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.
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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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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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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Ways to get your IRP5 from your employer, if you haven't yet received it.
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 don’t despair or give up on completing your tax return. There’s a few reasons why you people often find themselves without their IRP5 and we’ve highlighted these below for you, read on to find out if any of these apply to you and if so, what to do about it....
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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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10 Ways to Spend Your Tax Refund
Posted 8 September 2016
It’s tax season, and one of the most compelling reasons to file a tax return (besides the fact that it’s the law, of course) is the chance that you’ve overpaid the taxman and that you’ll hear that sweet SMS sound of funds deposited into your bank account from SARS. Of course the best part about a tax refund is that it’s likely you hadn’t budgeted on the extra cash, and so you’re able to spend it as you please. Whether you choose to do so sensibly or splurge a little, we’ve rounded up some ideas on how to spend or invest your tax refund.
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7 Types of Tax Directives
Posted 19 August 2016
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.
Or ima...
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9 Steps to File an Objection to Your Tax Assessment
Posted 1 June 2016
You’ve been diligent with your tax obligations. You’ve paid your PAYE each month without fail. You’ve kept all the supporting documents for your deduction claims. 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 T...
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Sole Proprietor or Company: What's Best for Tax?
Posted 31 May 2016
Getting a new business venture off the ground is an equally exciting and stressful time. You’re enthusiastic about getting your new product or service out into the market, but you face quite an administrative process to get it off the ground legally.
A decision that often stumps many small business owners is whether to operate as a sole proprietor or as private company, a PTY Ltd. We receive many questions about this from entrepreneurs wanting to know the tax implications of each route.
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What is Turnover Tax?
Posted 23 March 2016
Turnover Tax is a simplified tax system only available to sole proprietors, partnerships, companies or close corporations with a “qualifying turnover” of less than R1m per year. These types of entities are called micro businesses.
As the name implies, Turnover Tax is a type of tax, which is calculated against the turnover of a business, as opposed to a percentage of profit (i.e. income less business expenses) as per usual business tax. This difference reduces the administrat...
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