e@syFile™ - South African Revenue Service

What’s New?

15 December 2020 – e@syFile version 7.1.0 was released
5 October 2020 – e@syFile version 7.0.9 was released
- 18 September 2020 – e@syFile version 7.0.8 was released
  11 September 2020 – e@syFile version 7.0.7 was released
  24 June 2020 – e@syFile version 7.0.6 was released

18 May 2020 – e@syFile version 7.0.5 was released
- Introducing an updated EMP201 declaration to incorporate Covid-19 changes in legislation for SDL
  payment holidays
- Adjustment to validation for source codes 7002 and 7005 to align with the SARS PAYE BRS, allowing
  but not expecting a zero balance under specified circumstances.
15 April 2020 – Employer Annual Reconciliation is open from 15 April and closes 31 May.
Employers to submit accurate and on-time annual reconciliations.
4 February 2020 – e@syFile version 7.0.3 was released. No functionality changes were implemented.
The only updated items in this release is the new security certificate for the application.

Business Requirement Specifications (BRS) and timelines

Business Requirement Specification	Year Applicable	Submission dates*
BRS – PAYE Employer Reconciliation for 2020 / 2021	2021 Annual Employer Reconciliation (1 March 2020 – 28 February 2021	Interim: 14 Sep – 31 Oct 2020 Annual: 15 Apr – 31 May 2021
BRS – PAYE Employer Reconciliation for 2019 / 2020	2020 Annual Employer Reconciliation (1 March 2019 – 28 February 2020)	Interim: 23 Sep – 31 Oct 2019 Annual: 15 Apr – 31 May 2020
BRS – PAYE Employer Reconciliation for 2018 / 2019	2019 Annual Employer Reconciliation (1 March 2018 – 28 February 2019)	Interim: 17 Sep – 31 Oct 2018 Annual: 1 Apr – 31 May 2019
BRS – PAYE Employer Reconciliation for 2017 / 2018	2018 Annual Employer Reconciliation (1 March 2017 – 28 February 2018)	Interim: 15 Sep – 31 Oct 2017 Annual: 1 Apr – 31 May 2018
BRS – PAYE Employer Reconciliation for 2016 /2017	2017 Annual Employer Reconciliation (1 March 2016 – 28 February 2017)	Interim: 12 Sep – 31 Oct 2016 Annual: 1 Apr – 31 May 2017

* The final submission periods are subject to business requirements / readiness and calendar working day dates. Final confirmation will be communicated at the time of the relevant submission period.

What is it?

SARS has developed free software linked to eFiling called e@syFile™.

e@syFile™ was designed to help taxpayers (who are employers or payroll administrators) working with SARS to quickly, easily and conveniently manage their tax affairs.

Current information must always be backed-up on your computer prior to installing the latest version, as the installation may delete your current information. Any beta test version downloaded must be uninstalled prior to installing the latest version of e@syFile™.

Ensure that the import file is aligned to the requirements in the latest BRS prior to importing the file to avoid rework.

The latest version of e@syFile™ must always be used as any information submitted to SARS using a previous version won’t be accepted. You will automatically be prompted to update when accessing e@syFile™ or visit eFiling to download the latest version.

Do you experience any issues with e@syFile™?

See a complete list of our e@syFile FAQ’s.

Currently there are two software applications available:

1. e@SYFILE™ EMPLOYER

e@syFile™ Employer allows employers and/or payroll administrators to:

Complete, submit and revise (if necessary) the Monthly Employer Declaration (EMP201)
Complete, submit and revise the Employer Reconciliation Declaration (EMP501)
- The importing of tax certificates and the capturing the EMP501 can be done offline. You only go online when you are ready to submit to SARS.
Manage the Employer Account
Manage Third Party Appointments (AA88s)
Register employees using the Income Tax Registration (ITREG) function.

Top Tip: The Latest Release notes tells you about the changes which have been made in the software.

2. e@syFile™ DIVIDENDS TAX

e@syFile™ Dividends Tax allows Dividends Declarants and Regulated Intermediaries to submit dividend transaction data and complete declarations offline on the computer and then send these to SARS via eFiling.

e@syFile™ Dividends Tax can be downloaded and the importing and validating of declarations can be done offline. You only go online when you are ready to submit to SARS.

Top Tip: The latest Release Notes tells you about the changes which have been made in the software. tells you about the changes which have been made in the software.

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ: I receive an error message “Failed to connect to the update service”, how do I download the latest version of e@syFile™ Employer?

Where you receive the “Failed to connect to the update...

FAQ: I get an error message, concerning Adobe Air, when trying to update to the latest version of e@syFile™ Employer, how do I fix this?

When updating to the latest version of e@syFile™ Employer, make...

FAQ: Do I need to tick the Employment Tax Incentive (ETI) field when completing a certificate on e@syFile™ Employer?

The ETI field is only mandatory when you have claimed...

FAQ: Are the Employee SIC7 and SEZ codes mandatory on e@syFile™ Employer?

If you have claimed the Employment Tax Incentive (ETI), the...

FAQ: While downloading the latest version of the easyFile™ Employer, my anti-virus identified a virus and deleted any e@syFile™ Employer files already installed. Is there a virus on e@syFile™ Employer?

No, easyFile™ Employer is not infected by a virus. Make...

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Disclaimer

All information, content and data on SARS websites and associated facilities, including but not limited to software, hyperlinks and databases, is the property of or licensed to SARS and is protected under applicable South African laws. Unauthorised usage of content and/or information is strictly prohibited. No person, business or web site may reproduce this site, contents, information or any portion thereof.