If you’re uncertain on whether you owe the South African Revenue Service (SARS) money, it is important to find out and then make the necessary payment arrangements.
When you request a Statement of Account (ITSA) it will show the overall balance on your tax account (including any applicable penalty and interest) as well as your transaction history per tax year.
In the instance where SARS owes you money, the refund amount and payment date will show on your Statement of Account.
There are several ways to find out how much tax debt you owe, from visiting the SARS eFiling website to using the SARS USSD mobile channel.
Here’s 4 ways you can use to check your tax balance:
- Log on to eFiling and request a statement of account.
- Log on to the SARS MobiApp and request a statement of account.
- Request a balance statement and/or statement of account for Personal Income Tax by sending an SMS to SARS on 47277. (This service can be accessed with or without data/airtime.)
- SARS USSD Channel by typing, on your mobile device, steps on how to request tax services via the USSD channel:
- Initiate USSD by dialing *134*7277#
- Select the service you require
- Taxpayer Verification – SARS will request you to complete either your, D/Passport/Asylum Number.
- Tax Resolution – Upon successful verification by SARS, a response will be displayed.
Additionally, taxpayers can also make a call to the SARS Contact Centre, where an agent will assist and provide you with the necessary information.
When making a call to the SARS Contact Centre and requesting a statement of account, you will be requested to provide your tax reference number.
If you do not have your tax reference number, you can provide the SARS Contact Centre Agent with your ID number or the business registration number. The SARS Contact Centre Agent will then follow an authentication process in order to assist you.
Should your statement of account show that you have outstanding tax debt, you can contact the SARS Debt Management department as it is committed to assisting businesses and individuals to become fully compliant.
When making tax payments, it is important to note that if the payment date falls on a weekend or public holiday, you need to pay by the last business day before the weekend or public holidays.
