Business and compliance - dates and guides
CIPC annual returns, VAT registration and filing, PAYE and EMP201 deadlines, B-BBEE affidavits and UIF declarations - the small-business compliance calendar.
The deadline most small businesses miss is the CIPC annual return, which is due within 30 business days of the anniversary of incorporation - not at the end of a tax year. The second is the EMP201, due by the 7th of every month for PAYE, UIF and SDL.
Last reviewed 2026-10-13 · next scheduled review 2026-10-14
- CIPC annual return
- incorporation anniversary
- EMP201
- 7th monthly
- Standard VAT rate
- 15%
Coming up
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Sat 31 Oct 2026
Confirmed In 16 daysEmployer interim EMP501 reconciliation for the 2026/27 tax year
Employers must submit the interim EMP501 reconciliation covering the period 1 March 2026 to 31 August 2026 by 31 October 2026. The reconciliation must match the EMP201 returns already submitted and the IRP5/IT3(a) certificates issued to employees. Mismatches are the most common cause of SARS verification queries.
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Sun 1 Nov 2026 – Wed 31 Mar 2027
Tentative In 167 daysCOIDA Return of Earnings (W.As.8) submission window
Employers registered with the Compensation Fund must submit a Return of Earnings - the W.As.8 form - covering the twelve months to the end of February. The submission window historically runs from 1 November to 31 March, and the assessment determines the employer's annual assessment tariff payable to the Compensation Fund. Employers who miss the deadline face penalties and a possible estimated assessment.
Business & Compliance guides
- B-BBEE affidavit and levels: what an EME or QSE can claim, and how How small businesses claim a B-BBEE status with a sworn affidavit, the turnover bands, what the affidavit must say, and when a verified certificate is needed.
- CIPC annual returns: the deadline nobody remembers, and what it costs to miss How CIPC annual returns work, when yours is due, how to file it with the beneficial ownership declaration, and what happens when a company is deregistered.
- CIPC company registration: how to register a company in South Africa Register a private company with the CIPC - name reservation, the MOI, director and shareholder details, beneficial ownership, and what it costs and takes.
- How to check a company’s CIPC status (and what the status words mean) How to look up a company on the CIPC register, what active, deregistered and in-business-rescue actually mean, and what a company status report does not tell you.
- Registering as an employer: PAYE, UIF and SDL, and what to do each month How a new employer registers with SARS for PAYE and with the UIF, what the monthly EMP201 declaration involves, and the deadlines that carry penalties.
- VAT registration: when you must register, how to apply, and what it costs you The compulsory and voluntary VAT registration thresholds in South Africa, how to apply to SARS, what returns you will file, and the record-keeping you take on.
Who actually runs these services
Find SA Status explains and links. We do not run any of these services and cannot act on your behalf. For anything that needs action - an application, a payment, a status check - go directly to the official body.
- CIPC (opens in a new tab) www.cipc.co.za/
- Department of Employment and Labour (opens in a new tab) www.labour.gov.za/
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