Employers are Urged to Submit Accurate Tax Data Before 31 May

Written By Eszter Rapanos, Quality Assurance, Public Sector and Publication Manager, Chartered Institute for Business Accountants (CIBA)

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SARS issued a media release reminding all employers and third-party data providers that the annual submission window is open from 1 April to 31 May 2026.

During this period, employers must submit employee remuneration and tax data for the 2025/2026 tax year. This includes IRP5 certificates, medical aid data, and retirement contribution information.

Why This Matters

SARS uses this data to pre-populate and auto-assess individual tax returns. When data is missing or inaccurate, taxpayers are excluded from the auto-assessment process and face delays.

Last year, incomplete data caused over 125,000 verification cases, including:

  • 81,588 cases due to missing or unmatched IRP5 data

  • 27,436 cases linked to retirement contribution errors

  • 16,819 cases from missing medical aid data.

What employers must do

Submit data early using one of the SARS-approved channels:

  • eFiling — for up to 25 certificates

  • Connect Direct — for unlimited volumes

  • Secured File Gateway — for files under 10MB

  • e@syFile Employer — download the latest version from sarsefiling.co.za

All employers must be registered on eFiling to use these channels.

SARS will hold technical support sessions to assist with submissions. For guidance, visit the IT3 Data Submission page on the SARS website.

Deadline: 31 May 2026.

Eszter Rapanos, Quality Assurance, Public Sector and Publication Manager, Chartered Institute for Business Accountants (CIBA)
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