South African tax, 2026
Filing Season 2026: your South African tax return, sorted
Last updated 13 June 2026. All dates and rules cited to SARS.
SARS Filing Season 2026 is here. Whether you have been auto-assessed, need to file manually, or just want to check your numbers before you submit, this page is your starting point. Pick your situation below and run the right calculator to check your numbers, all free, all built on current SARS rules.
Key SARS Filing Season 2026 dates
| What | When | Who it applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-assessment notifications | 1 July – 12 July 2026 | Taxpayers SARS can assess automatically (simple tax affairs). You are notified by SMS/email. |
| Filing opens (manual) | 13 July 2026 | Anyone not auto-assessed, or who disagrees with their auto-assessment. |
| Non-provisional individuals: deadline | 23 October 2026 | Most salaried taxpayers. |
| Provisional taxpayers & trusts: deadline | 22 January 2027 | People with significant non-salary income (e.g. business, large rental/investment income) and trusts. |
Source: SARS, Filing Season (official dates page). Auto-assessed and agree with the result? You do not need to do anything. Disagree, or not assessed? File from 13 July.
Where do I start? Find your situation
Not sure if you even need to file, or which tool you need? Start here.
I got an auto-assessment SMS or email from SARS
SARS has calculated your return for you using data from your employer, banks and retirement funds. You should still check it. If a refund or amount owed looks wrong, or you have deductions SARS did not know about (medical, home office, travel, retirement annuity), you can file a corrected return from 13 July 2026.
I am a salaried employee with one IRP5
You may not need to file at all if your affairs are simple, but if you have medical aid, a travel allowance, a home office, or extra income, filing can get you money back.
Basic income tax / PAYE calculatorGuide: Do I need to submit a tax return?
I got a bonus, or changed jobs this year
Bonuses and mid-year job changes are the most common reason a refund (or a surprise bill) shows up at assessment.
Guide: How is my bonus taxed in South Africa?Basic calculator
I earn rental, freelance or side income
Extra income outside your salary usually has to be declared, and it may make you a provisional taxpayer, with a later deadline but more to do.
Tax on rental incomeFreelancer & side-income taxHome office deduction
I sold property, shares or crypto
Capital gains are taxable and need to be worked into your return.
Capital gains tax calculatorGuide: Tax on selling property or shares
I withdrew from a retirement or provident fund
Lump-sum withdrawals are taxed on a special table; the amount withheld is often not your final liability.
Guide: Tax on retirement / provident fund withdrawalBasic calculator
I work abroad, or I am a South African expat
The foreign-income exemption (section 10(1)(o)(ii)) and your residency status change everything.
Expat / foreign-income calculatorGuide: Working abroad, expat tax & the foreign-income exemption
I am a tax practitioner filing for clients
Use the calculators to sanity-check assessments and the guides to explain positions to clients in plain language. The full workspace handles multi-scenario reasoning.
Every calculator, in one place
Free, no signup. Each gives you a real number on current SARS rules.
- Basic income tax / PAYEWhat you owe on your salary, brackets and rebates applied.
- Medical tax creditss6A/s6B credits for medical aid and out-of-pocket costs.
- Travel allowanceDeemed-cost vs actual on a travel allowance.
- Capital gains taxCGT on property, shares and other assets.
- Expat / foreign incomeThe s10(1)(o)(ii) exemption for South Africans working abroad.
- Home office deductions11(a)/s23(b) home-office claims.
- Wear and tears11(e) depreciation on assets used for work.
Read the guide that matches your question
Plain-language, SARS-cited answers to the questions South Africans actually ask at filing time:
- 1.Do I need to submit a tax return in South Africa?
- 2.How is my bonus taxed in South Africa?
- 3.Tax on retirement / provident fund withdrawal
- 4.How to read your IRP5
- 5.Tax on rental income
- 6.Freelancer & side-income tax
- 7.Tax on selling property or shares
- 8.Working abroad: expat tax & the foreign-income exemption
Why TaxRationale
We do not just give you a number. We show you the reasoning: which section of the Income Tax Act applies, how each step is calculated, and where it ties back to SARS. Built for South African individuals who want to understand their tax, and for practitioners who need to explain it to clients fast.
Check your numbers before you fileTaxRationale provides general information based on published SARS rules and is not a substitute for personal tax advice. Always confirm against your own SARS assessment.