This article aims to assist taxpayers and patrons of the revenue service in accessing information vital to their everyday tax duties.
Today’s topic revolves around how you can find your tax number online.
What’s My Tax Number?
All registered taxpayers within the legal jurisdiction of South African law receive a tax number from the South African Revenue Service (SARS) in the capacity of an individual taxpayer or registered business.
Commonly referred to in more traditional terminology as a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) or Tax Reference Number (TRN).
Your tax number is a unique and personal ten-digit numerical association assigned to you by SARS to track and record all of your tax-related activities.
A tax number is employed to identify people and companies for tax purposes and is necessary for completing a number of tax-related activities, such as tax returns.
Tax numbers are also used to identify a number of transactions with other government entities.
South African law dictates that individuals acquire a tax number as soon as they start working and that businesses acquire one the moment they begin operating and earning an income.
It is important to note that a tax number is a legal prerequisite to doing business with both SARS and a number of other government institutions.
Making use of an incorrect or fraudulent tax number can be construed as a violation of the law and is subject to prosecution.
How do I find my SARS tax number online?
There are a number of channels available to taxpayers that allow them to find and collect their tax numbers.
These include sending SARS a specific query, with the relevant details that align with those in the revenue service’s database.
Through conventional methods such as visiting a SARS branch, on the condition that you make an appointment first.
But as SARS attempts to fully modernize its services by 2025, a greater emphasize has been placed on accomplishing tasks through its online portal.
To find your SARS tax number online, simply access the online portal at www.sarsefiling.co.za, and use your credentials to access your personal account online.
If you are not registered for eFiling, click on the “Register” option on the top right-hand corner of the page.
Proceed to fill in the same details you used to register as a taxpayer, such as your ID number and residential address.
Create a username and password for your account, followed by clicking on “Submit” to complete the process.
After successfully completing the required registration process, you should be able to successfully attain the contents of your tax number under the “Personal Information” section of your homepage.
Alternatively, one can visit SARS on their website at www.sars.gov.za.
Once you have accessed the revenue service’s homepage, click on the “Contact Us” option from the menu bar atop the homepage.
Follow that up by clicking on the “Request your Tax Number” option, complete the following form and select “What’s My Tax Number” as a query type.
This will then initiate a process whereby SARS will send you your tax number should they find that you were earnest during the verification stage of the process.
Is my tax number on my IRP5?
An IRP5 is a form of documentation issued by your employer that discloses within it the total amount of money you earned in a given tax year, as well as deductions.
Tax numbers can typically be found within an IRP5 tax certificate, usually at the top or the bottom of the form under the label of “Tax Number” or “TN.”
Should your tax number be unavailable on your IRP5 form, you can enquire about it from SARS by dialling their call centre at 0800 00 7277.
It is also important to ensure that the tax number filed in your tax returns matches that SARS has on record.
Be sure to check if the tax number online matches that found in tax certificates such as an IRP5, so as not to incur penalties when filing your tax returns.
Can SARS give me my tax number?
All tax numbers in the possession of taxpayers in South Africa originate from SARS, as no other entity, both public or private, can do so.
Tax numbers are a necessary prerequisite to completing tax-related activities as a taxpayer, and they are also used in tracking your monetary transactions by SARS.
