2 June 2025 – The South African Revenue Service (SARS) is pleased to announce the official start of the 2025 Filing Season, effective from 07 July 2025 to 20 October 2025. This season marks an important period where income tax returns of the majority of taxpayers are automatically assessed. The category of taxpayers who are automatically assessed will receive notification from SARS from 7 to 20 July 2025. Taxpayers who do not receive notifications from SARS that they are automatically assessed, are encouraged to submit their tax returns in a timely and accurate manner from 21 July 2025. The Filing Season will close on 20 October 2025 for non-provisional individuals.
We urge all taxpayers to prepare their documentation early to check their assessments and to avoid last-minute delays for those that must submit an income return.
SARS requires taxpayers to ensure that their banking details are correct and updated. This ensures efficient processing of any refund that may be due.
If you need to change your bank details, you must first check that your security contact details (email and cell phone number) on the SARS eFiling are up to date.
PLEASE NOTE: There is no need to do anything if your banking details and security contact details have not changed.
Auto Assessments
In line with our strategic objective to make it easy for taxpayers to comply, we have identified a large segment of non-provisional and provisional taxpayers who receives income from one or more sources from formal and other forms of employment and whose tax affairs are not complicated have been selected to be automatically assessed. The process of automatic assessment is made possible by the availability of 3rd party data received from employers, pension fund administrators, medical aid schemes and more. This enables SARS to complete the tax declaration on behalf of this segment of taxpayers and issue them with an Auto Assessment.
The taxpayers in the auto assessment category do not have to do anything if they are satisfied with the calculation on their tax returns. If the taxpayer is of the opinion that SARS has not captured all the necessary information, they are free to make changes on their tax returns and submit the missing information through eFiling by the 20th of October 2025. Where the taxpayer has a refund, they will receive it in 72 hours if all their information is correct. If they owe SARS, they must pay SARS through their respective banks, and the details are provided below.
The steps in the Auto Assessment process will work as follows:
- From the 7th of July, SARS will communicate directly with affected taxpayers by SMS and/or email, notifying taxpayers of their auto-assessed tax returns.
- If there is a refund due to the taxpayer, it will be paid directly to the taxpayer’s bank account within 72 business hours after the notification. If there is money owing to SARS, it must be paid to SARS’ Bank Account, eFiling or through the SARS MobiApp by the stipulated date.
- Taxpayers can access their auto assessed income tax returns through any of SARS’s channels, such as the SARS MobiApp or SARS eFiling, to review and verify the completeness and accuracy of the information that resulted in the auto assessment.
- If a taxpayer is satisfied with the auto assessment, they don’t have to do anything further and the process terminates at this point.
- If the taxpayer finds that there is missing and/or inaccurate information, pertaining to either income or expenses, which may have affected the outcome, it must be declared to SARS by submitting a tax return to SARS.
Taxpayers who are still required to file a tax return (non-provisional taxpayers and other taxpayers)
This population represents taxpayers in respect of whom their tax matters are deemed complex. This population will be able to start filing tax returns from the 21ts of July 2025 until 20th October 2025.
Provisional taxpayers as well as Trust submissions can start with filing a return from 21 July 2025 until 19 January 2026.
Our team has enhanced support services this year, including:
- More information on SARS’s Interactive channels
- Extended customer service hours
- Updated online filing platforms for easier submission
- Comprehensive guidance and resources available on our website
- Increased security measures to protect sensitive information
We remind taxpayers to ensure that their submissions comply with current regulations and deadlines to avoid penalties. For assistance, please visit SARS website, SARS YouTube TV channel on how to videos. you can rather plug the interactive channels for various enquiries
TAXPAYERS ARE ENCOURAGED NOT TO VISIT TO OUR BRANCHES BUT USE OUR DIGITAL CHANNELS, NAMELY eFILING, SARSMOBIAPP TO TRANSACT WITH SARS. IF IT IS UNAVOIDABLE, PLEASE BOOK AN APPOINTMENT.
Together, let’s ensure a smooth and efficient filing season.
For more information, please contact [email protected].
