How to register for SARS eFiling for the first time
Register safely, complete OTP verification and respond when SARS needs more information.
Read the answerThe TaxProof blog
South Africa's pressing tax questions, answered clearly.
Twenty demand-ranked answers for business owners, employers and individuals, supported by current SARS guidance. Start with the question you are facing, then use the practical checklist to fix the records behind it.
New knowledge base guides
Practical SARS, VAT and payroll answers.
How to add or change SARS bank details
Use the appropriate SARS route and prepare for banking-detail verification.
Read the answerWhy is my SARS refund still pending?
Check the assessment, correspondence, verification and outstanding debt in the right order.
Read the answerHow to correct a SARS auto-assessment
Review the prepopulated figures, correct source data and choose the proper route.
Read the answerWhat to do when an employer has not submitted an IRP5
Escalate the missing certificate without omitting employment income from the return.
Read the answerHow to correct a wrong IRP5 amount
Handle incorrect salary, PAYE and medical-aid data through the right employer process.
Read the answerWhen to issue a VAT credit or debit note
Correct an invoice and retain the evidence SARS expects behind the VAT201 adjustment.
Read the answerWhich VAT tax period applies to my business?
Understand Category A to E, tax-period allocation and a request to change category.
Read the answerWhy has SARS not paid my VAT refund?
Work through the Refund Dashboard, verification, records and debt set-off.
Read the answerHow staff loans are taxed for PAYE
Check the fringe-benefit calculation, payroll treatment and limited low-value exception.
Read the answerNew: 20 high-demand questions
The questions South Africans repeatedly search before a deadline or decision.
Ranked using public search-demand signals and commercial relevance. Exact Facebook and Google query volumes are not publicly available, so the order uses observable search suggestions, recurring community questions and SARS guidance demand.
How much tax does a small business pay?
Company tax, 2026/27 SBC rates and the eligibility checks behind the calculation.
Read the answerWhich business expenses are tax deductible?
The business-purpose test, common costs, capital items and evidence SARS expects.
Read the answerIs turnover tax better than normal income tax?
Compare both systems before choosing simplicity over a profit-based calculation.
Read the answerWhich expenses cannot be claimed for input VAT?
Blocked claims, valid invoices, private use and defensible apportionment.
Read the answerWhen must a business register for PAYE, UIF and SDL?
Registration triggers, payroll setup and the compliance cycle that follows.
Read the answerShould a director take a salary or dividends?
Compare PAYE, company tax, dividends tax and shareholder drawings together.
Read the answerHow does dividends tax work?
The 20% rate, withholding, declarations, exemptions and payment deadlines.
Read the answerMust a dormant company submit tax returns?
Why zero trading does not automatically remove SARS and CIPC duties.
Read the answerHow do I update a SARS registered representative?
Authority, supporting documents, eFiling routes and verification delays.
Read the answerHow long must tax records be kept?
The five-year rule, extensions for disputes and a practical digital file.
Read the answerHow do I object to a SARS assessment?
The 80-business-day window, correction options and defensible grounds.
Read the answerCan I arrange a payment plan with SARS?
Bring filings current, build an affordable proposal and prevent default.
Read the answerWhat is ETI and does my business qualify?
Employer and employee tests, remuneration limits and payroll risks.
Read the answerHow are travel allowances and company cars taxed?
PAYE treatment, the current kilometre rate and business logbooks.
Read the answerDo I pay tax on side-hustle or freelance income?
Declare profit, document genuine expenses and plan provisional tax.
Read the answerHow is rental income taxed?
Allowable costs, deposits, repairs, improvements and apportionment.
Read the answerCan I claim a home-office tax deduction?
Exclusive-use tests, eligible costs, floor area and the CGT consequence.
Read the answerHow do medical tax credits work?
The 2026/27 monthly credits and additional medical expenses calculation.
Read the answerHow does CGT work when I sell property?
Base cost, the current primary-residence exclusion and mixed use.
Read the answerDo I pay tax on crypto?
Revenue versus capital, taxable events, records and 2026 reporting.
Read the answerThe most-asked questions series
Eight foundational filing and compliance guides.
Do you need to submit a tax return in South Africa?
Who must file an ITR12, key deadlines, provisional tax basics, and what happens if you filed late.
Read the guideProvisional tax made simple: IRP6 dates, estimates and penalties
Who is a provisional taxpayer, when payments are due, and how to estimate so penalties never arrive.
Read the guideVAT registration and VAT201: what every business asks
When registration becomes compulsory, how the VAT201 cycle works, and which input claims survive scrutiny.
Read the guideSARS verification, audits and tax debt: what to do
Why verification letters arrive, how far back SARS can look, and your options when money is owed.
Read the guideSARS administrative penalties and how to get them remitted
The four penalty types, which qualify for remission, and the request sequence that actually works.
Read the guideTax clearance certificates: why they get blocked and how to fix it
TCC types, the blockers behind failed clearances, and the fix sequence that restores good standing.
Read the guideIRP5s and EMP501 reconciliations without the year-end scramble
How employer reconciliations work, where mismatches come from, and why employees feel them too.
Read the guideThe ITR14: everything standing behind your company return
Who must file, when it is due, the records required behind it, and the red flags that attract SARS.
Read the guideMore practical guides
Deep dives on records and cleanup.
How to catch up VAT records before the next deadline
A controlled route from unreliable VAT figures to schedules that can be defended.
Read the guideBookkeeping cleanup in Cape Town: where to start
From untrustworthy ledgers to a documented cleanup scope, step by step.
Read the guideReading is step one
When you want your own numbers checked, start here.
The SARS-Ready Financials Diagnostic shows exactly what is wrong, missing or unclaimed in your books before any cleanup begins.