Overview
- SARS disclosed Wednesday that more than 1.9 million taxpayers had been auto‑assessed and about R8 billion in refunds were paid within 72 hours after Filing Season opened on 1 July.
- The Auto Assessment program uses employer, bank, medical scheme and retirement fund data to pre‑populate returns so many taxpayers with complete records need not file manually.
- SARS has added specific digital features for 2026, including eFiling and MobiApp upgrades, WhatsApp upload and notices, the Lwazi AI assistant, biometric checks, two‑factor authentication and a virtual waiting room to handle peak traffic.
- Taxpayers with simple, accurate records can receive refunds of R100 or more automatically within 72 hours while cases with missing data or verification needs will trigger queries and delay payments.
- SARS is targeting more than six million auto‑assessments this season, urging people to review assessments online, avoid unnecessary branch visits, and never share passwords, OTPs or banking PINs to reduce fraud risk.