Share

Time to file tax returns

Cape Town - Tax filing season is due to start in less than 12 hours, and although thousands of taxpayers are already prepared, others have not yet given a thought to filing their tax returns when the South African Revenue Service (SARS) opens its eFiling system at midnight on Tuesday.

The filing period is for the period of March 1 2014 to February 28 2015.

"Although taxpayers are keen to file early to get a refund from SARS, they need to ensure that they have all the required supporting documentation before filing, and confirm whether they are legally required to file," warned Stiaan Klue, chief executive of the SA Institute of Tax Professionals.

Subject to some exceptions, this year certain taxpayers are not required to file a tax return if their total salary for the year before tax is not more than R350 000.

Klue pointed out that the "R350 000 exemption" is not applicable to taxpayers earning income from more than one employer.

"Also, taxpayers with more than one employer must file even if the salary is minimal. Taxpayers claiming tax-related deductions, such as car allowance or medical expenses, are not exempted from filing either," said Klue.

The most common required documentation a taxpayer needs to file includes:

- IRP5 issued by employer;
- Proof of medical expenses, i e medical aid and other invoices (if applicable);
- Interest received certificate, i e IT3(b) (if applicable); and
- Travel logbook (if undertaking business travel on behalf of employer).

Klue advised taxpayers to seek help from the SARS call centre on 0800 00 SARS (7277) if they are uncertain about anything. Alternatively, taxpayers can get assistance from a SARS-registered tax practitioner.

The important deadline dates in the 2015 tax season are:

September 30 2015: Manual/postal submissions
November 27 2015: At a SARS branch (non-provisional)
November 27 2015: eFiling (non-provisional)
January 29 2016: Provisional taxpayers via eFiling

Tax Tips EFiling

* Have a tax-related questions? Send it to us, we will find an expert to answer your questions.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.89
+0.3%
Rand - Pound
23.87
+0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.38
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.32
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders