2026 Tax Season Opens: Experience the Power of Done

The Power of Done starts with knowing when to act.

SARS
SARS's "The Power of Done" campaign promotes seamless, digital tax compliance for Tax Filing Season 2026. The season officially opens on 13 July, although auto-assessed taxpayers will receive notifications from 1 to 12 July. Find out here what the deadlines are, which apply to you, how to “experience The Power of Done”, and what to do if you are auto-assessed (and if not). Hot Tip: For a hassle-free Tax Filing Season 2026, simply rely on our expertise.

The 2026 Tax Season officially opens on 13 July 2026 for the 2025/2026 year of assessment, covering the period between 1 March 2025 and 28 February 2026.

During filing season, taxpayers must complete and submit their tax returns, declaring their income and deductions to allow SARS to determine their final tax liability for the period under assessment.

Dates to diarise

Taxpayer

Timeline

Details

Individual taxpayers, auto-assessed (non-provisional)

Notices sent out by SARS: 1 July to 12 July 2026

Non-provisional taxpayers with straightforward tax affairs that can be assessed based on third-party data from employers, banks, pension fund administrators, and medical aid schemes.

Individual taxpayers, not auto-assessed (non-provisional)

13 July to 23 October 2026

Non-provisional taxpayers who earn only wages/salaries (no other income) and pay taxes due via PAYE (Pay-As-You-Earn).

Provisional taxpayers

13 July 2026 to 22 January 2027

  • Companies are automatically provisional taxpayers.
  • Individuals who earn income other than, or in addition to, a salary/remuneration, on which tax has not been deducted/withheld, are also provisional taxpayers. 

Trusts

13 July 2026 to 22 January 2027

All trusts are required to file a tax return annually, including those that are not economically active.

 

What’s new this filing season

  • “The Power of Done”: This year SARS is inviting taxpayers to experience “The Power of Done”, a campaign that centres on Auto-Assessments. SARS says that if you agree with your auto-assessment, you don’t need to manually file a return or do anything else, truly experiencing “The Power of Done”.
  • More prefilled data: More taxpayer information from third parties like employers, banks, medical schemes, insurers and retirement funds, is already pre-populated on returns, which means less time spent on capturing data and hopefully fewer mistakes.
  • Stricter verification: SARS has upgraded its data-matching algorithms. So even if auto-assessed, make sure to double-check that all your data (like deductions and donations) is accurate.
  • WhatsApp integration: Taxpayers can now receive their Notice of Assessment (ITA34) or Statement of Account (SOA), as well as securely upload supporting documents, directly via WhatsApp.

 

To be or not to be auto-assessed… Here’s what to do

Auto-Assessed?

Not Auto-Assessed?

Individuals

Non-Provisional Individuals

Provisional Taxpayers, Companies and Trusts

  • Review the auto-assessment carefully.
  • Check that all information is correct.
  • Ensure your banking and contact details are up to date.
  • If everything is correct, no further action is required.
  • If information is incorrect, update with correct or missing information and submit your updated ITR12.
  • If a refund is due to you, it will automatically be paid into your bank account.
  • Do not wait until the last minute: the deadline is 23 October 2026. 
  • Gather your supporting documents in advance. 
  • Complete and submit your Personal Income Tax Return (ITR12). 
  • File early to avoid stress and penalties.
  • Diarise the 22 January 2027 deadline now. 
  • Start preparing well in advance to avoid rushed and incomplete submissions. 
  • Rely on tax expertise to optimise tax outcomes.
  • File early to avoid stress and penalties.

 

Rely on our expertise for a hassle-free filing season 

This is what we can do for you:

  • Verify all SARS communications are legitimate to protect you from scams.
  • Check that all taxpayer and banking details are correct and updated with SARS to facilitate refunds and to prevent identity theft and fraud.
  • Claim every tax rebate available to you to avoid you paying more tax than required.
  • Correctly prepare all required documentation early to avoid last-minute delays and to expedite a possible SARS verification or audit.
  • Check auto-assessments to ensure these are correct before they are accepted.
  • Ensure that your tax return submissions comply with current regulations.
  • Meet all submission deadlines on your behalf to avoid penalties.

Our team of seasoned tax professionals is ready to make this filing season a doddle!

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