SARS eFiling is the official online tax returns submission portal for the launched originally in 2001 via third-party companies, then expanded and taken in-house by SARS in 2006. In the 2015/2016 tax year SARS eFiling processed 36.80 million electronic submissions and payments which equates to 98.7% of all submissions and payments to SARS in. SARS eFiling provides free services to individual taxpayers, trusts, companies and tax practitioners to submit tax returns, submit declarations and make relevant payments in an online environment. The eFiling service is of an international standard and is comparable to online tax submission services offered in the,,,,.

The South African Revenue Service (Sars) is in the process of improving and modernising VAT returns. From April this year, expect the following changes: • Vendors who make payments and submissions electronically will be required to request their VAT201 form electronically.

Welcome to the SARS. How to register on e-filing to obtain the IT14SD form? Employer Monthly Declaration. Employer Reconciliation.

The forms will be made available on their eFiling profile. • The new VAT201 form will include demographic information and the declarant’s signature. • A payment reference number (“PRN”) will be pre-populated by Sars and will replace the previous reference number.

The new VAT return form has been pre-populated with the old reference number so that banks will have the chance to adjust their systems. From April 11 2011, all VAT submissions must be made on the new VAT201 form. This includes any submissions for periods prior to March 2011. The changes do not only apply to the electronic VAT201 forms, but manually submitted forms as well. It is unclear, for example, how the declarant will sign the electronic form. We will have to see how the new VAT201 form intends to include these “additional” fields. A number of the fields listed below are already required to be filled in and included in the current VAT201 form.

Requesting the new VAT201 form Vendors who request and submit their VAT201 forms and payments electronically will be able to do so from April 11 2011. Any vendor who fails to request the new VAT201 form and wishes to submit and make payment electronically will be in default of their VAT obligations and penalties and interest will be imposed. Note that copies of the VAT201 forms that are printed from eFiling and used for manual submission will be unacceptable. As are photocopied forms. Making payments In an effort to deter fraud and increase compliance, the following will apply with regard to cheque payments as of May 1 2011: • Sars will no longer accept any cheque that exceeds the total amount of R100 000 in respect of VAT at any Sars office or via post. • Vendors who have a turnover exceeding R30-million in any 12-month period must submit VAT returns in an electronic format and make payments electronically. The new demographic fields When completing the new VAT201 form, the following details of the person responsible for completing the form will be required: first name, surname, capacity, business telephone number, fax number, cellphone number, contact email address.