Do you disagree with your SARS auto-assessment? Here’s what to do this tax season
SARS has kicked off the 2025 tax season with auto-assessments for millions of South Africans. But what if your return isn’t accurate? Here’s how to review, correct, and submit your own return.
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has officially opened the 2025 tax season for individuals, beginning with auto-assessments from July 7 to 20 July 2025.
This automated process is part of SARS’ ongoing drive to simplify tax compliance by pre-filling your return using data from third parties such as employers, banks, medical schemes, and retirement funds.
If you’re one of the taxpayers selected for auto-assessment, you will receive an SMS or email from SARS notifying you that your tax return is ready. You can view it through SARS eFiling or the SARS MobiApp.
Also read: SARS extends key deadline after system struggles to cope with filing surge
An auto-assessment is a pre-calculated tax return based on third-party data submitted to SARS. If everything looks correct and you agree with the assessment, you don’t need to do anything further.
Refunds of R100 or more will be paid within 72 hours, while those under R100 will be rolled into the following year.
However, if you spot an error, such as omitted income, inaccurate medical or retirement fund information, you must reject the auto-assessment and manually file your return by October 20, if you’re a non-provisional taxpayer.
If you were not auto-assessed, the regular filing season for non-provisional taxpayers runs from July 21 to 20 October this year. This includes individuals who earn income beyond employment or investment returns, such as rental income, freelance earnings, or capital gains from asset sales.
Also read: IRS and SARS join forces to fight tax and economic crimes
Provisional taxpayers have until January 19, the following year to file. You may not receive an auto-assessment if:
- Your personal details are outdated or incomplete
- You have complex or multiple sources of income
- You can easily update your personal information or register for tax using SARS eFiling, the MobiApp, or the SARS Online Query System (SOQS).
If you disagree with your auto-assessment:
- Log into eFiling or the MobiApp.
- View your pre-populated data under “Third Party Data Certificates”.
- Contact the relevant institution, like your employer, bank, etc., to correct any errors.
- Once updated, submit your corrected return before the deadline.
It is advisable to always keep supporting documents in case SARS requests verification. For further assistance, use the Lwazi Chatbot, the Live Agent function, or contact SARS directly.
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