SARS E-filing – South African Revenue Services

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SARS which stands for the South African Revenue Services was birthed in 1997 following the merger of the inland revenue departments and customs. In simple terms, it is the revenue service of the South African government. SARS is responsible for administering South Africa’s tax system and also the customs service.

It also tasks itself to make sure that the general public complies with the said legislation.

What is SARS efiling

The SARS eFiling is a non-payable tendering of profits, declarations, and other services that relate to revenue services. It makes it possible for traders, the ordinary taxpayer, business entities, and practitioners of tax to register and present their profits, pay for things and undertake a variety of other tasks all via a protective online atmosphere. The good news is that all of these come at no cost.

This means that the ordinary taxpayer can make payments that stream along with levies, taxes, duties, and contributions with SARS online.

Registration of eFiling

To fully enjoy the benefits of this service, one needs to register first. Registration is at no cost. All that an individual or an organization needs to register are;

  1. The tax registration numbers of the individual or the organization
  2. A South African identification number 
  3. The personal details
  4. And importantly, internet connectivity since it will be done online
  5. For first-timers who do not have tax numbers, the system itself will generate one for you

To Register; 

  1. Visit the SARS official website at https://www.sarsefiling.co.za/
  2. Click on ‘Register Now’ which appears on the right side of the page
  3. Fill in all the spaces with personal details which include the date of birth, name, age, nationality, email address, plus more
  4. Create a unique username and password
  5. Choose your preferred mode of communication, one you will want SARS to communicate with you through
  6. Note that, this medium is what your OTP will be sent through
  7. Your pin will be sent, a six-figure pin. Key it in and wait to be welcomed
  8. Once your registration goes through, you will be directed to the first page where you will be asked to key in your username and unique password
  9. Key them in and proceed

How To Check Your SARS eFiling

To check if your SARS eFiling profile has been set and fully functional, kindly follow these steps;

  1. Click on this https://www.sarsefiling.co.za/ to direct you to the eFiling official website
  2. Log in with the unique username and password
  3. Once here, check the page immediate page which has items like ‘Provisional Tax and Individual Income Tax’ with boxes beside them
  4. If there are no checks in those boxes, with no reference numbers, it means the profile is still in the process of verification
  5. If you click on Home and see ‘Pending Registration’, it also means the profile is still in the process of verification

What is SARS Registration Notice?

The SARS Registration Notice is the official confirmation that proves that an individual or a company has registered for a tax. This is a notice sent to them to that effect.

As of October 2021, eFiling has enhanced the functionality of registration. This is to mean that, it has VAT and PIT by extension now includes CIT, PAYE and Trusts. Persons who now use the eFiling service have the luxury of accessing all the various tax types via their registration notices. 

For Organisations;

  1. The first thing to do here is to visit the SARS eFiling official website at http://www.sarsefiling.co.za/
  2. Proceed straight to the Organization Menu
  3. Once here, tap on the SARS Registered which can be found on the side of the menu
  4. The next step is to hit on the Notice of Registration tap
  5. The last step is where you select which tax type you are in for whether it is PAYE, VAT, CIT or Trust

For Individuals

  1. First things first, visit the SARS eFiling official website at http://www.sarsefiling.co.za/
  2. Check on the top right side of your screen to find the Notice of Registration icon
  3. Once it is visible, click on the Notice of Registration icon
  4. Here, you can either request for new one or view the old one

What Is Tax Return?

In simple terms, a Tax Return is a documented report on income, expenses and other important financial information that is filed with a Tax Authority. Individuals and companies must seek professional help when it comes to Tax returns as failure to do anything contrary to what the legal books may attract external audits, penalties among others.

How To Submit Tax Return on eFiling

To submit a Tax Return via eFiling, follow these steps;

  1. Log in to the eFiling page at https://www.sarsefiling.co.za/
  2. Now key in your unique username and password
  3. Note that you have to make sure it is your name you see before clicking on the Personal Income Tax icon ( ITR12)
  4. If you already worked on the returns for the previous year, then you proceed to work on the current returns
  5. In this next step, the Wizard is required to set up the various sections of your returns
  6. The last step is where you complete the returns in eFiling
  7. It is advised to employ a professional as this can be a whole of work and if care is not taken, one may pay more than it is required of them
  8. Click on submit to complete the process

Documents Needed To Submit Tax Returns

  1. An IRP5/IT3(a) certificate from the employer
  2. Medical certificates and specific amount that covered them
  3. Certficates of your pension and retirement
  4. Details of your bank
  5. Tax certificates
  6. Financial statements
  7. And others as requested or applicable

How To Check If SARS Owes You

To check if SARS owes you money or to simply know how much you owe SARS, here is how to go about it. There are three ways by which you can find out. Listed below are the ways.

  1. Simply make a call to the SARS contact number and request an account statement
  2. You can equally log on to your e-Filing account and request a statement
  3. Download the SARS mobile app, create an account and request a statement

How To Check SARS Status

To check your SARS status, you have to first activate your Compliance Profile through the e-Filing. The MCP acts as a tool that gives taxpayers insight into what is expected of them and what is not. It provides them with a means that equips them with so much information as to where they can fault and what they can do if things are not sitting well with them.

To activate the MCP, you first have to;

  1. Log on to the e-Filing page https://www.sarsefiling.co.za/
  2. Note that you have to be registered on at least one tax product to be able to use MCP
  3. Once opened, you can access the MCP now by selecting it from the menu
  4. When the MCP is opened, you can view the status according to these categories Registration Status, Submission Status, Debt and Relevant Supporting Documents

How To Activate Tax Type on e-Filing

  1. Visit the e-Filing dashboard at https://www.sarsefiling.co.za/
  2. Choose the preferred taxpayer from the Taxpayer’s List
  3. Proceed to the Organization menu
  4. Choose the Organization’s Tax Type after opening the menu
  5. Select the tax type chosen
  6. Key in the tax reference number
  7. Hit the register button

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