Do your Tax with TaxTim and WIN R10,000  More info   T&C's apply


Is my income taxable if I only spend on average 3 months in a year in SA



Lanie says:
13 May 2016 at 14:58

I am almost 70 years old and receive four pensions from the Government Employers Pension Fund (GEPF). The pensions form 98% of my income, the other 2% is derived from annuities. I have two children, one lives is Australia and is an Australian citizen and the other lives in London and is a British Citizen. I spend most of my time visiting my children for six months periods and only spend about 3 months of a year in South Africa. Am I liable to pay personal income tax in these circumstances. I have applied to immigrate to Australia but this could still take a couple of years to materialize.

TaxTim TaxTim says:
13 May 2016 at 16:12

How many years have you been travelling like this?

Lanie says:
13 May 2016 at 17:25

For 9 years, I am a South African citizen

TaxTim TaxTim says:
15 May 2016 at 16:47

Unfortunately most laws around the world deem the pension earned to be taxed in the country that the employment which caused the pension was performed. You would need to be gone longer than 330 days to really withdraw as a tax resident and even then it can be argued the pension is deemed to be taxed in SA.

Lanie says:
15 May 2016 at 20:06

Very helpful, thank you

TaxTim TaxTim says:
19 May 2016 at 8:36

Only a pleasure!

This entry was posted in Tax Q&A and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.




Submit your tax return right here!

TaxTim will help you:

 Do Your Tax Return Easily
 Avoid penalties
 Maximise your refund

Tim uses your answers to complete your income tax return instantly and professionally, with everything filled in in the right place.

Let Tim submit your tax return direct to SARS in just a few clicks!

Get started

Blog Categories


Ask TaxTim

Got a question you want answered about tax?

Visit our helpdesk →

Get SARS Tax Deadlines in your Inbox
We'll tell you when you need to file, along with tax tips and updates.