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TAX SEASON 2018

It was announced on the 4 July 2018, that this year’s Tax Season will be shortened by 3 weeks, with the season running from the 1 July to 31 October 2018 to allow more time for verifications before the December holiday break.

It is also anticipated this will help prevent the lull that previously occurred after the initial 3 months and allow for the better use of available resources.

A strong emphasis is being placed this year on the better use of technology and resources as well as decreasing the number of people visiting branches to prevent unnecessary congestion. In line with this here are 3 important tips to keep in mind for Tax Season 2018:

Check if you actually have to file a Tax Return.
1,6 million people filed last year who did not need to. This year SARS has sent a personalised and direct communication to taxpayers who may not have to submit a return, based on information submitted during tax season 2017.

To further guide you, if all the following applies to your situation you do not need to file:

  • Your personal total employment income or salary before tax for the year of assessment (March 2017 to February 2018) was no more than R350 000;
  • Your employment income or salary for the year of assessment was received from one employer;
  • You had no other form of income (such as a car allowance, company car fringe benefit, business income, taxable interest or rental income or income from another job);
  • You do not want to claim for any additional allowable tax-related deductions or rebates (e.g. medical expenses, retirement annuity contributions, travel expenses, etc.).

Make use of e-filing If you have internet access.
868 562 registered e-filers went into a branch to file their tax return in 2017. If you have internet access you can register for e-Filing – there are a number of online resources to guide you with your submission as well as a Help-You-eFile service that connects you to a SARS tax agent in real time (via the contact centre) who will assist you while you are online.

This is a much more efficient use of your time and will simplify your life considerably if you are used to going into the branch to submit. We promise you won’t miss those queues!

Submit timeously.
Late penalties will be applied to late submissions as per previous years. Do not miss the tax deadline for submissions.

 


Did you know?

SARS has a call back option between 08:00-18:00
If you have a questions/any queries you can call the SARS Contact Centre on 0800 00 7277. Once you have been in the queue for a certain amount of time, you will be offered the option of a call-back and asked to provide certain personal information and your contact number. From this point, SARS will reserve your place in the queue and give you a queue number. Simply hang up and wait for your return call.

You can stay up to date with SARS by subscribing to RSS feeds
If you are keen to keep up to date with the latest SARS updates and don’t want to constantly visit the SARS webpage, subscribe to their RSS feeds and you will be alerted when changes are made.

We are here to assist you!
Better than all the above, We offer a number of Tax Services that can, and will, make your life much easier. Simply give us a call and we can assist you with your 2018 tax returns, amongst a variety of other services. Feel free to also visit our homepage where we list Important Upcoming Dates that are good for you to know, and view the live stream of the latest SARS media releases for you to click through.

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  1. Top Tips for SARS eFiling - Fenns Incorporated Chartered Accountants says:

    […] 2018 has arrived and has been in full swing since the 1st July 2018. In our previous article, Tax Season 2018, we outlined some need to know information about tax deadlines and when to file a tax return. Below […]

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