The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has opened the 2026 tax filing season, with more than 1.9 million taxpayers already receiving auto-assessments and about R8b in refunds paid within 72 hours. Roodepoort Record Report.
SARS expects more than six million taxpayers this year to receive auto-assessment, which will use information provided by employers, banks, medical plans, superannuation funds and other third-party providers to pre-populate tax returns.
Taxpayers selected for auto-assessment between Wednesday (July 1) and 12 are advised to wait for official SARS communication before reviewing their assessments through e-filing, SARS MobiApp or other authorized digital channels.
According to SARS Commissioner Dr Johnstone Makhubu, this year's filing season includes a number of digital improvements aimed at making the filing process simpler and more secure.
The changes include more accurate auto-assessment, e-filing and expanded self-service options through SARS MobiApp, stronger security measures such as biometric and two-factor authentication, support through Lavazi AI Virtual Assistant and the ability to upload supporting documents and receive notifications through WhatsApp.
“Our aim is to make compliance easier for honest taxpayers. Each of the enhancements introduced this filing season are designed to improve service, reduce complexity and give taxpayers more confidence when dealing with SARS. We want taxpayers to spend less time dealing with administration and more time benefiting from our modern digital services,” Makhubu said.
Be aware of scams
SARS has urged taxpayers to remain vigilant against phishing scams, fake refund schemes and unregistered tax practitioners during the filing season.
The revenue service said it will never request passwords, one-time PIN (OTP), banking PIN or e-filing login credentials through email, SMS, social media or telephone. Taxpayers should only use official SARS channels and verify the credentials of any tax practitioner before sharing personal information.
“Taxpayers should be wary of anyone who guarantees refunds or requests sensitive information without proper verification. Protecting personal information is a shared responsibility between SARS and taxpayers,” Makhubu warned.
He encouraged taxpayers to use SARS's digital services and rely only on official communications throughout the filing season.
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