Log in to SARS eFiling and open your Notice of Assessment (ITA34) and your Income Tax Statement of Account (ITSA). Those two documents show whether SARS owes you a refund, or whether you owe SARS.
A minus or negative amount on your ITA34 means a refund is due to you. If SARS owes you money, the refund amount and payment date appear on the Statement of Account.
Use official SARS channels only. If you already know a refund is in process, XTRAfrica also explains how to check your SARS tax refund status. Need to sign in first? Use the SARS eFiling login guide.
Official portals
Use these SARS pages and tools:
SARS eFiling — log in and open your ITA34 and Statement of Account
Where do I find my ITA34 — official steps to see if you have a refund or owe SARS for a tax year
TAX AND REVENUE
How to Check if SARS Owes You a Refund
Check if SARS owes you a refund on eFiling with your ITA34 and Statement of Account. A minus amount means a refund is due.
August 29, 2026 at 7:38:31 AM
August 29, 2026 at 7:38:31 AM
🕒 10 min read
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A SARS office in George, Western Cape. Photo: Bob Adams / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Log in to SARS eFiling and open your Notice of Assessment (ITA34) and your Income Tax Statement of Account (ITSA). Those two documents show whether SARS owes you a refund, or whether you owe SARS.
A minus or negative amount on your ITA34 means a refund is due to you. If SARS owes you money, the refund amount and payment date appear on the Statement of Account.
Use official SARS channels only. If you already know a refund is in process, XTRAfrica also explains how to check your SARS tax refund status. Need to sign in first? Use the SARS eFiling login guide.
Official portals
Use these SARS pages and tools:
SARS eFiling — log in and open your ITA34 and Statement of Account
Where do I find my ITA34 — official steps to see if you have a refund or owe SARS for a tax year
SARS Mobile Tax Services — WhatsApp, USSD and SMS
How to check your tax refund status — once a refund is already in process
Type the SARS address yourself. Do not follow a refund SMS or email link.
What you need
Your eFiling username and password, or the SARS MobiApp
Your South African ID number, or the passport or asylum-seeker number SARS has on record
Your tax reference number for some phone channels
The cellphone number already saved on your SARS eFiling profile, if you use WhatsApp, USSD or SMS
Check your ITA34 Notice of Assessment
Your ITA34 shows whether you owe SARS money or whether a refund is due for that tax year.
SARS says a negative amount on the ITA34 means a refund is due to you.
If you owe SARS, the payment due date is on the ITA34 under Details.
On eFiling, SARS lists these steps:
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Go to SARS Correspondence, then Request Historic IT Notices, then Next.
Select the tax year and click Request.
Open the ITA34 link that appears.
You can also request a Notice of Assessment on SARS WhatsApp. Save 0800 11 7277, send Hi or Hello, then choose Notice of Assessment from the menu. Use the cellphone number registered on your eFiling profile.
Check your Statement of Account (ITSA)
The ITSA shows the overall balance on your tax account, including any penalty and interest, and your transaction history per tax year.
If SARS owes you money, the refund amount and payment date show on the ITSA.
After you log in to eFiling, click the Statement of Account icon at the top right of the screen.
SARS says:
The refund amount, if there is one, appears in the Transaction value column
The date next to Electronic refund is the date SARS says the amount will be paid into your bank account
You can also request a Statement of Account on WhatsApp (0800 11 7277), the SARS MobiApp, or by SMS. For SMS, send Balance, a space, then your ID, passport or asylum-seeker number to 47277.
Check on your phone
SARS Mobile Tax Services let you see an account balance or request statements without sitting at a computer.
WhatsApp: Save 0800 11 7277. Send Hi or Hello. The Personal Income Tax menu includes Statement of Account, Notice of Assessment and Refund Status. You need data, and the number must match your eFiling profile. This service is not for tax practitioners.
USSD: Dial *134*7277#. SARS lists What is my account balance? as one of the menu items. The USSD channel is free for individual Personal Income Tax taxpayers.
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SMS: Text 47277 with Balance, a space, then your ID, passport or asylum-seeker number to request account-related information and a Statement of Account.
If you were auto-assessed
For Filing Season 2026, SARS says:
Refunds of R100 or more are paid automatically within 72 hours
Refunds of less than R100 are added to your account and paid out when the account balance exceeds R100
You can view that account on eFiling or the SARS MobiApp
If the assessment shows you owe SARS R100 or more, pay by the due date on the ITA34
If you need to check whether you were auto-assessed, see XTRAfrica’s SARS Auto Assessment 2026 guide.
What the numbers mean
Minus or negative amount on the ITA34: a refund is due to you
Amount owed on the ITA34: you must pay SARS, and the due date is under Details
ITSA Electronic refund date: the date SARS says the refund should reach your bank
Refund under R100: SARS rolls it over until the account balance exceeds R100
If a refund is due
Confirm your banking details on eFiling or the MobiApp. SARS says payment also depends on whether those details are correct.
SARS aims, in its Service Charter, to pay nine out of every ten taxpayer refunds due within 72 hours if the refund is more than R100. That also depends on no outstanding returns and no audit.
Once you know a refund is due, follow how to check SARS tax refund status. If the bank account is wrong, see how to update your SARS banking details.
Common problems
There is no ITA34 yet. If you have no ITA34 for that year, SARS has not issued an assessment you can check yet. File the return, or wait for an auto-assessment if SARS selected you.
The balance is R0, or you owe SARS. That is not a refund. Pay any amount due by the ITA34 due date.
WhatsApp or USSD does not work. The cellphone number must be the one on your Personal Income Tax profile. Update it on eFiling or the MobiApp first. WhatsApp, USSD and SMS are not available for tax practitioners.
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A refund is showing but has not arrived. Check status on official channels. Outstanding returns, wrong bank details, debt, or an audit can hold a payment.
Scam warning
Refund scams are common. SARS says you are at risk if you share eFiling login details.
Do not tap a refund link in a message that claims SARS owes you money
Type sarsefiling.co.za and sars.gov.za yourself
Do not send your password, OTP or banking PIN to anyone who contacts you first
If you think a message is a scam, SARS lists these options: report suspicious activity online, call 012 422 7435 to confirm a SARS official, call the SARS Anti-Corruption and Fraud Hotline on 0800 00 2870, or call the Contact Centre on 0800 00 7277.
Frequently asked questions
Does a minus amount mean SARS owes me? Yes. SARS says a negative amount on the ITA34 indicates that a refund is due to you.
Is the ITA34 enough, or do I also need the Statement of Account? The ITA34 shows the result for a tax year. The ITSA shows the overall account balance, the refund amount if SARS owes you, and the Electronic refund payment date.
How fast will SARS pay? SARS aims to pay nine out of ten refunds due within 72 hours if the refund is more than R100, your bank details are correct, you have no outstanding returns, and you are not being audited. Refunds under R100 stay on your account until the balance exceeds R100.
Can I check without eFiling? Yes. SARS lists WhatsApp 0800 11 7277, USSD *134*7277#, SMS 47277, and the SARS MobiApp.
Checked against official SARS pages on 29 August 2026. Follow the instruction on your own SARS screen if it differs. This is general guidance, not personal tax advice.
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