How to register for eFiling: a first-time guide, step by step

eFiling is the front door to your tax record, and it is a door that slams if your details do not match. The registration itself takes ten minutes. The preparation is what decides whether it takes ten minutes or two weeks.

Before you start

Four things, and the third one is the one that stops people:

1. Your income tax reference number. On any previous IRP5, assessment, or letter from SARS.
2. Your identity number or passport number, exactly as SARS holds it.
3. A cellphone number registered in your own name. A number in a parent’s or partner’s name will fail verification and cannot easily be changed later.
4. An email address you can open right now. The activation link is time-limited.

Registering

Registration happens on the SARS website at the eFiling entry point. You will be asked for your tax reference number and identity number, then you choose your own password and a one-time PIN method - SMS or email. The one-time PIN is how SARS confirms identity for sensitive actions such as changing banking details.

Set a password you have not used anywhere else. Your tax record contains your income, your banking details and your dependants, and it is a target precisely because people reuse the same password across services.

When registration fails

The three common failures and what actually fixes them:

“Your details do not match our records.” Your identity number, date of birth or surname differs on the SARS system. This happens after a marriage, a name change, or an ID card reissue that SARS has not picked up. Fix: a SARS branch or the contact centre, with your ID document. Nothing you type on the website will resolve it.

“You are already registered.” Someone - possibly you, years ago - created an account against your tax number, and that account may be linked to an old email address or phone number. Fix: an access reset, which requires identity verification through SARS.

“No tax reference number found.” You may never have been registered. Employers normally register employees automatically, so this most often means you have not been employed in the formal sector - or that a name variation is preventing a match. Fix: a registration request or a branch visit.

After registration: the practical settings

• Confirm your banking details. Refunds go to the account on your tax record, and it must match your bank’s record of the account holder name exactly. A middle initial or a joint-account holder name is enough to stop a refund.
• Turn on notifications. SARS communicates through the eFiling profile and by email. Missed correspondence is the root of most “SARS rejected my return” stories.
• Install the MobiApp. It is the fastest way to check a status or upload a document without a laptop.

Filing after you are in

The tax document checklist is the list to gather before you open the return, and the filing season guide has the dates and the auto-assessment rules. Once a return is submitted, the tax status guide explains what each status on your profile actually means - because “submitted”, “assessed” and “under verification” are three very different places to be.

Last reviewed 13 October 2026. Registration requirements are set by SARS; confirm them on the eFiling page before relying on this guide.