Written by Neo
Updated 14 March 2023
Training and development for employees plays a vital role in the growth and success of your business. But, finding affordable and correct tools might be where the concerns start creeping in. Suddenly you’re left thinking… “They’ll learn on the job. Resources are limited.”
Fortunately, you’d be pleased to know that the learnership allowance is intended to be an incentive for employers to encourage skills development within their workforce, with the hope to create jobs and economic growth....
Written by Patrick
Posted 10 March 2023
The South African government introduced tax-free savings back in 2015 to encourage household savings. As the name suggests, all of the proceeds from tax-free savings accounts (TFSAs), including interest, capital gains and dividends are exempt from tax. This makes these types of investments extremely attractive for South African taxpayers.
Tax-free savings are an investment vehicle created to help South Africans reduce their tax liab...
Written by Nicci
Posted 22 February 2023
Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana, delivered his second budget speech to South Africans yesterday. The energy crisis played centre stage with the minister announcing that the government will take over a large part of Eskom's debt. He also outlined two major tax incentives to encourage individuals and businesses to invest in renewable energy and independent electricity generation. Much to everyone's relief, he went on further to announce that there would be no major tax proposals for the year...
Written by Patrick
Posted 31 January 2023
Retirement annuities are tax-smart investments that help you to save for life after your nine-to-five. You generally can’t withdraw these funds before you turn 55, but you may be able to do so if you’ve emigrated from South Africa.
A retirement annuity – or RA for short – is an investment vehicle designed to help people living and working in South Africa save towards retirement. It can be used as a...
Written by Nicci
Updated 24 November 2022
This year, SARS has once again ‘auto-assessed’ a large number of taxpayers. They have done this using data that they have received from 3rd parties, such as employers, financial institutions, medical schemes and retirement fund administrators.
If you have been auto-assessed, you should receive an email or SMS from SARS within the first few weeks of July. If your auto-assessment shows that you are due a tax refund, we are seeing SARS pay out these refu...
Written by Alicia
Posted 27 October 2022
If you received another email from TaxTim requesting SARS supporting documents, but you already sent these to SARS more than 21 business days ago, one of these four scenarios might be the reason you are still waiting:
Scenario 1:
You submitted the documents directly on SARS eFiling yourself, but you did not inform TaxTim. In this case, our system needs to be updated to reflect that you already submitted your documents.
Please log into your TaxTim profi...
Written by Nicci
Posted 19 October 2022
Tick-tock, time is running out for non-provisional taxpayers to submit their 2022 tax return. The filing deadline of 24 October 2022 is just around the corner.
Provisional Taxpayers: your tax return filing deadline is 23 January 2023. Breathe easy.
If you ‘think’ you are a Provisional Taxpayer, we strongly suggest you make 100% sure you me...
Written by Patrick
Posted 18 October 2022
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) says it will implement an "online traveller declaration system" that will go into effect on November 1, 2022. According to SARS, the new system will be applicable to all South Africans travelling abroad and says that it will simplify passenger movement at South African airports.
According to SARS, the system's goal is to collect travel information and in exchange, grant a traveller pass via email. It requires that all South Africans and residen...
Written by Elani
Posted 16 September 2022
Step 1: Please log into your SARS eFiling profile
Step 2: Click on "Home" on the top menu
Step 3: Click on "SARS Registered Details" and then on "Maintain SARS Registered Details" on the l...
Written by Neo
Updated 27 June 2022
Too often, taxpayers rush when completing their tax return, and then they miss out on some expenses they are eligible to claim. Don’t overpay tax by overlooking these seven common tax breaks.
Contributions towards a Retirement Annuity
Your contributions towards retirement funds are deductible for tax up to a limit of 27,5% of the greater of your taxable income or remuneration (to a maximum of R350,000 per year). This limit applies to the total contributions you make to any Pension, Provident or Retirement Annuity (RA) fund during the year...
Written by Nicci
Posted 24 June 2022
From 1 July to 4 July, SARS aims to issue auto-assessments to taxpayers who are due a refund.
The rest will be issued in batches up to 24 July.
Timing is Everything
If you receive an auto-assessment, you will have just 40 working days to request a tax return on TaxTim (or eFiling), complete and submit it. If you take no action within the ...
Written by Nicci
Posted 10 June 2022
The 2022 filing season opens on 1 July. Tick tock. That’s just around the corner.
It is important to be aware that the season is shorter than prior years. This means that SARS are giving you less time to file your return.
Important Filing Deadlines
24 October 2022: non-provisional taxpayer (i.e. salaried employees)
23 January 2023: provisional taxpayer (i.e self-employed, rental earners, freelancers, etc)
Auto-Assess...
Written by Nicci
Posted 10 June 2022
SARS is warning that those who fail to submit their tax return on time, will face harsh penalties. The period of leeway which applied to 2021 has now passed.
SARS announced a change to their legislation in December 2021 whereby they would levy administrative penalties to taxpayers who missed the filing deadline for one or more tax returns. Prior to this change, taxpayers only paid penalties when two or more returns were outstanding.
As a...
Written by Neo
Updated 8 June 2022
The cement is all used up and the bricks have been laid exactly where they need to be. A huge sigh of relief because… finally, construction and renovations are complete! And, just when you thought the worry was over, you realise that the differences between the building allowance and renovations aren’t clear to you. “Aren’t they all the same?” is the question lingering in your head. Don't fret, below is a breakdown of the exact clarity you’re looking for. ...
Written by Neo
Updated 8 June 2022
Our Helpdesk receives lots of questions from home sellers who rented out their primary residence for some of the
Read more →
Written by Neo
Updated 3 June 2022
Surely most of us love to travel, but traveling for business purposes is no fun when it comes to completing your tax return.
SARS has some rather onerous requirements, but as long as you know what you need, submitting your documents to SARS should be plain sailing.
Read more →
Written by Elani
Posted 30 May 2022
There are various types of taxes with their own special return forms and deadlines.
Written by Patrick
Posted 19 May 2022
The Public Servants Association (PSA) served SARS with a notice of strike action on Friday, 13 May 2022. The strike is due to take place on Wednesday, 25 May 2022.
The union is demanding a CPI plus 7% across the board, while the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) demands an increase of 11.5%. The unions and SARS hit a deadlock as SARS unashamedly made a final offer of a 0% increase.
If there is no resolution at the Com...
Written by Patrick
Posted 16 May 2022
According to SARS commissioner Edward Kieswetter, some South Africans who came into money were eager to “display their wealth”, giving cause for SARS to look into the income of these individuals.
In many cases, SARS found that there was a major disconnect between the income that was being declared and the type of lifestyle that these individuals were leading, according to third-party data. These include social media platforms.
As we already know, people are often i...
Written by Patrick
Posted 16 May 2022
For months, SARS has been clear about its plan to clamp down on crypto investors. While many may be under the impression that crypto is going under the radar, SARS is firmly taking the position that it is not.
With luxury audits being the order of the day, SARS is continuously looking into those who live luxurious lifestyles, particular those who own luxury cars and crypto assets, without declaring their income to the revenue service.
In many cases, this income pertains to the...
Written by Nicci
Posted 12 May 2022
Ensure you have a tax number & eFiling profile
If you have not registered for SARS eFiling or you don't have a tax number don’t worry, SARS has made things a lot easier this year.
Getting a tax number is now as easy as registering on SARS eFiling. Simply click here and if you don’t have a personal income tax number yet, SARS will automatically issue ...
Written by Neo
Posted 19 April 2022
Once you’ve completed filing your tax return, it’s possible to find that instead of getting money back
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Written by Patrick
Posted 11 April 2022
Let’s face it, SARS didn’t make it easy for taxpayers to claim their home office expenses this past tax season. We can’t blame them really - being faced with millions of newbie work-from-homers, they had to weed out the legitimate claims from the chancers.
At the start of the season, they made it clear that they would only allow claims for taxpayers who had a separate office at home, set up specifically for their work, which was used by them alone. The office could n...
Written by Vee
Posted 17 March 2022
If you think earning an income from a global source isn’t taxable on home soil, I’m afraid I have some bad news. Whether you’re earning Dollars, Euros or Yen, as a South African, it’s more than likely you’ll have to pay tax on this income. This is because South Africa’s taxation system works on a residence-based tax system meaning we’re taxed on worldwide income.
There is, however, some good news!
Section 10 of the Income Tax Act offers a list of conditions where foreign remuneration earned (up to R1,25m) for services rendered outside of South Africa borders will be exempt from income tax.
Read more →
Written by Neo
Posted 7 March 2022
When planning your wedding, it’s highly unlikely that anything related to tax features on your agenda. However, when saying “I do” it’s very important to understand the tax laws associated with marriage because SARS treats income differently according to the type of marriage contract that binds you and your spouse.
Marriage in Community of Property
If you marry without an antenuptial contract, you’ll by default be married in community of property...
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