Banking details will only be added or changed by a person other than the Taxpayer, Registered Representative or Registered Tax Practitioner, in the following exceptional circumstances:
- Any estate;
- Where the Taxpayer is incapacitated or terminally ill;
- Where the Taxpayer is a non-resident (emigrant, expatriate, foreigner or SA citizen temporarily outside the Republic)
- Where the Taxpayer is imprisoned;
- Where a trustee is appointed to act on behalf of an insolvent individual and/or trust;
- Where the Taxpayer is a minor child;
- Shared Account (Spouse’s Account);
- Where distance of the Taxpayer from the SARS branch is more than 200km.
What is needed to add or change banking details under exceptional circumstances?
To add or change bank details, the following supporting documents (relevant material) are needed:
- A signed Power of Attorney (POA) clearly stating due to which exceptional circumstance the change of banking detail is required by someone other than the Taxpayer or Representative Taxpayer.
- If applicable, either a copy of:
- The Memorandum of Incorporation if Company
- A Partnership/Joint Venture agreement
- A Trust deed together with the minutes of a meeting specifying who is authorised to act on behalf of a trust
- A Foreign donor agreement between the applicable country and South Africa in the case of a foreign donor funded project.
- Letter of appointment from the Registered Representative where the request is received.
- The original (for those visiting the branch) and a copy of an Identity document (ID)/temporary ID/passport/driving licence/asylum seekers permit of the:
- Account holder(s) and/or
- Registered Representative.
When you request a banking detail change via email (under these exceptional circumstances): The requestor submitting the supporting documents via email, must provide an image of himself/herself holding their proof of identity, as well as a written note titled “Update my details” and the date on which the documents are uploaded to SARS. It is important that the requestor’s face, proof of identity and the note are clearly visible in the same picture. For an example of the type of image required, click here.
Top Tip: For those visiting the branch, bring along certified copies to speed up the process. Only copies certified by authorised persons will be accepted (e.g. Attorneys, South African Post Office, South African Police Station, etc.). A “true copy” stamp must always accompany the Commissioner of Oaths stamp. Please make an appointment prior to visiting the branch.
- One of the following documents must be provided:
- A bank notarised letter not older than three months confirming the Account holder’s legal name; Account number, Account type and Branch code (an original document is required for a branch visit); or
- A bank statement or ATM/Internet generated statement or eStamped/notarised statement not older than three months confirming the Account holder’s legal name, Bank name, Account number, Account type and Branch code (an original document is required for a branch visit); and
- For Holding/Subsidiary Companies or Non-resident Companies (for VAT):
- For Government Institutions:
- Letter from the bank with a bank stamp indicating the banking details of the institution
- If the banking details are that of a joint bank account, shared by both spouses, a copy of the marriage certificate is required.
- In the case of a shared bank account with a life partner, an affidavit must be provided (only for Income Tax registration) by both partners to confirm the shared account, and the reason the Taxpayer is unable to have his/her own bank account.
Note: For post date of death registration purposes for deceased Taxpayers on or after 1 March 2016, the banking details used in the first registration (prior to date of death) must be re–used in the second registration (post date of death) unless the Representative requires an update to the bank details. If an update is required, the Representative must provide all the relevant supporting documents. The bank account may not be the banking details of the deceased Taxpayer but should be that of the late estate.
Top Tip: See a list of documents that will be accepted as proof of residential or business address.
What additional documents will be needed?
The following additional documents will be needed:
Company De-registration (including records)
The director’s banking details will be accepted if the company doesn’t have an active bank account. If there is more than one director, one director must be selected who’s banking details should be used.
Estate
Top Tip: The bank account details must be provided of the executor or the late estate. Important:
- If an individual has been appointed as the executor, authority may only be delegated to a Registered Tax Practitioner, if applicable. Where a company has been appointed as the executor, authority may be delegated to an employee of that company.
- Change of banking details for a deceased taxpayer can only be made once classified as a “deceased estate” by SARS. Executors are advised to wait for a letter from SARS confirming the status change before trying to change the banking details.
- Individual appointed as an executor:
- A letter of authority/executorship signed and stamped by the Master of the High Court.
- Company appointed as an executor:
- Original letter on the executor’s letterhead (showing the executor’s business physical address) which specifies the name and identity/passport number of the individual nominee
- Certified copy of a letter of authority/executorships/appointment signed and stamped by the Master of the High Court
- Copy of proof of the executor’s business physical address.
- Where more than one executor has been appointed and one executor has been nominated by the co-executor(s) to represent the taxpayer, a completed and signed POA form is needed. The executor must submit the POA form together with all the supporting documents (relevant material) needed.
- In the case of a section 18(3) estate where the surviving spouse (or family member) brings the letter of authority, the banking details can be changed to those of the surviving spouse (or family member) as long as all the supporting documents (relevant material) are available.
- For an insolvent estate (liquidation)
- A letter appointment signed and stamped by the Master of the High Court.
- A registered Administrator of Estates can make changes to banking details for a taxpayer with an insolvent estate by submitting a POA (completed and signed by the trustee) together with the supporting documents (relevant material) irrespective of the value of the estate.
- Where the Master of the High Court has appointed a corporate executor, the executor can nominate agents and/or employees to act on its behalf.
- A list of agents and/or employees nominated must be submitted at a SARS branch quarterly with the condition that should there be any new nominees; the updated list must be sent to SARS.
Distance from the closest SARS branch is more than 200km
No additional documents are needed.
Imprisonment
- Original signed letter from the Department of Correctional Services confirming the client is imprisoned for a specific period.
Top Tip: The signed letter mustn’t be older than three months.
Incapacity/terminally ill
- Letter of appointment as an administrator/curatorship signed and stamped by the Master of the High Court.
- Original medical certificate from a registered doctor or hospital confirming the client is terminally ill or bedridden.
Top Tip: The medical certificate mustn’t be older than three months.
- Original letter from the company (on the company’s letterhead) confirming that the registered representative or Tax Practitioner is incapacitated or terminally ill.
Minor Child
- Certified copy of the birth certificate of the minor child.
- If the minor child is represented by a legal guardian or the parent/legal guardian has appointed a person to act as an agent on behalf of a minor child taxpayer:
- A certified copy of a letter confirming legal guardianship from the Master of the High Court or a certified copy of the court order
- Certified copy of identity document/passport/driving licence of the parent or legal guardian.
Top Tip: The bank account must be in the child’s name or in the trust’s name.
Non-resident (e.g. emigrant, expatriate, foreigner or SA citizen temporarily outside the Republic.)
- Temporarily outside the Republic
- Original letter (on a company’s letterhead) confirming the representative taxpayer is temporarily outside the Republic.
- Expatriate
- An original letter from the South African employer confirming the taxpayer is temporarily in the Republic for a specific period.
- An emigrant
- A copy of a Residency Certificate from a country of residence.
Top Tip: The signed letter mustn’t be older than three months.
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