Tax guide for salary earners (IRP5)

  Written by Patrick   Updated 25 February 2026



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Provisional Taxpayers

  Written by Elani   Updated 25 February 2026

Click here to find out if you are a provisional taxpayer.

Provisional taxpayers are people who earn income other than a salary / remuneration. If you earn any of the following income, you may be a provisional taxpayer even if you also earn a salary:

• Rental Income
• Interest and investment income
• Freelance/business Income
• Othe...

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Tax on Investments - What you need to know

  Written by Patrick   Updated 25 February 2026



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Medical Tax Credits

  Written by Evan   Updated 25 February 2026

The medical tax credit, brought in from the 2013 tax year provides for a monthly credit against your tax owing to SARS. If you and/or your dependents belong to a medical aid then you will receive in 2027, a R376  (R364 in 2026) medical tax credit per month for the first two members and a further R254 in 2027 (R246 in 2026) per month for every other member or dependent on the same policy. The credit will be deducted automatically from your tax payable. This is different from the previous ...

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Tax101 Become Tax Savvy with 5 Easy Lessons

  Written by Ursula   Posted 18 February 2026



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The “RA Hack” That Can Lower Your Tax Bill This Year

  Written by Patrick   Posted 11 February 2026

Every bank and investment house is telling you to “save for your future” by topping up your Retirement Annuity (RA) before the tax year ends on 28 February.

At TaxTim, we look at it slightly differently.

Yes, an RA is about retirement. But it is also one of the most powerful legal ways to reduce your tax bill right now.

Let’s break it down.

The “discounted investment” effect

When you contribute to a Retir...

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How to Update Your SARS Contact Details Without Logging In

  Written by Ursula   Posted 9 February 2026

If you’re not receiving your SARS eFiling OTP, you’re not alone. This usually happens when SARS has an old cellphone number or email address on record.

The good news?
You can update your SARS contact details directly from the SARS home page — without logging in.

Below is a simple, step-by-step guide to help you fix this and start receiving your OTP code again.

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Is the income declared on my IRP6 supposed to show on my ITR12?

  Written by Alicia   Posted 27 January 2026

I am filing my ITR12 for the 2024 tax year and my form is only showing income derived from Investments. I am a provisional tax payer and I've submitted my IRP6s on time. Should this income be appearing on my ITR12?

Help with Crypto Calculations

  Written by Ursula   Posted 19 January 2026

Crypto tax help for TaxTim users

Get your crypto figures right before February and before you file

If you’re a South African provisional taxpayer with crypto activity, it’s important to make sure your gains and income are correctly reflected...

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Crypto Gains? Don’t Risk a SARS Surprise in February

  Written by Patrick   Posted 19 January 2026

Between year-end deadlines and the December break, crypto is easy to ignore, until SARS doesn’t ignore it.

If you’re a South African provisional taxpayer who trades, stakes, farms, or flips cryptocurrencies or NFTs, your crypto activity from 1 March 2025 to 28 February 2026 forms part of your 2026 year of assessment. Your second provisional payment due in February 2026 must already reflect that income, or you risk penaltie...

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New SARS Crypto Rules: The Big Shift Coming in 2026

  Written by Patrick   Posted 15 December 2025

“South Africa is proposing new international reporting rules that will give SARS significantly greater visibility into your crypto transactions beginning 1 March 2026, with the first domestic reporting submissions in 2027 and international exchanges expected around September 2027.. Crypto platforms will be required to report your trades, transfers and wallet activity.”

South Africa is getting ready for one of the biggest shifts in how crypto is taxed...

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I live abroad and earn rental income in SA. is this submitted normally?

  Written by Alicia   Posted 12 December 2025

I worked abroad and want to file my tax return? I have worked abroad for the full year and fall under all points that my salary wouldn't be taxed in SA. I still own a property in SA and receive rental income the property income - expenses made a loss due to renovations, how is this complicated situation be calculated and do I just submit a normal tax income?

CGT on sale of jointly owned primary residence

  Written by Alicia   Posted 11 December 2025

How is the capital gain on the sale of a primary residence split between owners? Where do I specify there are two owners? Your system does not allow me to enter the ownership percentages, how do I inform SARS that my wife and I each own 50% of the property?

This query relates to question 17814 "Did you own the asset jointly? This means you owned it together with someone else." in the Capital Gains/Losses section.

Sec 20 A amount

  Written by Alicia   Posted 11 December 2025

I can't successfully submit my tax due to a sec20A response from SARS eFiling, do you have any idea what this means?

I dont know whether the questions are related to me personally or the company

  Written by Alicia   Posted 11 December 2025

In the assets and liabilities section of my annual income tax return, as a director, when they ask about vehicles etc. Is it my personal vehicles or the company?

Provisional tax in South Africa: what you need before filing your ITR12

  Written by Patrick   Posted 9 December 2025

If you are a provisional taxpayer in South Africa, it is important to understand what is expected of you before you submit your annual tax return (ITR12). Many people focus on their IRP6 payments during the year and forget that the ITR12 is the final step where SARS checks everything.

Your ITR12 is the return SARS uses to confirm:

• whether your provisional tax payments were enough.
• whether you still owe anything.
• whether you qualify for a refund.

Because of this, it pays to prepare properly...

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South Africa may introduce a 20% tax on online gambling, here’s how it could actually work

  Written by Patrick   Posted 8 December 2025

There’s been a lot of talk this week about the government's proposal to introduce a national 20% tax on online gambling. The news spread quickly, but most articles stopped at the headline. Very few explained how the tax would actually be calculated, who pays it, how it connects to existing provincial taxes, and what this means for everyday South Africans.

This guide breaks everything down in plain language, with simple examples and real numbers, so you can clearly understand what the proposal is about and how it might impact online betting going forward.

What exactly is being taxed?

The 20% tax does not apply to your personal winnings...

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Medical aid premiums deducted for a sole proprietorship through income statement

  Written by Alicia   Posted 8 December 2025

If I am a sole proprietor can I expense my monthly medical aid premium in full through the income statement?

Organisation tax

  Written by Alicia   Posted 8 December 2025

How can I see what my next step in terms of filing a tax return for my organisation, even if no trading or profit was made?

Tax treatment of a director's loan

  Written by Alicia   Posted 8 December 2025

What are the tax implication if I loan money to my company to buy a vehicle?
We have a loan agreement in which the company will repay the loan to me in instalments over 36 months.
The agreement also states that I am able to use the vehicle for business purposes and that I should pay an additional fee for a maintenance plan.

Can I claim medical expenses incurred that I didn't get back?

  Written by Alicia   Posted 27 November 2025

My wife gave birth during this tax year, and medical aid didn't cover the expense of doctors, can I claim this?
The Doctors bills we're 400% above medical aid rates. We got a small portion back from medical aid and then a portion back from gap cover.

This query relates to question 18135 "Please enter the amount here. " in the Medical section.

Should I be registered for VAT?

  Written by Alicia   Posted 27 November 2025

Dear TaxTim
It has recently come to my attention that I should maybe have registered for VAT. Can you please advise me. I am a contractor providing a writing and editing service mostly to one client, but also to a few smaller ones and my income is in excess of R1 million. I am not registered as a company and I have very few expenses so little to claim by way of input tax.

Claim medical expenses for my mom who is not on my medical aid?

  Written by Alicia   Posted 20 November 2025

How can I claim medical expenses for my mom who is a dependent but not on a medical aid? she is also disabled. She has a few disabilities that I have incurred Medical expenses for and I'm not sure how / where to enter this information on my Tax Return.

This query relates to question 18136 "Do any of these expenses relate to a physical impairment or disability as approved by SARS?" in the Medical section.

Can I claim expenses when rental property is vacant

  Written by Alicia   Posted 18 November 2025

My rental property was not occupied for a period of 2 months (October and November), while I was trying to find a new tenant. Can I claim expenses (interest, levies, rates, insurance) while not earning rental income.

Is my ITR-DD form still valid if it was first signed in December 2016?

  Written by Alicia   Posted 18 November 2025

I need your assistance regarding SARS%u2019s request for my 2025 ITR12 tax return.
SARS has asked me to resubmit an ITR-DD form. The current ITR-DD for my dependent was completed in December 2016 for Asperger syndrome (a lifelong disability). According to the SARS %u2018Guide on the Determination of Medical Tax Credits (Issue 17), if a disability was diagnosed before 1 March 2019 and the ITR-DD was valid on 1 March 2019, then the form remains valid for 5 years after its expiry. This means...

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