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Depreciation / Wear and Tear Posts in Tax Q&A


Travel deduction for an on older car



I'm a commission earner and I can claim travel expenses. When I complete TaxTim 'Travel Deduction Optimiser' it will only let me choose the date of the purchase of my car from 2017 onwards. My car was purchased in 2007. Does this mean that I can't use the 'deemed cost' method and can only use the 'actual cost method' - or is there another way to enter the correct year of purchase as 2007?

Vacation Home - What do I submit/declare in my Personal Tax Return?



I bought a house December 2023, which are rented out as a vacation home. This is my first house that I bought and do not know what I need to submit/declare in my Personal Tax Return for 2024. Can you please assist?

Cannot access refund due to a special stopper



SARS owes me a refund but according to the call centre they placed a stopper on my tax account and now need to see proof of the payment I made that caused the refund. I did make this payment, but the bank account I used to pay it to SARS has since closed.
How else can I prove that I did in fact make this payment?

Depreciation on furniture bought for rental property



I bought furniture for R 172 000 back in 2018 for my rental property. This was bought through the developer as part of a rental pool offering. Rental pool contract stating furniture costs, e-mail clarifications and proof of payment for this is in my possession but not the actual receipts or individual pricing for the items. According to the TaxTim depreciation calculator, I can claim around R 28 600 in 2022 tax year. My question is, can I claim this with the documentation in my possession and ca...

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Will I get a tax refund if I accept the SARS auto-assessment?



My auto-assessment shows that I am due a tax refund. Can this be correct? Do you think I will receive the refund if I accept it, or should I rather reject it and file a tax return?

What must I do with the auto-assessment from SARS?



I received an SMS from SARS which says something about an auto-assessment. When I login to eFiling I see there is an option to accept or edit it. Are there any risks involved with accepting it? What should I look out for? Please help, I know nothing about this new SARS process.

Why am I getting auto-assessed? Where is my tax return?



I received an auto-assessment from SARS but I am confused what this means. Why have I been selected by SARS and how did SARS get my data? Can I still submit a tax return if I want to?

Can a sole proprietor claim for vehicle maintenance?



Can a sole proprietor (extra income, working from home) claim for vehicle maintenance (I do most maintenance myself, but have invoices for the parts) and insurance if he did not keep an accurate logbook?

I don't know what is s12e, can you help please?



I don't know what is s12e

This query relates to question 4862 "Please enter the S12E accelerated depreciation allowance which the company can claim. Use our handy SBC calculator to help with your workings." in the Income statement section.

SARS asked for calculation for depreciation on laptop



I completed my tax return through TaxTim. SARS asked me now to show them how we calculated depreciation on the laptop I use for work. Can you help me with this as I don't know what to give them?

Car vs car allowance tax



From a tax perspective which is more beneficial to an employee: a car allowance or a company provided vehicle? What would the impact be on either if the employee does not travel sufficient business kilometres on both?

Tax deduction - Asset write-off for small items



Is it true that the acquisition of "small" items at a cost of less than R 7000 per item may be written off during the year of acquisition? I bought a laptop for R 6999.00 in December 2012. I am an IT contractor.

Can I claim against the use of my vehicle if the only code on my IRP5 is 3703?



I have used my vehicle for official travel - there is only code 3703 on my IRP5. Can I claim travel expenses in my return?

What are cost of sales in a consulting business



What would cost of sales be in a consulting business - would my time be the cost? Would it be paper, laptop etc?

This query relates to question 4216 "Please enter the cost of sales incurred." in the Self Employed/Independent Contractor/Freelancer section.

2 IRP5s and commission



Before paying the fee I just want to make sure you'll be able to help me. From March to July. I earned a normal salary but from August I earn a basic and commission. As I sales rep I'm able to write off wear and tear on my
vehicle but obviously only from August. Same goes for my laptop etc. will your system be able to take this into account?

Depreciation on a cellphone



I have a pay as you go cellphone that I bought cash. Thus I unfortunately do not have monthly statements to determine an exact break between business and personal use. I spend about R300 pm on airtime and I receive a cellphone allowance of R750 pm from my employer. How do I calculate and show the depreciation amount and do I need a letter of consent if the allowance is shown on my salary slips?

Solar wear and tear



What are the wear and tear rates for solar equipment (renewable energy)?

Depreciation of on second hand assets



I'm working for a new company that started last year January (2016). All of the computers and furniture was inherited from the previous company (Re-branded the company, but doing exactly the same thing) how do I calculate depreciation with regards to Computers, Laptops & furniture?

What type of tax category do I fall into?



I have one client in the US, I use all my own equipment and work from home. What type of taxes should I be filing? I am based in South Africa and bring funds through via PayPal, I am not taxed in the US as I am considered a independent contractor.

Minimizing tax liability



At the end of the current tax year my taxable income will exceed R1.5 million largely due to income from an employee share option scheme. My income comprises salary only. And from the normal statutory deductions I contribute to a retirement fund and retirement annuity. Apart from maximizing my contribution to retirement funds, how else could I reduce my tax liability?

How can I depreciate my small business equipment if I dont have invoices?



I have a mobile phone; laptop; tablet and home office furniture which I use for my small business. I bought them four years ago, but I've never depreciated them because this is my first year of business. Can I depreciate them now even if I don't have the invoices anymore? And, if I don't depreciate them can I just record it as a company asset? These IT equipment were bought second hand and some are old.

Registering as a Provisional Tax Payer?



I had freelance jobs and although I don't own my
own business/am not registered as a business. All but one of the freelance
jobs were taxed.
Should I register as a provisional tax payer? If so, how do I go about
doing this and what deductions can I make? e.g. Can I claim for Uber trips,
cellphone bills, wear and tear on my equipment (computer, camera) etc? If I
can claim for things like this, how do I go about doing it?

A notice of objection



SARS didn't accept my log books, my 2015 tax return, there's zero KMs for business use.
I now need to object and they require proof of ownership- I have documents from Wesbank. Lastly, can I do this via TaxTim or must I go into SARS?

Is occupation rent an allowable deduction against rental income?



Is occupational rent paid to a developer, of a new-build property, an allowable expense to deduct from taxable rental income? The property in question was rented out in the same tax year as occupational rent was paid.

Do second-hand purchases count towards expenditure?



Can I purchase 2nd hand equipment as an asset for my business and then add that full amount to my business costs? The item will come in under R7000, so I believe I can write the depreciation off within one tax year.
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