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Non-provisional taxpayers can now take advantage of SARS auto-assessments which have been rolling out since 31 July 2020. In a bid to make tax season an easier one for taxpayers, The South African Revenue Service introduced automatic assessments to simplify an individual’s tax compliance and eliminate the need to complete and submit personal income tax returns.
How will you know if you have been chosen to be auto assessed?
If SARS has chosen you to be auto assessed, you will be notified via SMS. The SMS will direct the taxpayer to eFiling or the SARS MobiApp. You can then either ‘accept’ or ‘edit’ the tax return. Data, which is provided to SARS by employers, financial institutions, medical schemes, retirement annuity fund administrators and other 3rd party data providers, is used to complete an auto-assessment. In the event that you accept your auto-assessment and if there is a refund due to you, the refund will be paid by SARS.
SARS Auto-Assessments
What you should know:
  • If you have outstanding returns, refunds will not be paid out until these are settled.
  • All 3rd party information should be checked by taxpayers to ensure all their information is correct and up to date as this will impact their assessment.
  • If you have not received a SMS by 1 September 2020, you may need to submit an income tax return or ITR12.
  • The filing season for individual tax submissions is as follows:
    • Manual submission or visiting a SARS branch – 22 October 2020.
    • Non-provisional taxpayers or individuals who reject the auto-assessment – 16 November 2020 via eFiling.
    • Provisional taxpayers – 29 January 2021 via eFiling.
  • Taxpayers should ensure their personal details on the SARS database is reflected accurately and correctly.
  • Check the auto-assessment calculation information properly to ensure your assessment has been calculated correctly.

Reach out to our income tax consultants via info@mmsgroup.co.za should you require assistance with your tax returns. Alternatively, give us a call on 011 672 0020.