Questions, answered plainly.

This is highly variable and depends on how many tax returns are in the queue. Typically in the busiest periods, right at the start of tax season and again near the deadline, the turnaround time might be up to two weeks from when you send me all the requested documents. In quieter parts of tax season you may only wait a few days.

If everyone sent me their documents in the final weeks of tax season, I'd never be able to get all the work done in time. By calling for documents early, it helps spread my work out over the course of the season. And furthermore, the sooner you send me your documents, the sooner you have your tax return done and dusted.

My basic fee structure is published on my website, but for a final quote I require that you complete a quick questionnaire which will give me all the info I need to confirm my fee for your case, and give you a breakdown of everything I need from you. Please contact me to request the questionnaire.

I typically invoice once the tax return has been filed, and expect payment within 2 weeks of the invoice date. Please understand that payment of my fee is not contingent on if/when you receive a tax rebate from SARS.

Yes for sure. I'm happy to review the auto-assessment, and if all is in order then I'll charge a review fee which is lower than my usual tax-return fee. If the auto-assessment is incorrect and a tax return needs to be filed, then I'll charge for the tax return as normal.

Generally it's not necessary. Employers are required to submit IRP5s directly to SARS, and so they normally reflect automatically on your tax return. In certain cases, like when an IRP5 contains an error in either the tax number or ID number, or when the employer has missed the deadline for submission, the IRP5 may not reflect on your tax return automatically.

An annual tax return is a submission made to SARS, detailing your income, expenses, and deductions for the tax year. It is used to determine the taxpayer's tax liability or refund. This tax return must be filed as accurately and comprehensively as possible, because SARS may choose to review or audit the submission.

If you've earned no income for the tax year, or if your only source of income is salary from a single employer, from which PAYE has been deducted, and that salary amounts to less than R500k for the year, then you may not have to file an annual tax return. For everyone else, you probably do need to file. Here are the exact guidelines from SARS.

For individuals, the annual tax return covers the most recently passed tax year. Tax years run from the start of March until the end of February. So for example, the 2026 annual tax return covers the 2026 tax year (1 March 2025 – 28 February 2026).

Non-provisional taxpayers have to file their 2026 Annual Tax Return by 23 October 2026, and provisional taxpayers have until 22 January 2027.

If the annual tax return deadline is missed, SARS will still expect that tax return to be filed, and may issue monthly late-submission penalties until the submission has been made. Furthermore, if the taxpayer owes SARS a tax shortfall, SARS will charge interest on that shortfall.

Yes, all individuals who file provisional tax returns must still file annual tax returns. The provisional tax return is simply a means to estimate and pay potential tax shortfalls to SARS, but the annual tax return is where SARS actually assesses your tax calculation. Accordingly, the annual tax submission may be selected by SARS for review and must be filed as accurately as possible.

Most important is to understand that you remain responsible and accountable for the accuracy of your tax return submission, even if that submission is generated automatically by SARS. Accordingly, make sure to review the auto-assessment to be sure that your tax deductible expenses reflect, and that no taxable income is left undeclared. If you agree with the data in the auto-assessment then no further action needs to be taken, and if the auto-assessment is incorrect then a corrected submission must be filed before the deadline.

A tax certificate is a document issued by relevant institutions, such as banks, investment companies, medical aid schemes and Public Benefit Organisations (PBOs), in which your tax-return relevant data is summarised for SARS.

You may find the documents emailed to you by the relevant institutions. If not, you may have to request them from the institution directly, or via their online portal if applicable.

An IRP5 is a document typically issued by an employer, in which your income for the year and PAYE are summarised. The document may also reflect other info such as contributions to pension/provident fund, types of income earned, and period of employment. Typically only South African employers, or foreign employers operating through a South African proxy will issue IRP5s.

PAYE stands for Pay As You Earn, and is the income tax that is deducted from your income by your employer. This income tax is paid over to SARS, and reflects on your IRP5 so that SARS automatically includes it when calculating your tax liability.

SARS randomly selects tax return submissions for review, and there are some things that can make it more likely, such as declaring home office expenses, PBO donations or large medical expenses. Either way, it's nothing to worry about, and just means that you'll need to submit some supporting documents to SARS in order to substantiate your tax return submission. If all is in order, SARS will conclude the review, and if not, they may ask for further documentation or issue a revised tax assessment. Any rebate owed to you will be held back until the review has been concluded.

Reviews are intended to be wrapped up within 21 working days of when the supporting documents are submitted to SARS, but in reality it can (and usually does) take longer. It's not unusual to be waiting a month or two.

Yes, you may still have to file SA tax returns. If you've been registered for SA tax in the past, then despite living abroad, you may still be considered an SA tax-resident, unless you've applied to cease your tax-residency. SA tax-residents are taxed on world-wide income, not just income earned while in SA. If you've earned income as an employee while abroad, that income may qualify to be exempt from SA tax if certain requirements are met. Even so, that tax-free employment income would still need to be declared in your tax return. On the other hand, if you've been earning income as a freelancer while abroad, that income is still taxable in SA but your SA taxes could be offset by any taxes paid abroad in terms of the double tax treaty between the two relevant countries.

Tax deductible expenses are subtracted from your income, in order to determine the taxable portion of your income. In other words, if you've earned R500k income, and have R100k worth of tax deductible expenses, you'll only be taxed on R400k.

If you're earning some business income that isn't in the form of salary from an employer, you can claim tax deduction with regards to expenses that you've incurred in the production of that business income.

Expenses incurred in the production of commission income can unfortunately only be declared in your tax return if the commission represents more than 50% of your remuneration.

Yes, if your donation was made to an SA registered PBO, then the donation can qualify for tax deduction. Tax deductions declared in this way cannot exceed 10% of your taxable income. SARS will typically request a Section 18A certificate from the PBO, in order to verify the tax deductibility of your donation.

Yes, your retirement annuity contributions are tax deductible, and therefore will save you tax by effectively lowering your taxable income. You can only claim tax-deduction on contributions up to the lower of R430k and 27.5% of your taxable income. Contributions to retirement annuities, pension funds and provident funds are all aggregated together in determining how much of the 27.5% threshold has been utilised.

No, unlike with retirement annuity contributions, TFSA contributions do not earn you tax rebates from SARS. The 'Tax-Free' in the name relates to the fact that the investment income earned in the account is free of income tax.

Yes, if you've worked primarily from home, have a dedicated room which is used exclusively for your work and appropriately equipped for that purpose, then you can declare home office expenses in your tax return. The expenses declared will be in proportion to the area of the home office, as a percentage of the area of your home.

If you qualify for home office deductions, you can include the interest portion of your home loan payment in the calculation. Only the interest portion is allowable, not the full payment. Unfortunately, as of recently, only individuals earning non-salary income can include home loan payments as part of their home office deduction claim.

Yes, but only if you've used your vehicle for business purposes, aside from a regular commute to the office and back. SARS may request a logbook detailing your business related mileage in order to justify your claim.

Yes, an individual can earn tax credits for each month of medical aid membership. These tax credits depend on the amount of months covered, and the number of dependents — not on the monthly cost of your premiums. The tax credits for all dependents are applied to the tax-return of the main member.

No, unlike with medical aid contributions, gap cover contributions don't qualify for any rebate or tax-credit.

Out of pocket medical expenses may qualify for rebate in cases where the expenses exceed a certain threshold which is based on your taxable income. In determining the costs in relation to this threshold, only fees paid for medical professionals and prescription medication qualify — no over-the-counter meds. The value of tax credits will ultimately depend on the amount of expenses, the taxpayer's age, and whether or not they or a dependent have a disability.

A provisional tax return is a method of estimating and paying your income tax in advance, typically in two installments during the tax year. This helps to spread the tax burden, and ensures that you don't have a large tax bill at the end of the year.

Provisional tax is required for individuals who earn income other than a salary, such as business income, rental income, or investment income. If you earn more than R30,000 per year combined from such sources, you are likely required to pay provisional tax.

For individuals, the first provisional tax return covers the first half of the tax year (1 March – 31 August), and must be filed with provisional tax paid to SARS before the end of August. The second provisional tax return covers the full tax year (1 March – 28 February) and must be filed with taxes paid to SARS before the end of February.

The first provisional tax return takes your estimated taxable income for the first half of the year, and multiplies that by 2 in order to calculate your estimated annual taxable income. You then pay half of the taxes due on that estimated annual income. The second provisional tax return estimates your taxable income based on the full year, and then you pay the estimated tax less the tax that was paid at the first provisional tax payment.

The first provisional tax return is due to be filed, with the relevant taxes paid by the end of August. The second provisional tax return is due to be filed, with the relevant taxes paid by the end of February.

If you miss the deadline, SARS may charge a 10% late payment penalty on the amount of any provisional taxes owed, and then monthly interest on top of that

Provisional tax returns are often based on estimation, so it's not uncommon to underpay compared to your actual tax liability calculated when your annual tax return is filed. If the underpayment is significant, SARS may charge interest and under-estimation penalties. Here's a full explanation of how under-estimation penalties are calculated.

Provisional tax returns are often based on estimation, so it's not uncommon to overpay compared to your actual tax liability calculated when your annual tax return is filed. Any overpayment will be refunded to you after filing your annual tax return.