What’s new?
- 9 November 2020 – Update on the discontinuation of cheques
Banks are discontinuing cheques as a payment method. The last date for SARS Customs payments made at a SARS port of entry per cheque will be on or before Sunday 13 December 2020 and for all other SARS payments, it will be on or before Thursday, 31 December 2020.
- 28 September 2020 – Banks are discontinuing cheques as a payment method on 31 December 2020. Please note that SARS will no longer accept cheque payments after 31 December 2020.
- 14 April 2020 – Reduction in maximum cheque limit value from 1 May 2020
From 1 May 2020, the Payments Association of South Africa (PASA) will reduce the maximum value for issuing a cheque from the current value of R500 000 to R50 000. Please note that from this date onwards cheque payments to SARS greater than R50 000 will not be accepted. No splitting of payment to circumvent the new cheque item limit will be allowed, e.g. issuing two cheques for the amount of R50 000 each to make a payment of R100 000, according to the PASA rules.
To relieve pressure on bank branches during the COVID-19 crisis, we would like to encourage taxpayers to refrain from making cash and cheque payments to SARS and rather make use of electronic payments via eFiling or EFT.
Options for payments
Currently there are a number of options available to you if you want to make a payment to SARS:
1. At a bank
Payments to SARS can be made at the following banks: Absa, FNB, Nedbank, Standard Bank and Capitec. Please quote the correct beneficiary ID and payment reference number (PRN).
Top tip: Air Passenger Tax (APT) payments can only be made at Absa, Nedbank, FNB and Standard bank branches.
2. Payments via eFiling
Taxpayers are advised to set-up a credit push option or use one of SARS’ alternative methods of payment. With a Credit push, the payment is performed by you, the bank account holder. When making a payment to SARS, eFiling will send a payment request to your bank which will reflect the amount that needs to be paid on the relevant bank product. The taxpayer then authorises this request normally via the relevant bank product. This forms an instruction to the bank to make the payment to SARS. Credit Push payments are considered to be irrevocable and can only be made if the account holder has the necessary funds. A Credit Push transaction can be cancelled only before it is approved. Find out more here. The following banks can be used for eFiling payments :Absa, Bidvest Bank, Capitec Bank, Citibank, FNB, HSBC, Investec, Nedbank, Standard Bank, Standard Chartered, Mercantile Bank, AlBaraka, Sasfin and HBZ.
3. Payments via SARS MobiApp
Payment is made via your Statement of Account or your Notice of Assessment (ITA34). The principle of making a payment to SARS is the same on both accounts however note the following:
- When making a payment from your Statement of Account (SOA) you may pay an amount determined by you to SARS.
- When making a payment from your Notice of Assessment (ITA34) you must pay the full amount due by you to SARS.
Top tip: Remember to consult the result icons displayed on your device to establish the status of the payment.
4. Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Payment may be made via the internet banking facilities by simply using the standard drop-down listing of pre-loaded beneficiary IDs provided by the bank. All SARS beneficiary IDs are prefixed with the naming convention “SARS- ”. All internet payments must be correctly referenced to ensure that SARS is able to identify your payment and correctly allocate it to your account. You will not be able to make a payment if your reference is incorrect. The following banks support this method:ABSA, AlBaraka, Grobanks Ltd (previously Bank of Athens), Capitec, FNB, HSBC, Investec, JP Morgan, Mercantile Bank, Nedbank and Standard Bank.
5. At a SARS Customs branch
- SARS Revenue branches – no longer accept cash payments or cheque payments. Cash and cheque payments to SARS can be made at a bank as indicated above.
- Customs and Excise branches – cash and cheque payments are accepted.
6. Foreign Payments
Please note: This payment method should only be used by foreign taxpayers where no other payment options or channels are available e.g. where payments using eFiling, internet banking (EFT) or payment at a bank is not available. Top tip: If a foreign taxpayer has a South African bank account, this payment method may not be used. Payments can be made electronically into SARS’ bank account using the standard SWIFT 103 message and the Beneficiary ID/Account Number “SARS-FOR-999”. Only FNB supports this method.
Need more information?
For more information on the SARS payment rules, please refer to the list of payment documents below. To access this page in different languages click on the links below:
