Written by Alicia
Posted 1 June 2026
The wait is over! SARS has officially announced the filing dates for the 2026 Tax Season.
Auto-assessments will commence on 1 July 2026 and run until 12 July 2026. If your tax affairs are relatively straightforward, SARS may automatically assess you during this period.
An auto-assessment is generated using information already available to SARS, including:
Employment income (IRP5)
Lump-sum benefits
Investment income (IT3(b))
Retirement fund contributions
Medical aid contributions
Donations to approved public benefit organisations
Assessed losses and excess retirement fund contributions carried forward from previous tax years
If you receive an auto-assessment, it is important to review it carefully to ensure that all income and deductions have been included correctly.
From 13 July 2026, TaxTim and other registered tax practitioners will be able to assist taxpayers with filing their returns.
You do not need to wait until then to get started. If you have already received all your tax certificates, you can begin preparing your return now. Alternatively, you can complete your return at your own pace through our website before the filing deadline.
The filing season for non-provisional taxpayers runs from 13 July 2026 to 23 October 2026.
This category generally includes taxpayers who:
Were not auto-assessed; or
Received an auto-assessment that omitted income or deductions; and
Do not earn rental income, freelance income, business income, or other forms of trading income.
Provisional taxpayers have until 22 January 2027 to submit their ITR12 tax returns.
A provisional taxpayer is generally someone who earns income other than a salary, such as:
Rental income
Freelance or consulting income
Business or trading income
Other forms of untaxed income
Even if you qualified as a provisional taxpayer in a previous year, it is important to confirm your current status with SARS before relying on the January deadline. If SARS no longer regards you as a provisional taxpayer, filing after the October deadline could result in penalties.
To ensure a smooth filing experience, take the following steps before tax season begins:
Update your contact details with SARS.
Update your banking details if you have changed banks since your last tax return submission.
Gather all supporting documents and tax certificates.
Use our Tax Refund Calculator to estimate whether SARS may owe you a refund.
If you receive an auto-assessment, review it thoroughly to ensure that SARS has included all your income and deductions. If anything is missing, submit a correction as soon as filing season opens to avoid potential penalties or interest SARS might issue in the future.
Filing your tax return should never be a stressful experience. As your ultimate tax companion, TaxTim provides a range of tools and resources designed to make the filing process simple, accurate and hassle-free.
Whether you are reviewing an auto-assessment, filing for the first time, or claiming deductions you're entitled to, we're here to help every step of the way.
