How to change your banking details with SARS

By Thomas LobbanLLB, LLM (Tax Law), Master Tax Practitioner (SA)Updated 17 June 2026

To change your banking details with SARS, log in to eFiling, open the "Maintain SARS Registered Details" function (the RAV01 form), update the bank-account section, and submit. SARS then validates the new account with your bank before it becomes active. You can do the same on the SARS MobiApp or through the SARS Online Query System. For some changes SARS will not let you do it online and books you into a branch or a virtual appointment to verify your identity first.

Getting this right matters because a refund will not pay into an account SARS has not validated. A correct, validated account is what lets the 72-hour refund clock start.

Where to change it

eFiling. Under "Maintain SARS Registered Details", open the RAV01 form, edit the banking section, and submit. This is the route most individuals use.
SARS MobiApp. The same registered-details function is available on the app for individual taxpayers.
SARS Online Query System. SARS offers an online query channel for updating or confirming bank details without a full eFiling session.
Branch or virtual appointment. If the online channel routes you to an appointment, book it through the SARS eBooking system. You attend in person or by video and an agent verifies you before the change is accepted.

What you need

Have these ready, because SARS verifies the change against them and a mismatch stalls it:

Your South African ID.
A recent bank statement or a letter from your bank confirming the account, in your name.
Proof of residential address if SARS asks for it.

The account should be in your own name. SARS runs an account-verification check with the bank, and the account-holder name has to match the taxpayer. This is the single most common reason a banking change fails.

Why validation fails

Name or account-holder mismatch. If the name on the bank account does not match your details at SARS and the bank, the verification bounces. Joint accounts and accounts in a spouse's or company's name are the usual culprits.
A closed or wrong account number. A digit out, or an account that has since been closed, fails the check.
Stale supporting documents. A bank letter or statement that does not clearly show your name and the account number will not satisfy the check. Upload a clear, recent one.

When the change fails validation, the old account stays in place and any refund waits until a valid account is on record.

Why SARS sometimes forces an appointment

SARS treats a banking change as a fraud-risk point, because diverting a refund is a common scam. So certain changes cannot be done purely online. If your profile or the change triggers SARS's risk rules, the system stops you and requires a branch or virtual appointment where an agent confirms your identity and your documents before accepting the new account. This is a control, not an error, and the fix is simply to book and attend the appointment with the documents listed above.

A worked example: why the account has to be right

Banking details matter most when money is owed to you. Take someone under 65 with taxable income of R200,000 for the 2026 year of assessment, all inside the first bracket taxed at 18%:

18% of R200,000 = R36,000
Less the primary rebate of R17,235 = R18,765 tax for the year

If R28,000 of PAYE was withheld, the refund is R28,000 less R18,765 = R9,235. SARS will not pay that R9,235 into an account it has not validated. So if your bank details are wrong or unverified, the assessment can be finalised showing a refund due, yet nothing arrives until the account passes validation. Fixing the banking detail is what releases the payment.

Frequently asked questions

How do I change my banking details with SARS?

Log in to eFiling, open "Maintain SARS Registered Details", edit the bank-account section of the RAV01 form, and submit. SARS validates the account with your bank before it takes effect. You can also use the SARS MobiApp or the SARS Online Query System, and some changes require a branch or virtual appointment.

Why does SARS reject my new bank account?

Almost always a name or account-holder mismatch. SARS verifies the account with the bank, and the account-holder name must match you. Closed or mistyped account numbers and unclear supporting documents are the other common causes. Use an account in your own name and a clear, recent bank statement or letter.

Why must I book an appointment just to change my bank account?

SARS treats banking changes as a fraud-risk point, so its risk rules sometimes block the online change and require identity verification at a branch or in a virtual appointment. Book it through SARS eBooking and bring your ID and proof of the account.

Can I use someone else's bank account?

The account should be in your own name, because SARS matches the account-holder against the taxpayer. An account in a spouse's, parent's or company's name will usually fail validation, which then holds any refund.

Will changing my bank details delay my refund?

It can. When you update banking details, SARS verifies them before paying, and that check takes time. Supplying a clear, recent bank statement or letter and an account in your own name is the way to keep it short, after which a due refund is paid once the account is validated.

After the change

Once the account is validated, an assessed refund can be released. Our explainer on why a SARS refund is delayed covers the other checks that can hold a payment, and how to register for SARS eFiling walks through getting the profile you use to make the change. To see what refund you should be owed in the first place, our Basic income tax and PAYE calculator compares your tax due on the 2026 table against PAYE withheld, and our guide on whether you need to submit a return helps you clear any return-related blocker.

SARS sources:

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