BRITS POS – BRITS - The South African Revenue Service (SARS) is introducing a new feature called ‘Express Access’ to its eFiling systems for tax season 2025, which should make it much easier for taxpayers to process their auto assessments.
According to the service, income taxpayers should see a new ‘Express’ tab on their eFiling landing page that will make their Personal Income Tax returns more easily accessible.
The new functionality will let taxpayers quickly view their 2025 auto assessment, submit previous years’ returns, submit the current year’s returns and update personal banking details.
SARS said that the update aligns with its strategic objectives to provide modernised and streamlined services and provide clarity and certainty of tax obligations for taxpayers.
It is also part of the taxman’s wider simplification processes, which drive taxpayer compliance and ensure that its other automated processes go through faster and smoother.
The focus on giving taxpayers quick access to their auto assessments is key, as the service expects to process a record number of these tax assessments in 2025.
Auto assessments will start rolling out two weeks ahead of the opening of filing season, starting 7 July, where taxpayers with simpler tax affairs can resolve their returns quickly.
Auto-assessed taxpayers will find their tax returns already populated with third-party data sourced by SARS, with no need to manually submit a return.
If the assessment is accepted, there is no need for any further action, and the tax refund, if applicable, will be paid into the taxpayer’s account, typically within 72 hours.
If money is owed to SARS, taxpayers will be prompted to make payments via eFiling or the MobiApp.
However, if the auto-assessment is not accepted, taxpayers will have to reject it and submit a manual return.
The applicable tax dates can be seen below:
Tax season 2025 dates
Income Taxpayer Open Close
Auto-Assessments 7 July 2025 20 July 2025
Individual 21 July 2025 20 October 2025
Provisional 21 July 2025 19 January 2026
Trusts 21 July 2025 19 January 2026
Make sure your details are correct
Another focus of the new Express tab is for taxpayers to update their contact and banking details.
SARS previously warned taxpayers to ensure that their banking details are correct, as the incorrect account data could lead to delays in getting tax refunds.
This would it necessitate manual action from taxpayers who have been auto-assessed, countering the benefits of the process being automated.
However, SARS said that it is also crucial to have up-to-date contact details as the tax service will communicate critical updates and information to taxpayers exclusively through digital channels.
These channels are also used for additional security features, such as OTPs, it said.
Missing updates from SARS could carry severe consequences if they contain requests that require timeous action, such as a request for supporting documentation or for payment.
The final focus of the new Express features is ensuring that past and current tax returns are up to date.
While this is a step outside the automation processes, it aligns with SARS’ focus on ensuring taxpayers become compliant and that any past returns and uncollected debts are accounted for.
SARS commissioner Edward Kieswetter recently confirmed that the R1 billion in additional funding received from the National Treasury this year will be used to hire 1,700 additional staff.
This will be done over the next three months, aligning with the bulk of the tax filing season, with a key target being the large stock of undispiture debt it believes it can rake in.
Kieswetter noted that during SARS’ previous Recovery Project, it observed the effectiveness of nudging taxpayers who owe taxes.
Often, all it takes is a reminder, such as a phone call or SMS, to prompt payment, he said, which is a gentle approach that taxpayers appreciate.
The revenue service hopes to increase collections by making it faster and easier for taxpayers to receive the message, log on, and organise their tax affairs.
However, tax experts at Tax Consulting SA warned that, should these “friendly reminders” not yield the desired result, SARS will escalate its enforcement.
This includes appointing third party such as banks to recover debt, applying for civil judgment, and eventually reverting to freezing bank accounts or seizing assets.
