SARS & Annual Compliance

Your SARS registrations, sorted from incorporation

When your company registers with CIPC, SARS automatically generates a Company Income Tax reference number through its direct interface with CIPC — there's no separate corporate income tax registration to file. That reference number appears on your CIPC Registration Certificate, Form CoR 14.3. You'll still need to register your company representative on SARS eFiling to transact electronically. Corporate Income Tax is charged at 27% for years of assessment ending on or after 31 March 2023.

If you employ staff, you must register for PAYE within 21 business days of becoming an employer (unless none of your employees are liable for normal tax), and register for UIF at the same time, using Form EMP101e.

Provisional tax — three dates to know

Companies fall automatically into the provisional tax system — there's no separate registration or deregistration step. For a standard March-to-February year of assessment, the first payment is due within six months of the year starting — 31 August (or the last business day before, if that date falls on a weekend or public holiday). The second payment is due by the last business day of the year of assessment — for a February year-end, the last business day of February. A voluntary third “top-up” payment is due by the last business day of September following the year-end.

Miss the first or second payment, and a 10% penalty applies under the Tax Administration Act, with interest also accruing on the late amount. It's an easy penalty to avoid with a proper calendar — and an expensive one to absorb without one.

ITR14 — the annual company tax return

Every registered company, close corporation, co-operative and body corporate must submit an ITR14 within 12 months of its financial year-end. This applies whether your company made a profit, ran at a loss, or didn't trade at all during the year — SARS is explicit that the deadline “applies to all registered companies, irrespective of size and financial performance.” A company with a February year-end, for example, must submit its ITR14 by 28 February the following year.

VAT — a threshold change you need to know about

From 1 April 2026, South Africa's VAT registration thresholds changed for the first time since 2009, following the 2026 Budget Speech. The compulsory VAT registration threshold rose from R1 million to R2.3 million, and the voluntary registration threshold rose from R50,000 to R120,000.

If your taxable turnover exceeds, or is expected to exceed, R2.3 million, you must apply for VAT registration within 21 business days of crossing that threshold. If your turnover is below that but above R120,000, you can register voluntarily. The standard VAT rate remains 15% — a proposed increase was reversed. We always recommend confirming the current threshold directly with SARS before registering.

CIPC annual returns — the filing that keeps your company alive

All companies, external companies and close corporations must file an annual return with CIPC every year to confirm the entity is still trading or intends to trade. Companies must file within 30 business days after the anniversary of incorporation; close corporations have a two-month window, from the anniversary month through the following month. Annual returns can only be filed electronically. The fee depends on turnover and how late you file — see the table below. On the same day you file your annual return, you must also submit audited financial statements, independently reviewed financial statements, or an annual financial (accountability) supplement.

Miss two successive years of annual returns, and CIPC can refer your company for deregistration. You'll first receive a notice of pending deregistration at your registered postal address — the company still legally exists at that stage, and deregistration is cancelled if you file all outstanding returns before the process finalises. Once “final deregistered,” though, your company's juristic personality is withdrawn and it ceases to exist. Practice Note 1 of 2025 sharpened this further: non-compliant entities that hadn't filed both their beneficial ownership declarations and outstanding annual returns by 31 January 2025 were finally deregistered without further notice.

Re-instatement — if your company has already been deregistered

A finally deregistered company or close corporation (or any interested third party) can apply for re-instatement using Form CoR40.5, at a fee of R200. CIPC will only process this if the entity was in business at the time of deregistration (with proof), if immovable property is registered in its name, or if a creditor can show they'd be unfairly prejudiced without re-instatement. Once processed, your company's status changes to “re-instatement process,” and legal personality is restored at that point — but all outstanding annual returns must still be filed before the status changes to “in business.”

Sometimes, though, starting fresh makes more sense than re-instating. Incorporating a brand-new company costs R175, and your old company's name may still be available for reservation if no one else has taken it. We'll give you an honest view on which route makes more sense for your situation.

Proving you're compliant — the Tax Compliance Status PIN

The paper Tax Clearance Certificate no longer exists. SARS replaced it with the digital Tax Compliance Status (TCS) system: you request a PIN via eFiling or the SARS Online Query System, and share that PIN with whoever needs to verify your tax compliance — a bank, a landlord, or a government department evaluating your tender. If you're pursuing government tenders, this same TCS mechanism links directly to your Central Supplier Database status — see our CIDB & CSD Registration page.

How it works

1. We confirm your SARS registrations are complete — Income Tax, eFiling access, and PAYE/UIF/SDL if you employ staff.
2. We build your compliance calendar: provisional tax dates, ITR14 deadline, VAT threshold monitoring, and your CIPC annual return anniversary window.
3. We prepare and file each return on time — provisional tax, ITR14, VAT (if registered), and your CIPC annual return alongside any outstanding beneficial ownership declaration.
4. If your company has already been deregistered, we assess your re-instatement options and file Form CoR40.5 where appropriate.
5. We request your Tax Compliance Status PIN whenever you need to prove compliance to a bank, funder or tender evaluator.

Frequently asked questions

Related services

Sources

• SARS — Registering
• SARS — Corporate Income Tax
• SARS — Income Tax Registration for Tax Exempt Institutions
• SARS Small Business Leaflet
• SARS — Registering for Employees' Tax (PAYE)
• SARS EMP101e form
• SARS — Provisional Tax
• SARS Guide for Provisional Tax
• SARS — Calendar
• SARS Monthly Tax Digest — February 2026
• SARS — Value-Added Tax
• SARS FAQ — What is the new Threshold for VAT Registration?
• SARS — Register for VAT
• SARS — VAT Legal Counsel Guide page
• KPMG — South Africa VAT threshold increase
• CIPC Annual Returns Info Guide
• Practice Note 1 of 2025, gov.za
• SARS — Availability of TCS Services notice