efiling sars

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has announced several important updates for the 2025 tax season, with a process designed to simplify and modernise the experience for individual taxpayers. The tax season officially opens on 7 July 2025 with auto-assessment notices sent between 7 and 20 July 2025, while non-provisional taxpayers who are not auto-assessed can file from 21 July to 20 October 2025. Provisional taxpayers and trusts have until 19 January 2026 to file^[2]^[3]^[5].

SARS is expanding its auto-assessment initiative: more individuals, including eligible provisional taxpayers, will receive automated assessments based on third-party data. If you receive an auto-assessment and agree with it, no further action is required and any refund owed will be processed within 72 hours. If you disagree, you can file your tax return immediately through eFiling or the SARS MobiApp—there is no need to wait until 21 July 2025^[4]^[5].

For those who are not auto-assessed or who wish to contest their assessment, SARS has introduced a new “Express Access” feature on the eFiling homepage. This enhancement streamlines access to auto-assessment notices, tax return submissions, and personal or banking detail updates, making the process quicker and more user-friendly^[1]^[7].

Other notable changes and enhancements for the 2025 filing season include:

Section 6 quat amendments: Taxpayers can now fully utilise foreign tax credits for capital gains taxes paid abroad, and any unused credits will automatically roll forward for up to six years^[2]^[3].
IRP5/IT3(a) certificate changes: Employers must now report on new sections 11(nA) and 11(nB) of the Income Tax Act, reflected in updated source codes, impacting tax return documentation^[2]^[3].
Banking detail updates: Taxpayers will see a list of their verified bank accounts already held by SARS and can simply select the correct option, reducing manual entry errors^[3]^[7].
Tax residency reinstatement: The eFiling RAV01 form has been updated to allow those who previously ceased to be RSA residents to specify their reinstatement date directly^[3]^[5].

SARS cautions all taxpayers to remain vigilant against scams and phishing attempts, particularly during filing season. All official communication from SARS will now be sent via your eFiling profile, with no more printed system-generated letters^[1].

In addition, SARS scheduled digital platform upgrades on 11 July 2025, during which time eFiling may experience intermittent interruptions. Taxpayers and stakeholders are encouraged to complete submissions before the scheduled maintenance period^[6].

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