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Personal Income Tax - 2025 Filing Season - Layman Version

Simplified Guide: SARS Tax Returns for Non-Resident Taxpayers (2025 Tax Year)

    • If you are a South African taxpayer who is not a South African tax resident but you earn income from South Africa, this information is for you.

What’s New for the 2025 Tax Year?

    • For the 2025 filing season, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) has made important enhancements to the ITR12 tax return. These changes are specifically designed to help non-residents like yourself complete the correct sections of the tax return more easily, ensuring accuracy for your South African-sourced income.

How to Get the Correct Non-Resident Tax Return Format

    • Currently, there’s an interim solution to access the specific non-resident section of the tax return. You’ll need to use the SARS Online Query System (SOQS).

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to enable the non-resident section of your tax return using SOQS:

    • Step 1: Go to the SARS Website
      • On the SARS website homepage, look for and click on the SOQS icon.
      • Once in SOQS, navigate to the option titled “Non-Resident Tax Return Type”.
    • Step 2: Enter Your Personal Details
      • You will be prompted to fill in your personal information.
    • Step 3: Validate Your Information
      • After SARS validates the details you’ve provided, a One-Time Pin (OTP) will be sent to the contact details SARS has on record for you.
    • Step 4: Select the Tax Year and Answer Questions
      • Choose the 2025 tax year.
      • You will then be asked a series of yes/no questions.
    • Step 5: Retrieve Your Correct Tax Return
      • Based on your answers, your ITR12 tax return will now be in the correct format for non-residents.
      • You can then retrieve this specially formatted return through eFiling in the normal way.

What Happens Next & Future Plans

      • Your Information is Stored: Once you’ve gone through this process, your taxpayer information will be stored by SARS. This means it will be used for your tax assessments in future years, unless your circumstances change.
      • Permanent Solution Coming: While the SOQS method is an interim solution, SARS plans to introduce a more permanent and direct solution. This will likely be through a “wizard” directly on the tax return itself at a later stage.
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