The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has kicked off the 2026 tax filing season, with more than 1.9 million taxpayers already auto-assessed and approximately R8 billion in refunds expected to be paid within 72 hours where applicable.
SARS says it plans to auto-assess more than six million taxpayers during this filing season, using information received from employers, banks, medical schemes and retirement funds to pre-populate tax returns.
The revenue service said its enhanced digital systems are designed to make tax compliance faster, easier and more convenient for taxpayers.
Individuals selected for auto-assessment between 1 and 12 July have been advised to wait for official communication from SARS before reviewing their assessments online through eFiling or the SARS MobiApp, rather than visiting branches.
As part of its latest system upgrades, SARS has introduced several new digital features, including enhanced biometric verification and two-factor authentication to strengthen security.
Other improvements include expanded self-service options, an artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistant named Lwazi, and the ability for taxpayers to upload supporting documents and receive assessment notices through WhatsApp.
Despite the technological enhancements, SARS has warned taxpayers to remain vigilant against fraud and phishing scams during the filing season.
The revenue service reiterated that it will never request passwords, one-time pins (OTPs) or banking details via email, SMS, social media platforms or telephone calls, urging taxpayers to ignore and report any such requests.