Business
SARS 2025: Who Doesn’t Have to File a Tax Return in South Africa This Year?
As South Africa gears up for the 2025 tax season, many individuals may be wondering whether they need to submit a return. Fortunately, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) has released important guidelines detailing who is exempt and what you need to know about this year’s tax deadlines.
While the official tax season window has not yet been confirmed, SARS has indicated it will close on 20 October 2025 for most individual taxpayers, and 19 January 2026 for provisional taxpayers and trusts. The tax year in focus is the 12-month period ending 28 February 2025 for individuals, and any financial year ending in 2025 for companies.
But here’s the good news: not everyone has to file.
Who Doesn’t Need to File a Tax Return in 2025?
If you’re a natural person (or managing a deceased estate) and your total income meets certain simple conditions, you may be off the hook:
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You earned R500,000 or less in remuneration from a single employer for the year, and PAYE was already deducted.
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Your interest earnings (excluding tax-free investments) didn’t exceed:
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R23,800 if under 65 years old
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R34,500 if aged 65 or older
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R23,800 for a deceased estate
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You received dividends that are exempt from tax, and you were a non-resident throughout the year.
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You only earned from tax-free investments.
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You received a once-off retirement lump sum, and SARS deducted tax via a directive.
However, if you received business travel allowances, overseas income, or taxable fringe benefits from your job—you’ll still need to file.
Auto-Assessments: Another Path to Exemption
Since 2021, SARS has been rolling out auto-assessments—a tech-driven effort to simplify tax filing by pre-filling returns using third-party data. If you’re selected for auto-assessment and you accept the return as accurate, you don’t need to do anything further.
But don’t ignore it—you must review and accept the figures. If you disagree or believe your deductions or income are incorrect, you’ll need to file a manual return as usual.
What You Need to Know
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SARS will confirm exact start dates for the 2025 tax season in June.
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Auto-assessments will likely roll out two weeks before the season officially opens.
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SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter faces the task of increasing tax collections by at least R20 billion—meaning accuracy and compliance will be under the spotlight this year.
Whether you’re filing or not, make sure you understand your tax position. If you’re eligible for exemption, enjoy the peace of mind. But if you’re unsure, it’s always best to double-check with SARS or a trusted tax advisor.
{Source: BusinessTech}
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