South Africa's 2026 tax season opens today, and for millions of people it will require no effort at all. The South African Revenue Service (SARS) begins its auto-assessment window on 1 July, running to 12 July, during which it will use data from employers, banks, medical schemes and retirement funds to complete returns automatically for taxpayers with straightforward affairs.
SARS expects to issue roughly 6 million auto-assessments this year. If you are selected, you will receive an SMS or email between 1 and 12 July telling you your assessment is ready to view on eFiling or the SARS MobiApp. Where a refund is due and everything is in order, SARS says it aims to pay out within 72 hours.
What you need to do
If you agree with your auto-assessment, there is nothing further to submit — the return is treated as filed. If something is missing or incorrect, such as extra income or deductions the taxman did not have on record, you can edit and submit an updated return. SARS has urged taxpayers to "wait their turn" rather than rushing onto its platforms, saying the phased approach is designed to keep the system running smoothly.
Key dates to remember
Taxpayers who are not auto-assessed, along with those who need to file manually, can do so from 13 July to 23 October 2026. Provisional taxpayers — typically those earning income outside a salary — have until 22 January 2027 to submit. Missing these deadlines can trigger administrative penalties, so it pays to diarise them.
The message from SARS this year is simple: check your phone and email before doing anything, confirm the numbers match your own records, and only step in if the automated figure looks wrong. For the majority of ordinary earners, tax season may be over almost before it has begun.
