Which taxpayers will be SARS auto-assessed in 2026?

· The South African

Those who’ll be SARS auto-assessed in 2026 are once again being prioritised at the start of tax season. As such, official dates for filing season kick off next week, and SARS says it will issue approximately six-million auto-assessments in less than a two-week period. For those who still don’t know, being SARS auto-assessed in 2026 means the option of a far-less-complicated filing process. 

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Typically, salaried employees with PAYE already deducted and no major additional income streams are eligible for auto-assessment. This is calculated on data received from employers, financial institutions, medical schemes, retirement fund administrators and other third-party data providers.

WHO WILL BE SARS AUTO-ASSESSED IN 2026

However, if you freelance, run a business or earn rental/investment income, you fall into the provisional taxpayer category. Therefore, you won’t be SARS auto-assessed in 2026 and will need to file your tax return manually through eFiling or the MobiApp like before. However, it’s also worth noting that taxpayers earning less than R500 000 a year (R41 666 per month) from a single employer, with no other income stream, aren’t required to file a return at all.

Here are the all-important dates to diarise, whether you’re being SARS auto-assessed in 2026 or not:

  • Auto-assessments: 1 to 12 July 2026
  • Non-provisional taxpayers: 13 July to 23 October 2026
  • Provisional taxpayers: 13 July 2026 to 22 January 2027
  • Trusts: 19 September 2026 to 22 January 2027

HOW SARS AUTO-ASSESSMENTS WORK

Tax season used to be a mission for most taxpayers, but auto-assessments have sped the process along for millions. Image: File

If you’re selected to be SARS auto-assessed in 2026, you’ll get an SMS/email/WhatsApp from SARS between 1 and 12 July. It will tell you immediately whether you’re due a refund or owe the taxman money. New for 2026 is that taxpayers who are auto-assessed can now receive their Notice of Assessment (ITA34) via WhatsApp. You can also check your status without waiting for the notice by using the SARS Online Query System.

Next is the part that matters. There’s no ‘accept’ or ‘confirm’ button to click. SARS confirms that if you agree with your auto-assessment, there’s no need to formally accept it. A refund will automatically be paid into your registered bank account, typically within 48 hours of receiving the notification. Crucially, even by doing nothing, SARS takes that as acceptance of the auto-assessment.

However, for those with more complicated tax affairs, you should check carefully. Items like rental income, side hustles, a car allowance, additional medical expenses or retirement contributions for pensioners may be missing. If that’s the case, like all other taxpayers, you have until 23 October 2026 to file a corrected ITR12 via eFiling or the MobiApp.

So, what do you think? Are you hoping to be one of the lucky ones to be SARS auto-assessed in 2026? Is it easier than filing personally? Share the experiences you’ve had with us in the comments section below …

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