South African Revenue Service urges taxpayers to file before deadline

The South African Revenue Service (Sars) has issued an urgent reminder for non-provisional taxpayers to submit outstanding tax returns before the 2026 filing season closes on Friday, 23 October. Late submissions may result in monthly administrative penalties ranging from R250 to R16,000, depending on taxable income.

By 30 September, Sars had issued over 6.9 million auto-assessments, marking a 20% increase from the previous year. This expansion included certain provisional taxpayers for the first time. Between 1 July and 19 October 2026, the revenue service paid more than R33.1 billion in refunds to over 3.1 million taxpayers, with 85% of those refunds processed within 72 hours.

Sars Commissioner Dr Johnstone Makhubu stated that the increased use of auto-assessments and verified third-party data is part of a modernisation programme designed to simplify taxpayer interactions and encourage voluntary compliance. Taxpayers can utilize eFiling, the Sars MobiApp, or WhatsApp to submit documents and receive assessment notices.