The South African Revenue Service (SARS) says its 2026 Filing Season will offer taxpayers a simpler, faster and more secure experience through a range of digital enhancements aimed at making tax compliance easier.

The filing season officially opened this week. SARS said that by the end of 1 July, more than 1.9 million taxpayers had been auto-assessed, with about R8 billion in refunds paid within 72 hours.

According to SARS, the improvements form part of its commitment to building a smart, modern revenue service and are designed to reduce effort, improve accuracy and minimise the need for taxpayers to visit SARS branches.

The enhancements include more accurate auto-assessments using expanded third-party data, improved self-service through eFiling, the SARS MobiApp and the SARS Online Query System, stronger security through biometric and two-factor authentication, expanded support through the Lwazi AI virtual assistant, and the ability to upload supporting documents via WhatsApp. Notices of Assessment and Statements of Account can also be delivered through WhatsApp and other digital channels.

SARS expects more than six million taxpayers to receive auto-assessments this year by using information from employers, banks, medical schemes, retirement funds and other third-party providers to pre-populate tax returns.

Taxpayers selected for auto-assessment between 1 and 12 July are advised not to visit SARS service centres immediately, but to wait for official communication and review their assessments through eFiling, the SARS MobiApp or other authorised digital channels.

SARS also urged taxpayers to remain vigilant against scams, phishing attacks, fake refund schemes and unregistered tax practitioners. The revenue service said it will never request passwords, one-time pins (OTPs), banking PINs or eFiling login credentials via email, SMS, social media or telephone, and encouraged taxpayers to use only official SARS channels.