SARS: Personal Income Tax 2025 Filing Season Dates and Updates

Posted 07 July 2025 Written by Acts Online
Category Tax

Brought to you by SA Accounting Academy: SARS has provided updates on the 2025 Personal Income Tax (PIT) filing season, specifying key submission dates for individual taxpayers and trusts.

In terms of the Income Tax Act, No. 58 of 1962, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) has issued a stakeholder letter detailing the administrative framework for the upcoming 2025 filing period. The notice provides clarity on the commencement of the filing season and the specific deadlines applicable to different categories of taxpayers.

The 2025 filing season for individual taxpayers is scheduled to open on 7 July 2025. This period applies to both non-provisional and provisional taxpayers filing their annual returns. For trusts, the filing season follows a separate timeline:

  • 19 September 2025: Filing season opens for trusts.
  • 19 January 2026: Final deadline for trust return submissions.

The stakeholder letter further outlines updates to the 2025 personal income tax return (ITR12) and provides insight into the continued use of the auto-assessment process. Taxpayers are reminded that SARS utilizes third-party data from employers, medical schemes, and financial institutions to pre-populate returns, necessitating a high degree of accuracy in data verification before submission.

Click here to download the SARS 2025 PIT Stakeholder Letter.

What this means for you, your business, or your clients

  • For yourself: Review the updated ITR12 form layout and SARS stakeholder letter to ensure proficiency with the 2025 system changes before the July opening.
  • For your business: Update internal compliance calendars to reflect the 19 September 2025 opening for trust returns and the 19 January 2026 deadline to avoid late submission penalties for firm-managed entities.
  • For your clients: Notify individual clients of the 7 July 2025 start date and advise them to compile all necessary supporting documentation to verify SARS auto-assessment data.

Originally published at https://accountingacademy.co.za/news/read/sars-personal-income-tax-2025-season-updates

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