It’s the Time and the Season for Tax Filing

It’s July, the time of year for fires in the hearth, Wimbledon, the Tour de France and getting your tax affairs in order for the tax year that ended in February. Your tax-return filing period will differ depending on whether you’re a provisional or non-provisional taxpayer and whether or not you qualify for auto-assessment, which takes most of the drudge work out of the exercise.

The filing periods for the 2024/25 tax year are, according to SARS:

• Issuing of auto assessment notices: 7 – 20 July 2025

• Individual taxpayers (non-provisional): 21 July – 20 October 2025

• Provisional taxpayers: 21 July 2025 – 19 January 2026

SARS has started issuing auto assessments to taxpayers whose tax affairs are straightforward – in the past only non-provisional taxpayers were eligible for auto assessment, but this year the service has been extended to certain provisional taxpayers.

Once you receive an SMS or email from SARS, you need to open the assessment on eFiling or the SARS MobiApp to check that it is correct. If you agree with your assessment, no further action is required and acceptance is automatic. If you disagree with the assessment and, for example, need to add sources of income or claim deductions, then it becomes a return that you (or your tax practitioner) must file manually, in which case the 20 October deadline applies.

If you are a salaried employee, you don’t have to submit a return, even via auto assessment, if:

• You earned less than R500 000 in the 2024/25 tax year from a single employer and you paid PAYE tax on that income;

• You received no additional fringe benefits, such as a travel allowance, from your employer;

• You had no other sources of income, such as from investments or property;

• You don’t need to claim deductions for certain expenses or retirement-fund contributions (apart from those on your payslip).

SARS is getting tougher by the year on non-compliance. There are serious consequences for people who should file a return but don’t and for people who do not accurately report their earnings.

Johan Werth, franchise principal and financial adviser at Consult by Momentum, lists common errors people make during tax filing season and how to avoid them:

• Missing the deadline. “Late or missed submissions can lead to penalties. Set reminders and file early, even if you’re auto-assessed.”

• Submitting incorrect or incomplete information. “Outdated details, missing certificates or source code errors can delay processing. Double-check all data and use SARS’s online tools to guide you.”

• Ignoring your auto-assessment. “Don’t just accept it blindly: review it for missing entries, such as from a retirement annuity or your medical scheme, and file manually if necessary.”.

• Not claiming eligible deductions. “Medical costs, travel expenses, home office expenses and retirement contributions can reduce your tax – but only if you claim for them with proof.”

• Poor document management. “Failing to keep receipts, logs or tax certificates puts you at risk in the case of an audit. Store everything digitally for at least five years,” Werth says.

Werth says it’s a criminal offence not to file a return if you are obliged to. “Failing to file a return when required can come at a high cost – even if you’re owed a refund. SARS may impose monthly administrative penalties of up to R16 000, initiate legal action, and even block access to a home loan or emigration clearance,” he says.

Be hyper-aware of scams where fraudsters mimic an email from SARS in order to extract personal information or your bank details. A recent post on LinkedIn showed an extremely realistic-looking SARS assessment letter received by a taxpayer that turned out to be fraudulent.

SARS warns on its website: “Taxpayers are urged to be extremely careful and keep their details confidential. In the run-up to filing season, there will be many attempts from scammers to defraud taxpayers. Scammers can present themselves as SARS officials to steal taxpayers’ personal details, make them click on links, or pay money into an account. SARS will never ask taxpayers to use any link. Taxpayers must protect their eFiling login details and use only registered tax practitioners.”