SARS refunds: how long they take, why they are delayed, and how to fix it

A refund is not money SARS owes you because you filed. It is the difference between what you paid during the year through PAYE and what your final liability turned out to be. That distinction explains most of the confusion around how long it takes and why it changes.

The realistic timeline

Situation	Typical timeline
Return assessed, no verification, banking details correct	About seven working days, per SARS’s own target
Return submitted in the last week of the season	Longer - volume slows every step
Return selected for verification	Paused until documents are submitted and reviewed
Banking details do not match	Refund issued and rejected, then re-issued after correction
Refund offset against an older debt	Whatever is left after the offset, if anything

Those are aims, not promises. The verifiable part is the state on your profile, which is why checking the right screen beats estimating.

The four causes of delay

1. Banking detail mismatch. The refund goes to the account on your tax record, and the account holder name must match the bank’s record. A maiden name, a missing initial, or a joint account with a different primary holder is enough to have the payment rejected. This is the most common cause and the easiest to prevent.

2. An outstanding verification request. Verification is a document check, not an accusation. But it stops the refund clock until you respond, and the request has a deadline attached. Missing that deadline is how a routine verification becomes a problem.

3. An offset. SARS can apply a refund against an outstanding amount on any tax type - an older year’s shortfall, an administrative penalty, a debt on a different account. The statement of account shows it; the refund screen alone does not.

4. Season-end volume. Nothing is broken, but everything is slower. Filing in the first month of the season is the single easiest way to be paid sooner.

If the refund has been issued and not received

A refund marked paid that never arrived means the payment was rejected in the banking system, and the correction has to happen on your SARS record. You will need:

• the correct account number registered in your own name,
• a bank confirmation letter from your bank,
• an update of the banking details on eFiling.

The refund is then re-issued. Calling the bank first is understandable and does not help - a rejected payment is not sitting somewhere waiting to be forwarded.

If you disagree with the amount

The refund figure follows from the assessment, not the other way round. If the Notice of Assessment disallowed a deduction, the remedy is a request for correction or a formal objection, with the supporting documents you should already have from the checklist. The tax status guide walks through reading the notice and escalating.

The two things that are never true

Nobody can speed up a refund for a fee, and nobody outside SARS can see your refund status. Both claims are the standard opening of refund fraud - a message claiming a refund is “pending release” and asking for banking details, a card number or a one-time PIN. SARS does not ask for any of those by SMS, WhatsApp or phone.

Last reviewed 13 October 2026. Timelines are SARS service targets rather than guarantees, and they change; the current position is stated on the SARS refunds page.