While many taxpayers have already received refunds, those who have not received payments or who are unsure about their tax position can check whether they owe SARS money through the revenue service’s digital channels.
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Millions of South Africans are currently reviewing their SARS tax assessments for the 2026 filing season, with many receiving refunds while others may face unexpected debts.
The tax season officially kicked off with SARS rolling out its auto-assessment process, which has seen millions of taxpayers assessed using information submitted by employers, banks, medical schemes and retirement fund administrators.
While many taxpayers have already received refunds, those who have not received payments or who are unsure about their tax position can check whether they owe SARS money through the revenue service’s digital channels.
There are five ways to find out how much tax debt you owe:
The revenue service has previously warned that failing to settle tax debt can have serious consequences.
"Kindly note that it is a criminal offence to submit a return without making the necessary payment in terms of Section 234(2)(d) read with subsection (k) of the Tax Administration Act (TAA).
"It is a criminal offence for a person to wilfully and without just cause to fail or neglect to withhold and pay to SARS an amount of tax as and when required under a Tax Act as per section 234(2)(k) of the TAA."