The 2023 filing season opens this year at 8pm on Friday, 7 July. The countdown's on, it's almost here!
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
23 October 2023: non-provisional taxpayer (i.e. salaried employees)
24 January 2024: provisional taxpayer (i.e self-employed, rental earners, freelancers, etc)
Auto-Assessments:
SARS will once again ‘auto-assess’ a large number of taxpayers, 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 SMS or email from SARS sometime between 1 July and 7 July.
If you are in agreement with the auto-assessment, no action is required. If you are not in agreement with the assessment, you can access your tax return via TaxTim or eFiling, complete the tax return, and file it.
IMPORTANT NEWS: last year, SARS gave just 40 business days for auto-assessed taxpayers to file their tax return. This year, they are reducing the time pressure by giving auto-assessed taxpayers a deadline of 23 October 2023 as well.
Click here for further details on auto-assessments and reasons why we suggest you reject it and file your tax return yourself.
Penalties
The 2023 tax season is not a time for procrastination. SARS have recently become a lot stricter with their penalties for late submissions. Click here to read the new rules on penalties from 2022. We strongly advise that you submit early in the season to avoid a last-minute panic and unwanted SARS penalties.
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