South African Tax Calculator 2026 (Every Schedule, Free)

SARS auto-assessments are going out by SMS and email until 12 July. What to check before you accept→

Draft

2027 year of assessment

Not saved yet

Taxpayer profile

Who the computation is for, and the tax year it applies to.

Tax year

Your name (as it appears to SARS)

Tax reference number

Age band

Determines the secondary/tertiary rebates.

Marital status

Residency status

Determines which income is taxed in South Africa.

Estimated balance

R0,00

You are square with SARS for the 2027 year of assessment: nothing owed, nothing refunded.

Effective rate 0.00%Marginal rate 18%

Your next R1 of income is taxed at the marginal rate. The effective rate is your total tax, including any foreign and lump-sum tax, as a share of your taxable income.

Gross income

Salary, wages and taxable benefits from your IRP5 certificates and any other employment.

Interest, dividends and other investment returns, before any exemptions are applied.

Gross rent received from let property, before deductible expenses.

Trade, freelance and other taxable income not from employment, investments or rent.

Gross incomeR0

Exempt income

The local-interest exemption (R23 800, or R34 500 if you are 65 or older) is applied automatically.

Local dividends are exempt from normal tax; they already bear 20% dividends tax at source.

Total exempt incomeR0

Deductions

Allowable expenses claimed against your income.

Retirement-fund contributions are deductible up to 27.5% of the greater of taxable income or remuneration, capped at R430 000.

Donations to approved public-benefit organisations are deductible up to 10% of taxable income.

Total deductionsR0

Taxable income

Taxable incomeR0

Tax computation

Tax from the SARS 2027 rate tables. Expand to see how each bracket builds the total.

Taxable income of R 0 sits in the 18% bracket.

18% on R 0R0,00

Above R 245 100, the next rand is taxed at 26%.

Your next R1 is taxed at 18%, your marginal rate.

The primary rebate (plus the secondary and tertiary rebates by age) reduces the tax owed by everyone. The full amount is R 17 820,00; it is limited to the tax it reduces.

Tax after rebatesR0,00

Employees' tax already withheld from your pay and paid to SARS on your behalf during the year.

Final balanceR0,00

This is the full TaxRationale calculator, free and with no account: enter your whole tax picture for the 2026 year of assessment (1 March 2025 to 28 February 2026) and see every figure, with the workings shown. It is the same SARS engine that powers the in-app workspace, running entirely on your device. You only need a free account if you want to save a computation or download a report.

Open the calculator →

What it covers

The quick tools each answer one question. This calculator answers all of them in one return:

Employment income and PAYE, with rebates and medical tax credits.
Investments: local interest and the exemption, dividends, and foreign income.
Rental property, with a full income-and-expenses schedule per property.
Capital gains, through the annual exclusion and the 40% inclusion rate.
Travel allowance, on the logbook or the deemed-cost tables.
Cross-border: the s10(1)(o)(ii) exemption and foreign-tax relief, apportioned by days.

Every schedule feeds one assessment, and each figure is traced to the rule behind it, so the final number is something you can check, not just trust.

Free to calculate, account only to keep it

There is no sign-up to compute. You can fill in every schedule, compare scenarios side by side, and read the full report preview without an account. A free account is needed only to:

Save a computation so it survives and syncs across your devices.
Download the plain-language report as a PDF or an Excel workbook.

When you do create an account, your data is encrypted and we can't read it from our servers.

Frequently asked questions

Is the calculator really free?

Yes. The engine and the on-screen report are free, with no account needed to calculate. An account, also free, is only required to save your work or download the report file.

Do my figures stay private?

The calculation runs on your device; nothing is sent to a server while you compute. If you create an account and save, your data is encrypted and we can't read it from our servers.

Which tax year does it use?

The 2026 year of assessment (1 March 2025 to 28 February 2026), on the official SARS tables. You can change the year inside the calculator.

What if I just want a quick salary estimate?

Use the lighter income tax calculator for a fast PAYE-and-take-home figure, then open the full calculator when you need deductions, rental, capital gains or foreign income.