New SARSQA Connect Direct Public Certificate Required
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SARS has updated its Connect Direct Public Certificate for third-party data submissions. If your firm or clients use the SARSQA Connect Direct platform and haven’t yet updated the certificate, you need to act quickly.
A SARSQA Connect Direct Public Certificate is a security certificate used by the SARS in its Connect:Direct data transfer system, specifically on the SARSQA (Quality Assurance or testing) environment. This system is primarily used by third-party data providers such as financial institutions, medical schemes, and employers to send bulk data securely to SARS. The certificate:
Ensures secure, encrypted communication between SARS and the third-party's systems.
Authenticates SARS as the legitimate recipient of the data.
Forms part of the SSL/TLS encryption process, verifying the identity of SARS's system during the connection.
💡Do Not Use Expired Certificate
If the certificate expires or is not updated, the connection between the third-party system and SARS will fail, meaning data cannot be submitted. This can impact compliance deadlines for submitting things like IRP5s, medical certificates, or investment data.
✅How To Get an Updated Certificate
Email bus_sys_cdsupport@sars.gov.za to request the updated certificate. This will ensure uninterrupted access to SARS systems for third-party data uploads.