Personal tax return preparation and review
Personal income tax returns range from a straightforward salaried ITR12 to more complex individual returns with several income sources. This page explains what is prepared and reviewed, the records that help, and where verification may follow - without promising a refund or inventing service prices and filing dates.
Filing a return does not guarantee a refund
Whether a refund is due depends on what the return actually supports, and payment depends on SARS processing - which can include verification. No refund amount or payout date is promised here. Where a refund is delayed, that becomes a separate refund matter rather than part of return preparation.
Salaried or more complex
The scope of the work - and the likelihood of verification - depends on how many income sources are involved.
Straightforward salaried returns
A single employer IRP5, standard medical and retirement annuity certificates, and no other income. These returns are quick to prepare when the records are complete and correct.
Routine compliance for a simple income profile.
More complex individual returns
Multiple income sources - rental, freelance or consulting income, investment income, capital gains, or several employers in one year. These returns need reconciliation across sources and careful treatment of allowable deductions.
Compliance plus review, with a higher chance of verification.
Preparation, review and possible verification
The return is prepared from your documents, reviewed against the SARS assessment once processed, and supported through verification where SARS selects it.
Prepare
Reconcile income and deductions from your source documents into an accurate ITR12, reviewed with you before submission.
Review the assessment
Once SARS processes the return, confirm the assessment reflects what was filed - and flag where it does not.
Respond to verification
Where SARS selects the return for verification, prepare the supporting document response through the correct channel.
Documents for a personal return
These are gathered after a written scope is agreed - not with the initial enquiry. Do not send sensitive documents or passwords to begin.
What this service is - and is not
What personal return assistance involves
- Preparing the ITR12 from your source documents, with income and deductions reconciled.
- Reviewing the assessment once SARS has processed the return, to confirm it reflects what was filed.
- Flagging where a verification request or follow-up is likely, and responding to it if it arises.
- Advising on whether a provisional tax obligation may apply where income is earned outside a salary.
What this service does not do
- Guarantee a refund. A refund depends on what the return supports and on SARS processing.
- Quote a service price or an annual filing date here. Fees are agreed in a written quotation; deadlines are verified against current SARS guidance.
- Replace a dispute where the assessment is wrong. An objection may be needed instead.
- Cover company, VAT or PAYE returns. Those are separate return types with their own processes.
Questions about personal tax returns
What documents should I prepare?
For most individuals, IRP5 and IT3(a) certificates, medical and retirement annuity certificates, and a travel logbook if you receive a travel allowance cover the return. Where you have rental, freelance or investment income, the records for those sources are needed too. The assessment confirms exactly what is required for your income profile.
Can you review an assessment?
Yes. Once SARS processes a return, the resulting assessment can be reviewed to confirm it reflects what was filed. Where it does not - or where you disagree with an assessment SARS has raised - the next step may be a correction or an objection rather than simply re-filing. The assessment identifies which route applies.
Does filing guarantee a refund?
No. A refund depends on what the return supports and on SARS processing, which can include verification. No refund amount or payout date is promised. Where a refund you believe is due has not been paid, that becomes a separate refund matter - see SARS tax refund assistance - rather than part of return preparation.
Prepare your personal return with the records that matter
A confidential assessment confirms your income profile, what to prepare, and whether verification or a provisional tax obligation may apply. No documents or passwords are required to begin.