SARS issued 2026 auto-assessment notices to selected taxpayers between 1 and 12 July 2026. If you were selected, you can check the result through SARS eFiling, the SARS MobiApp, the online Auto Assessment Status service or SARS WhatsApp.
If the assessment is complete and correct, you do not need to accept it or submit an ITR12 tax return. If information is missing or wrong, you must correct the information and submit an updated return by your applicable filing deadline.
Quick answer
To check your SARS auto assessment for 2026:
Go directly to the official SARS eFiling website.
Sign in using your username, password and two-factor authentication.
Open your 2026 Personal Income Tax information.
View or download the ITA34 Notice of Assessment.
Compare the income, tax, deductions, credits, personal details and banking information with your own records.
If everything is correct, do nothing further.
TAX AND REVENUE
SARS Auto Assessment 2026: How to Check and What to Do
Aug 27, 2026
Aug 28, 2026
25 min read
Published
Updated:
SARS issued 2026 auto-assessment notices to selected taxpayers between 1 and 12 July 2026. If you were selected, you can check the result through SARS eFiling, the SARS MobiApp, the online Auto Assessment Status service or SARS WhatsApp.
If the assessment is complete and correct, you do not need to accept it or submit an ITR12 tax return. If information is missing or wrong, you must correct the information and submit an updated return by your applicable filing deadline.
Quick answer
To check your SARS auto assessment for 2026:
Go directly to the official SARS eFiling website.
Sign in using your username, password and two-factor authentication.
Open your 2026 Personal Income Tax information.
View or download the ITA34 Notice of Assessment.
Compare the income, tax, deductions, credits, personal details and banking information with your own records.
If everything is correct, do nothing further.
If anything is missing or incorrect, correct the information and submit the 2026 ITR12 through eFiling or the SARS MobiApp before the relevant deadline.
You can also check whether you were selected using the SARS Auto Assessment Status tool or WhatsApp on 0800 11 7277.
Important SARS auto-assessment dates for 2026
SARS confirms these dates on its official 2026 Filing Season page.
Most salaried individuals who need to correct an auto-assessment must submit their ITR12 by 23 October 2026. An eligible provisional taxpayer who was auto-assessed has until 22 January 2027 to amend and submit the return.
What is a SARS auto assessment?
A SARS auto assessment is an income-tax assessment prepared automatically from information SARS already holds.
That information can come from:
Employers
Banks and investment institutions
Medical schemes
Retirement funds
Insurers
Other approved third-party data providers
SARS uses the available records to prepopulate the taxpayer’s return, calculate the tax result and issue an ITA34 Notice of Assessment.
The outcome may show:
A refund owed to the taxpayer
An amount the taxpayer must pay SARS
A zero assessment, meaning neither SARS nor the taxpayer owes money
SARS expected to issue approximately six million auto assessments during the 2026 process. It also extended auto assessments to certain eligible provisional taxpayers for the first time in the 2026 filing season. The process is explained in the official SARS auto-assessment guide.
How to check your SARS auto assessment online
There are four official ways to check.
Option 1: Check through SARS eFiling
Open the official SARS eFiling login page.
Enter your eFiling username and password.
Complete the required two-factor authentication step.
Open your Personal Income Tax profile.
Select the 2026 tax year.
Open the assessment or return information available for that year.
Download or view the ITA34 Notice of Assessment.
The exact menu wording may differ slightly depending on whether you use the standard eFiling view or a mobile device. The important document is the ITA34, because it shows the assessment outcome and whether SARS requires any action.
Option 2: Use the SARS MobiApp
Open the official SARS MobiApp.
Sign in to your taxpayer profile.
Open the Personal Income Tax section.
Select the 2026 tax year.
View the assessment and ITA34.
The app can also be used to submit a corrected return, update certain details, upload requested supporting documents and monitor the return.
Option 3: Use the SARS online status checker
Open the official Auto Assessment Lookup page.
Follow the prompts and provide the required identifying information. This status service can confirm whether SARS selected you for auto assessment. Use eFiling or the MobiApp to examine the detailed figures and the full ITA34.
Option 4: Check on SARS WhatsApp
SARS introduced an auto-assessment status option on WhatsApp for the 2026 filing season.
Save 0800 11 7277 as the SARS WhatsApp number.
Start a new WhatsApp conversation.
Send a greeting such as “Hi” or “Hello.”
Choose Auto Assess Status from the options.
Enter your ID or passport number and tax reference number when requested.
Review the status displayed after authentication.
SARS also allows taxpayers to access an ITA34 and Statement of Account through its official WhatsApp service. Never provide an eFiling password, banking PIN or one-time PIN in a WhatsApp conversation.
What should you check on the ITA34?
Do not assume that an auto assessment is correct simply because SARS calculated it automatically.
Compare it with the certificates and records you received for the tax year.
1. Personal and contact details
Check your:
Full name and identity information
Tax reference number
Residential address
Email address
Cellphone number
Tax-residency information
Incorrect contact details can prevent you from receiving important notices or security alerts.
2. Banking details
Confirm that the bank account belongs to you, is open and can receive payments.
An old, closed or unverified account may delay a refund. Banking details can be checked through eFiling or the SARS MobiApp. On eFiling, SARS also provides an Update My Personal Income Tax Bank Account option.
3. Employment income and PAYE
Compare the assessment with every IRP5 or IT3(a) certificate received from an employer.
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Check:
Salary and wage income
Bonuses and allowances
PAYE deducted
Fringe benefits
Employer and employee details
Income from more than one employer
People who changed jobs or worked for multiple employers should make sure that no certificate is missing.
4. Medical-scheme information
Compare the assessment with the medical-scheme tax certificate.
Check:
Number of members or dependants
Contribution amounts
Medical-scheme tax credits
Qualifying out-of-pocket medical expenses, where applicable
5. Retirement-fund contributions
Confirm that pension, provident-fund and retirement-annuity contributions are accurately reflected.
Use the relevant employer certificate or retirement-annuity contribution certificate when checking the amounts.
6. Bank and investment income
Check interest, dividends and other investment information against the certificates supplied by the bank or investment provider.
If you have several accounts, make sure each relevant certificate is reflected.
7. Other income and disposals
An auto assessment may not contain information that SARS did not receive from a third party.
You may need to declare items such as:
Rental income
Business or freelance income
Foreign income
Capital gains or losses
Property, share or crypto-asset disposals
Income from a partnership
Other taxable receipts
Do not leave out income merely because it is absent from the prepopulated assessment.
8. Deductions and tax credits
Check whether all deductions and credits for which you qualify are included and supported by records.
Depending on your circumstances, these may involve:
Retirement-annuity contributions
Medical expenses
Approved donations
Travel-allowance claims supported by a logbook
Qualifying home-office expenses
Business or rental expenses
Foreign-tax credits
Only claim amounts that meet the tax rules and can be supported if SARS requests evidence.
What to do if the auto assessment is correct
If all information is complete and correct, no further action is required.
You do not need to:
Click an “accept” button
Submit an ITR12
Visit a SARS branch
Call SARS merely to confirm acceptance
SARS will treat the assessment as final unless it is later changed through an authorised process.
You should still:
Save the ITA34 and Statement of Account.
Keep your tax certificates and supporting records.
Check whether the outcome is a refund, debt or zero assessment.
Confirm that your banking details are correct if a refund is due.
Pay by the due date shown by SARS if the assessment creates a debt.
What to do if information is wrong or missing
If you disagree because the assessment is incomplete or inaccurate, do not ignore it and do not simply wait for SARS to change it.
Correct the information and submit an updated ITR12 through eFiling or the SARS MobiApp.
f third-party information is wrong
You generally cannot directly overwrite third-party data used by SARS, such as information submitted by an employer, medical scheme, bank or retirement fund.
Instead:
Contact the institution that issued the certificate.
Explain which information is incorrect.
Ask the institution to correct its submission to SARS.
Wait for confirmation that the corrected information was submitted.
Refresh or reopen the return on eFiling or the MobiApp.
Check that the corrected data now appears.
Complete and submit the updated ITR12.
Examples include an incorrect IRP5, missing medical-scheme contributions or inaccurate retirement-annuity information.
If income or a deduction is missing
Complete the return and add the information that SARS did not prepopulate, where the return permits you to do so.
Keep the documents supporting every change. SARS may select the return for verification or audit.
Filing deadlines for corrections
Non-provisional taxpayer: Submit by 23 October 2026.
Provisional taxpayer: Submit by 22 January 2027.
Do not wait until the last day if an employer, bank or medical scheme must first correct a certificate.
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Correction or objection: which one should you use?
These are not the same process.
Situation | Usual action |
Auto assessment is missing income or deductions | Complete and submit the ITR12 by the filing deadline |
Employer, bank, medical scheme or fund submitted wrong data | Ask the provider to correct it, refresh the return and submit the ITR12 |
You made an error in a return already submitted and correction is available | Use Request for Correction |
SARS completed a verification or audit and you dispute its decision | Consider a formal objection |
SARS issued a decision and you need reasons before objecting | Request reasons through the prescribed process |
SARS says a formal dispute must generally be initiated within 80 business days from the assessment or decision. An appeal against an objection outcome must generally be lodged within 30 business days after the objection is disallowed or partly allowed.
Do not use an objection as a substitute for submitting a complete annual return when the normal correction process is still available. See the official SARS guidance on corrections, objections and appeals.
What if the auto assessment shows a refund?
A negative amount on the ITA34 normally means SARS owes you money.
SARS says refunds of R100 or more are normally paid automatically within 72 hours when all details are valid and no review or compliance issue is blocking payment.
You do not need to submit a refund request or pay an agent to release the money.
Refunds below R100 are carried forward on the tax account and become payable when the account balance exceeds R100.
A refund can take longer where:
Banking details must be verified
The account is closed or incorrect
SARS selected the return for verification
SARS selected the return for audit
Previous returns are outstanding
A tax debt must be offset
A third party corrected information after the original assessment
SARS requires supporting documents
Bank validation can take up to 21 business days. SARS says verification may take up to 21 business days after all required documents are received, while an audit may take up to 90 business days after complete and correct documents are submitted.
Refund status can be checked through WhatsApp on 0800 11 7277, the SARS MobiApp or USSD by dialling 1347277#. More detail appears in SARS’s July 2026 Tax Digest.
What if the assessment says you owe SARS?
A positive balance may mean that you must pay SARS.
Check the ITA34 and Statement of Account for:
Amount due
Payment due date
Payment Reference Number
Interest or existing balances
For a non-provisional taxpayer who was auto-assessed, SARS says payment is due 30 days after the 23 October 2026 filing-season closing date. Always follow the specific due date shown on your assessment or account.
SARS accepts payment through channels including eFiling, EFT and participating banks.
Debt below R100 may be carried forward, but SARS warns that interest can still apply. If you cannot pay the full amount, contact SARS promptly about a possible payment arrangement. Do not simply ignore the debt.
What if SARS asks for supporting documents?
Check the verification section of the ITA34.
If it is marked “Yes,” SARS requires supporting documents. The official 2026 guidance says the documents must be provided within 21 days.
Possible documents include:
IRP5 or IT3(a) certificates
Medical-scheme certificate
Retirement-annuity certificate
Bank and investment certificates
Travel logbook
Donation receipts
Rental-income and expense records
Business-income records
Capital-gains calculations
Proof of foreign tax
Proof supporting other deductions or credits
Upload only the documents requested, ensure they are readable and retain proof of submission. Supporting documents can be uploaded through eFiling, the MobiApp, the SARS Online Query System and, when SARS prompts the taxpayer, WhatsApp.
What if you did not receive an auto-assessment notice?
If you did not receive an SMS or email by 12 July 2026, SARS says you were not selected for auto assessment.
If you are required to file, complete and submit an ITR12 through eFiling or the SARS MobiApp.
The deadline is generally:
23 October 2026 for a non-provisional individual
22 January 2027 for a provisional taxpayer
Check the online status tool before assuming that a missing SMS means there is no assessment. Your contact details may be outdated, or a legitimate notification may have been missed.
Why was I not auto assessed?
SARS may not select a taxpayer where:
Personal information is incomplete
SARS does not hold sufficient third-party information
The person has rental, business or other income requiring a return
The tax position is more complex
Information requires additional declarations or calculations
Not being auto-assessed does not mean that you are exempt from filing. Check whether SARS issued a return and whether you meet the filing requirements.
Common auto-assessment problems
The assessment is not showing on eFiling
Confirm that you selected the correct taxpayer profile and 2026 tax year. Check the status through SOQS or WhatsApp. If the problem continues, contact SARS through an official channel.
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My IRP5 is missing
Contact the employer and ask it to submit or correct the employee tax certificate. Reopen or refresh the return after SARS receives the corrected data.
My medical-aid information is incorrect
Contact the medical scheme. SARS uses the information supplied by the provider, so the scheme must correct inaccurate third-party data.
My refund has not arrived after 72 hours
Check refund status, banking verification, outstanding returns, tax debt and whether the assessment was selected for verification or audit. The 72-hour period applies only when everything is in order.
I changed my bank account
Update the banking details through the official SARS process. SARS may require supporting evidence and validation before releasing a refund.
The ITA34 says verification is required
Upload the requested supporting documents within 21 days. The refund or final outcome may remain pending while SARS completes the verification.
SARS auto-assessment scam warning
Fraudsters often send fake refund notices during filing season.
SARS will not ask you to provide your:
eFiling password
Banking PIN
One-time PIN
Full login credentials
Do not click an unexpected “refund” link or pay anyone to unlock an auto-assessment payment. Type the official SARS address into your browser, use the official MobiApp or use the published SARS WhatsApp number.
If a message is suspicious, verify it directly with SARS. The general SARS Contact Centre number is 0800 00 7277. SARS lists current fraud warnings on its official scams and phishing page.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check my SARS auto assessment for 2026?
Sign in to SARS eFiling or the SARS MobiApp and open the 2026 ITA34 Notice of Assessment. You can also check selection status using the official online Auto Assessment Lookup service or SARS WhatsApp on 0800 11 7277.
Do I need to accept a SARS auto assessment?
No. If the information and calculation are complete and correct, SARS says no further action is required. There is no need to submit an ITR12 simply to accept it.
What must I do if the auto assessment is wrong?
Correct the information and submit an updated ITR12 by the applicable deadline. If third-party data is wrong, first ask the employer, bank, medical scheme or fund to correct its SARS submission.
When is the deadline to correct a 2026 auto assessment?
The deadline is generally 23 October 2026 for a non-provisional taxpayer and 22 January 2027 for a provisional taxpayer.
How long does an auto-assessment refund take?
SARS says a valid refund of R100 or more is normally paid automatically within 72 hours when banking details and tax affairs are in order and there is no verification, audit or other blocker.
What does a negative amount on the ITA34 mean?
A negative amount generally means SARS owes you a refund. Check the Statement of Account and refund status for any restriction or offset.
What does a zero assessment mean?
It means neither you nor SARS owes money for the assessment.
Can a provisional taxpayer be auto assessed in 2026?
Yes. SARS says certain eligible provisional taxpayers may receive auto assessments in 2026. A provisional taxpayer who disagrees may amend and submit the return by 22 January 2027.
Can I change information after the auto assessment?
Yes. Where the auto assessment is incomplete or incorrect, complete and submit the ITR12 through eFiling or the MobiApp before the deadline. Third-party information normally must first be corrected by the institution that supplied it.
Do I need to visit a SARS office?
Usually not. Status checks, assessment documents, returns, supporting-document uploads and many account queries are available through SARS digital channels. If an in-person visit is necessary, book an appointment first.
Official SARS links
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