SARS requires anything further from you. You will see “Selected for audit or verification” with a Y or N (Yes or No) next to it. If you have a N, you can breathe a sigh of relief and consider yourself fortunate that SARS probably doesn’t require anything further from you for this tax year. If you have a Y in the block (and we are seeing this more and more frequently) it means that SARS wants to see evidence or back up which supports the amounts you entered on your tax return....
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I work for someone but do not receive an IRP5 " what must I do now?
Posted 14 May 2018
You may be employed by someone, but for one reason or another- you don't receive an IRP5 and no amount of begging of pleading will result in one being produced. If you're one of these “IRP5-less” individuals, this shouldn’t keep you from completing your tax return.
Below are some situations where taxpayers will not receive an IRP5 - read on to find out if any of these apply to you and if so, what to do about it.
1. You work overseas for a foreign employer.
If you work overseas for a foreign employer and no tax is deducted from your salary in South Africa, you will not receive an IRP5...
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The 3 R's: Returns, Rebates and Refunds Explained
Posted 10 May 2018
When it comes to tax jargon, most people prefer to bury their heads in the sand instead of trying to understand all the confusing terms that tax practitioners use. Taxpayers just want to do their tax quickly and easily, and if they’re due - receive some money back from SARS. A lot of confusion surrounds the process, but by understanding three simple terms you can make tax season a little bit easier.
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How to make payment to SARS via EFT
Posted 23 January 2018
If you filed your tax return with SARS and they've responded with your ITA34 assessment and you unfortunately have outstanding payments which you need to make to SARS. We've put together a step-by-step guide to help you navigate your way around the payment process.
Follow these quick steps to get the payment details required to make your payment to SARS by EFT:
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The Dangers of DIY Tax: How to Avoid Disaster
Posted 13 November 2017
Have you ever started one of those ‘oh, this’ll be easy’ Do-It-Yourself jobs, only to find yourself utterly frustrated half-way through wondering - what was I thinking? Pieces of wood cut just a few millimetres short of what they should’ve been. Holes drilled in the wrong places. Screwdrivers in every size except the one you need, missing bolts or the wrong colour paint! These DIY disasters can land up costing you much more time and money to salvage (or in the w...
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Who's (Legally) Allowed to File Your Tax Return?
Posted 12 October 2017
Tax isn’t the easiest of subjects to navigate. Besides the long list of legalese to master, there’s the fact that tax legislation evolves year on year. What was applicable on your tax return 2 or 3 years ago, isn’t necessarily valid on your next, and what’s right this year, may change next season.
It’s unsurprising then, that when faced with the daunting task of filing their annual tax return, many people turn to a friend, colleague or trusted broker to help them out, in the hope that they’re more proficient...
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Penalty FAQs
Posted 6 March 2017
What is a recurring penalty? OR What are recurring SARS penalties? OR What does it mean to receive a penalty?
This is a penalty for non-submission of your returns in previous years. You need to see which returns you have not submitted and submit them ASAP. You also need to make payment to SARS for this penalty, but you would have to call them on 0800 00 7277 or log onto SARS eFiling to get a current statement of account and know exactly what they want from you.
Special Stopper at SARS: What We Know For Sure
Posted 22 September 2016
Over the last few weeks, our helpdesk has received an alarming number of queries from taxpayers asking what they can do as their refunds are being held back by SARS due to a special stopper being placed on their account. It’s a complex situation and the only advice we've been able to provide has been for the individual to make contact with SARS directly to try resolve the matter.
The South African Institute of Tax Professionals (SAIT) issued a statement on Tuesday 20 September 2016 advising that they’re looking into the issue after numerous complaints had been raised...
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Promised a Guaranteed Tax Refund? Be Afraid - Be Very Afraid
Posted 16 September 2016
Guarantees are pretty powerful – they’re used by leading manufacturers and retailers to gain our confidence and trust. We’ve all come across them at some point or another: “Life time guarantee”, “money back guarantee”, “product satisfaction guaranteed, or your money back”. They’re a promise. A promise that your purchase will provide you with a level of value, or a return on your investment. While a guarantee is common – expected, ...
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