What’s new?
- 19 May 2026 – How to Complete the Beneficial Owner Register for Partnership IT3(BO) before Submitting an ITR12
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) advises taxpayers of the steps and requirements for the IT3(BO) Beneficial Ownership declaration on eFiling and the Income Tax Return for Individuals (ITR12).
Year of Assessment
The IT3(BO) form operates on a year‑based cycle, with the applicable year being stepped up annually on 1 April, in line with the treatment of other third‑party data submissions. Taxpayers must select the correct year when completing or updating the IT3(BO) declaration.
Submission Order
Taxpayers must submit the IT3(BO) before the related ITR12. This enables SARS systems to correctly align third‑party data with the individual income-tax return and facilitates accurate and efficient processing.
Timing of Submission
Although the IT3(BO) submission should precede the ITR12 submission, taxpayers should note that:
- The IT3(BO) form may be completed, updated, and submitted at any point during the year; and
- No penalties are currently associated with the timing of the IT3(BO) submission.
Taxpayers are, however, encouraged to submit or update their IT3(BO) information as soon as the relevant details become available to avoid delays or complications when completing their ITR12.
Further Guidance
Taxpayers who require assistance may also contact the SARS Contact Centre on 0800 00 7277 or visit a SARS Service Centre by appointment.
For more detail, see the IT-AE-36-G07 – Guide to the Beneficial Owner Register for Partnership IT3BO Form – External Guide.
- 22 April 2026 – Simplified Beneficial Owner Register for Partnerships
During the 2024 Filing Season, SARS issued a notice implementing a new requirement for taxpayers who are in a partnership to declare the details of his or her partners on the ITR12, in line with the beneficial-owner regulations. This declaration is required by the General Laws (Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Terrorism Financing) Amendment Act 22 of 2022.
However, this created a significant administrative challenge as each partner had to provide details about every other partner, excluding themselves, on the annual Income Tax Return (ITR12).
To simplify the process, SARS is launching a single eFiling form, the Beneficial Owner Register IT3(BO). A designated partnership representative must use this form annually to register, fill out, and submit all partners’ information for the partnership. As a result, individual partners will no longer need to enter all partner details on the ITR12. Once the partnership representative submits the Partnership IT3(BO), SARS will issue an IT3(BO) unique number after processing the IT3(BO) form. Partners can use only this IT3(BO) unique number to declare partnership details on the ITR12.
How Does It Work?
- Nominate and submit: The partnership must nominate a representative to access the IT3(BO) form on eFiling and complete the details of all partners. Once all the information is captured, the form must be submitted to SARS.
- SARS issues the IT3(BO) number: SARS will issue a “Beneficial Owner Register for Partnership Notice (IT3[BO])” to the appointed representative. This notice includes the IT3(BO) unique number for the partnership. The partnership IT3(BO) unique number must then be used to retrieve the previously submitted partnership details, so that updates can be made and submitted to SARS.
- Partners receive notification: SARS will also issue a “Beneficial Owner Partner in a Partnership Notice” to the partners that includes the IT3(BO) unique number. The partner must use the IT3(BO) unique number when declaring partnership details in their annual Income Tax Return (ITR12).
REMEMBER: The IT3(BO) form must be submitted annually by the designated representative. Each partner can use just the unique IT3(BO) number to declare partner details on the ITR12.
For more detail, see the IT-AE-36-G07 – Guide to the Beneficial Owner Register for Partnership IT3BO Form – External Guide.
