SARS recently distributed a notification announcing the following:
The issuing of the printed Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC) will be terminated after 25 October 2019, as we are implementing a more secure and electronic Tax Compliance Status (TCS) system.
Since the implementation of the TCS system in 2015, we advised taxpayers that our goal was to terminate the use of the printed TCC, and would stop issuing TCCs at a future date.
We have now reached a point where the ability to print a TCC will be terminated, and the TCS PIN will have to be used by taxpayers to share their tax compliance status electronically with third parties. In addition to terminating the ability to obtain and/or print a TCC, all active TCCs that are currently in circulation will be cancelled. You will therefore no longer be able to verify or print it.
You are encouraged to familiarise yourself with the electronic TCS system and the use of the TCS PIN, so as to be prepared when we entirely terminate the TCC concept.
The secure and convenient electronic TCS PIN provides you with a way to authorise any third party (an organisation or government department) to view your tax compliance status online via eFiling by providing them with the PIN. It will present them with your overall tax compliance status as at the date and time they view it, instead of your tax compliance status as it was at the date when the TCS PIN was issued to you. To protect the confidentiality of taxpayer information, no other information will be accessible to a third party through this process.
It is important to remember that your tax compliance status is not static, but changes according to your continued compliance with tax obligations.
For more information on how to use the TCS PIN, please refer to the “Guide to the Tax Compliance Status Functionality on eFiling“.
This article is a general information sheet and should not be used or relied upon as professional advice. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information herein. Always contact your financial adviser for specific and detailed advice. Errors and omissions excepted (E&OE)
