Tax planning and strategies
Tax is one of the few areas where a small amount of knowledge pays back every year. These guides cover provisional tax for freelancers, deductions people miss, the SARS auto-assessment, tax on rental income and capital gains tax.
Tax rules, brackets and thresholds change with each national Budget, so treat the figures in any article as a snapshot and confirm them on the SARS website before you file. For complicated situations, a registered tax practitioner is worth the fee.
Capital gains tax is not a separate tax with its own rate, and the most you can pay is 18% of the gain. The exclusions changed on 1 March 2026, so the year you sold in decides which figures apply.
Renting out a property makes you a taxpayer on that income, and SARS will not auto-assess it for you. Here is what you can deduct, and when a rental loss gets ring-fenced.
An auto-assessment is built only from what third parties told SARS. Here is how to check it, when to leave it alone, when to correct it, and what to do if you owe.
If you freelance, consult or run a side hustle, you are a provisional taxpayer whether you registered or not. Here are the 2026/27 dates, the penalties, and how much to set aside.
Retirement contributions, medical expenses and donations can all lower your tax bill, but only if you actually claim them. If you accepted an auto-assessment this year, here is what you may have left on the table.