Millions of South Africans are checking their SARS tax assessments as the 2026 filing season continues,
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With the South African Revenue Service (SARS) auto-assessment period drawing to a close, taxpayers are being urged not to rush through their tax returns or assume that the information pre-populated by the tax authority is always complete.
Auto-assessments have made filing quicker for millions of South Africans, but failing to review the information carefully could result in delayed refunds, penalties, additional tax liabilities or SARS verification.
For taxpayers who receive an auto-assessment, the first and arguably biggest mistake is accepting it without checking whether all the information is correct.
Although SARS receives data directly from employers, banks, medical schemes and other third parties, there may still be missing or incorrect information.
Taxpayers should compare the assessment with documents such as their IRP5, medical aid tax certificate, retirement annuity certificate and investment statements before accepting it.
Another common error is failing to declare all sources of income.
While SARS assessments are pretty good, many taxpayers believe SARS already has a complete picture of their finances. However, additional earnings from freelance work, rental properties, consulting, side businesses or certain foreign income may still need to be declared.
Similarly, taxpayers who sold property, shares, unit trusts or cryptocurrency during the tax year should ensure any applicable capital gains or taxable crypto income is correctly reflected on their return.
Taxpayers are also cautioned against claiming deductions that they do not qualify for.
Home office expenses remain one of the most misunderstood tax deductions, with strict SARS rules requiring a dedicated workspace used exclusively and regularly for work. Likewise, travel deductions require an accurate and up-to-date logbook, while personal expenses cannot be claimed as business costs.
On the other hand, some taxpayers miss out on legitimate tax benefits by failing to claim allowable deductions or credits, including retirement annuity contributions, qualifying medical expenses not covered by medical schemes and donations made to approved public benefit organisations.
Administrative mistakes continue to cause delays in processing returns. These include entering incorrect banking details, failing to update contact information such as cellphone numbers or email addresses, uploading incomplete or illegible supporting documents, or accidentally submitting certificates from the wrong tax year.
Taxpayers are also encouraged to pay close attention to correspondence from SARS after submitting their returns. Ignoring requests for verification or supporting documents can delay refunds and, in some cases, lead to estimated assessments or administrative penalties if deadlines are missed.
Waiting until the final days before the filing deadline is another common mistake. Last-minute submissions leave little time to correct errors, respond to SARS queries or obtain missing documentation if verification is required.
To avoid unnecessary complications, taxpayers should review every auto-assessment before accepting it, ensure all sources of income have been declared, verify that deductions claimed are supported by the required documentation, check that banking and personal details are up to date, respond promptly to any SARS requests for additional information and keep all supporting tax records for at least five years in case SARS requests them.
With filing season now under way for taxpayers who need to submit or amend their returns, taking a few extra minutes to review the information before clicking "submit" could help avoid costly mistakes and delays later.
IOL