6 things you can claim back from SARS this year

South African taxpayers should ensure that all of their affairs are in order before accepting their auto-assessment from SARS this tax season, says specialist immigration firm Sable International.

“If your tax affairs are simple, it might be true that this change makes your life easier. SARS will now pull data that you used to have to input from sources like employers, banks, medical schemes, and retirement annuity funds. You might be surprised to discover a tax rebate in your bank account without you having to lift a finger,” the firm said.

“However, for many South Africans, this move denies them the opportunity to claim benefits they might have been entitled to without lodging a correction or objection. It also drastically reduces the time allowed to provide supporting documents. Previously, you had until the end of the tax season (in October) to put together all your paperwork.”

The firm noted that taxpayers can qualify for tax benefits and refunds that SARS is unaware of, including:

• A travel logbook;
• Donations to public benefit organisations;
• You recently gave birth or other large medical expenses not covered by medical aid, or are claiming relief using an ITR-DD application;
• RA contributions that SARS didn’t pick up automatically;
• Home office expenses where you have valid grounds for the claim;
• Rental losses.

“You now only have 40 business days from when the auto-assessment was issued to compile documentation and submit it as a correction. It may be possible to receive an extension of a further 21 days, but you will need to apply for that extension and show reasonable grounds,” Sable International said.

“First of all, we do not recommend you lodge a correction until you are absolutely sure that you have compiled all the needed documentation and identified all issues. It’s human nature to react emotionally when you spot an error, but a knee-jerk reaction, in this case, might cause more issues than it solves.”

Rather, keep calm and start gathering your paperwork, Sable International said. The group noted that taxpayers who rush a correction risk triggering the 21 days for verification much earlier and may need to scramble to get their documentation in order.

“However, if you were to use all the time available to you for submission of correction, you could have up until late September to provide verification.”

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