By Anita Dangazele
- SARS will auto-assess six million South Africans from 1 July. Most will not need to file, Commissioner Dr Makhubu says.
- Rubene Ramdas, a SARS registered tax practitioner, says in her experience some taxpayers may overlook medical expenses and retirement contributions, and should review their assessment before accepting.
SARS will send six million South Africans an SMS or email about their taxes between 1 and 12 July 2026. For most people, the message will say their return has been done. They will not need to file anything.
But a tax expert is warning that accepting without checking could cost you.
Commissioner Dr Johnstone Makhubu launched Filing Season 2026 on Thursday. He said the auto-assessment system pulls data from employers, banks, medical schemes and retirement funds to calculate each taxpayer’s position automatically. Last year, 98% of auto-assessed taxpayers accepted without making any changes.
Makhubu said SARS paid out around R40 billion in refunds during the last filing season, more than it collected from taxpayers in the same period. He said that money flowing back into households has a wider effect on the economy.
“R40 billion in the hands of citizens has a multiplier effect. We need to pay legitimate refunds as quickly as possible because that money goes to spur the economy even further,” Makhubu said.
But Rubene Ramdas, a director at CYL Chartered Accountants and a SARS registered tax practitioner, says the system can only work with what it has been given.
“In my experience, some taxpayers may overlook tax benefits such as qualifying out-of-pocket medical expenses, retirement annuity contributions and donations to approved public benefit organisations,” Ramdas said.
One Scrolla reader says she learned that lesson early. Agcobile says she has filed since 2021 and tracks all of these every year. Last year, she received nearly R80,000 in a refund.
“I ensure that I keep all records of medical expenses not covered by my medical scheme,” she said.
“I know there is a lot one can do to maximise your payout.”
If your auto-assessment looks wrong or incomplete, decline it and submit a normal income tax return through eFiling or the SARS MobiApp. Salaried employees have until 23 October 2026 to do so. After that date, SARS will treat whatever is on file as final.
Pictured above: Someone doing their tax returns.
Image source: Pexels
This article has been updated with additional comment from Rubene Ramdas.
