How to get a tax number in South Africa

You get a tax number by registering as a taxpayer with SARS. The fastest route is to register for eFiling: if you do not already have an income tax reference number, SARS issues one as part of that registration. You can also get one through the SARS MobiApp, the USSD line on 1347277#, or a SARS branch by appointment. Many employees never have to ask, because SARS registers them automatically off the payroll information their employer submits.

A tax number, an income tax reference number, and a SARS reference number are the same thing. It stays with you for life. You only ever get one, so the first step is always to check whether you already have it before you try to register again.

A tax number is not the same as an eFiling profile

Two things get confused here. The tax reference number is the identifier SARS uses for your income tax account. An eFiling profile is the online login you use to deal with SARS. You can have a tax number without ever having logged in to eFiling, which is common for people whose employer registered them years ago.

When you register for eFiling and the system finds you do not yet have a tax number, it creates one for you. So for a first-time taxpayer, registering for eFiling does both jobs at once.

The channels that issue or retrieve a number

• eFiling or the SARS MobiApp. Register with your South African ID and follow the prompts. If you have no tax number, one is issued during registration.
• USSD. Dial 1347277# from your phone to register for personal income tax or to have your existing number sent to you.
• A SARS branch. Book an appointment first, then go in with your ID and proof of address. Walk-ins without an appointment are turned away.
• Through your employer. When you start a job, your employer submits your details to SARS, and SARS registers you for income tax if you are not already on record.

If you suspect you already have a number, do not create a second one. Use the "I need my tax number" channels on the SARS site to retrieve it, or request your IT150 notice of registration through the "SARS Registered Details" menu on eFiling.

When you actually need one

You need a tax number once you earn income that SARS taxes, or once someone needs to deal with SARS on your behalf. The usual triggers are a first salaried job, starting to freelance or run a business, or a bank or employer asking for it. Earning below the tax threshold does not exempt you from having a number; it only means no tax is due yet.

For the 2026 year of assessment the tax threshold for people under 65 is R95,750. Below that, you owe no income tax, but your employer still operates PAYE against your tax number and you may still need to be registered.

A worked example

Take a first-time worker on a starting salary of R150,000 for the 2026 year of assessment, with no other income. That falls in the first bracket, taxed at 18%:

• R150,000 x 18% = R27,000
• Less the primary rebate of R17,235 = R9,765 tax for the year

Their employer withholds that R9,765 as PAYE across the twelve months, paying it over to SARS against the employee's tax number. Without a registered number, the employer cannot operate PAYE correctly and the employee cannot later claim any refund on assessment. The number is what ties the year's PAYE to the right person.

Check what your number means for your tax

Once you have a number, the next question is usually whether you have to file at all. Our guide on whether you need to submit a tax return sets out who is obliged to file, and the Basic income tax and PAYE calculator applies the 2026 SARS table and rebate to your salary so you can see what should be withheld. If your next step is to set up the online account itself, our explainer on registering for SARS eFiling walks through it, and once filing season opens our piece on how auto-assessment works explains what SARS may do without you lifting a finger.

SARS sources:

• https://www.sars.gov.za/individuals/how-do-i-register-for-tax/register-as-a-taxpayer/
• https://www.sars.gov.za/individuals/how-do-i-register-for-tax/register-for-efiling/
• https://www.sars.gov.za/individuals/i-need-help-with-my-tax/i-need-my-tax-number/
• https://www.sars.gov.za/tax-rates/income-tax/rates-of-tax-for-individuals/