SARS pay day: 5. 8 million auto-assessed, R10. 6 billion paid out in refunds
Image: GCIS
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) says it has issued auto assessments to 5.8 million taxpayers this year and paid out around R10.6 billion in refunds, most of which were processed within 72 hours.
According to the revenue service, this is up from 5 million in 2024.
The tax season officially began on July 7, with the auto-assessment period running until July 20. From 21 July, the filing period opens for taxpayers who were not auto-assessed or who wish to update their returns.
"The successful completion of the Auto Assessment period, which ran from 7 to 20 July 2025, will be followed by the tax filing period via eFiling and the SARS MobiApp for individual taxpayers from Monday, 21 July–20 October 2025," SARS said.
According to the revenue service, 99.6% of auto assessments issued were accepted without changes.
SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter said the agency's goal is to make tax compliance seamless by using technology.
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'SARS is working hard to give taxpayers the best service, where tax just happens,' he said.
'Ultimately, our aim is to make the best service to be no service at all. As we start with Filing Season for those not auto assessed, from Monday, 21 July, I encourage taxpayers rather to use our digital channels than come queue at our Service Centres.'
According to SARS, Taxpayers who received an auto assessment do not need to take any action unless their information is incomplete or incorrect. These changes can be made on eFiling or the SARS MobiApp.
"To avoid penalties, taxpayers must submit accurate information promptly".
"The journey to build A Smart, Modern SARS, characterised by the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science is bearing fruit. More than 2.1 million taxpayers have interacted with SARS through our digital channels. Of these, 1.1 million interactions were serviced by the SARS Online Query System, 707,000 through WhatsApp, and 290,000 with Lwazi Chat Bot"
The filing deadline for non-provisional taxpayers is 20 October 2025, while provisional taxpayers have until 19 January 2026 to submit returns.
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