A tax number is your unique SARS taxpayer reference number. It identifies you to SARS for everything tax-related — employment, filing returns, tax clearance and refunds. Most employed people are registered automatically, so you may already have one without having applied.
What is Tax Number?
A tax number — formally a taxpayer reference number — is the unique identifier SARS uses for you. It is a 10-digit number, and it stays with you for life.
You very likely already have one. When you start formal employment, your employer registers you with SARS as part of their PAYE process, so a number is issued without you applying for it. Many people discover they have had one for years.
You should only ever have one. It follows you between employers, provinces and jobs. If you think you have been issued a second, contact SARS — duplicate registrations cause problems with assessments and refunds and need to be merged.
Where to find yours:
- On your IRP5 tax certificate.
- On any SARS correspondence — assessments, statements, letters.
- On SARS eFiling or the SARS MobiApp, once registered.
- By asking your employer’s payroll department.
- Through SARS directly, by phone, at a branch, or via their online query channels.
A tax number is not the same as a tax clearance certificate. The number identifies you; a clearance certificate — now issued as a Tax Compliance Status (TCS) PIN — confirms your affairs are in order at a point in time. Tenders and some contracts ask for the second, not the first.
What is Tax Number used for in South Africa?
- Employment. Your employer needs it to deduct and report PAYE correctly.
- Filing your annual income tax return.
- Registering for SARS eFiling.
- Claiming a refund, or settling an amount owed.
- Applying for a Tax Compliance Status PIN, for tenders, contracts or emigration.
- Opening some financial products, and for certain FICA and bank verification processes.
- Registering a business, or as a provisional taxpayer, VAT vendor or importer.
- Investments and interest-bearing accounts, where institutions report to SARS.
- Retirement fund withdrawals, where a tax directive is required.
- Applying for finance, where proof of tax registration is requested.
Having a tax number does not by itself mean you must file a return. SARS sets a filing threshold and criteria each year, and many people registered through their employer are not required to submit. Registration and the obligation to file are separate things.
When you may be asked for Tax Number
- By a new employer, when you start work.
- By SARS, whenever you contact them or file.
- By a bank or financial institution, when opening certain accounts or applying for credit.
- By a retirement fund, on withdrawal, resignation or retirement.
- When tendering for government or corporate work — usually alongside a TCS PIN.
- By an accountant or tax practitioner acting for you.
- When registering a company, or for VAT.
- When applying to emigrate or cease tax residency.
Give it only where it is genuinely required. Your tax number is personal information. Legitimate requests come from employers, financial institutions, SARS and regulated processes — not from an unsolicited message.
Where Tax Number fits in the process
For most people the sequence is:
- You start formal employment. Your employer registers you with SARS if you are not already registered, and a number is issued.
- PAYE is deducted from each salary payment and paid over monthly.
- After the tax year ends, your employer issues an IRP5 and submits the data to SARS.
- SARS uses your tax number to link that data to you and to pre-populate your return.
- You register for eFiling if you have not already, using your number and identity details.
- You file if required, and SARS issues an assessment.
If you are self-employed, freelancing or running a business, no employer registers you — you register with SARS yourself, and you are likely to be a provisional taxpayer, which means paying tax in advance during the year rather than only after it.
Getting registered is the step people most often delay. It is easier to do before you need the number urgently for a tender, a loan or a job.
What to verify with the official authority
SARS is the only authoritative source for your tax number and tax status.
- SARS at sars.gov.za, plus eFiling and the SARS MobiApp, are the official channels.
- To find a number you have lost, use the SARS query channels, eFiling, the MobiApp, or ask your employer’s payroll — do not use a third-party site that offers to “retrieve” it.
- Confirm whether you need to file for the current year, and whether you have been auto-assessed. The threshold and rules change annually.
- Confirm what a tender or contract actually requires — usually a Tax Compliance Status PIN rather than the number alone.
- If you suspect duplicate registrations, raise it with SARS so the records can be merged.
- Verify anyone who contacts you. SARS does not request banking details, passwords or eFiling credentials by email or SMS. Phishing messages promising a refund are common — log in through the official site rather than following a link, and never share your eFiling login.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a tax number used for? It identifies you to SARS for employment, filing returns, refunds, tax clearance, and various financial and business registrations.
How do I find my tax number? Check your IRP5, any SARS correspondence, eFiling or the SARS MobiApp, or ask your employer’s payroll department. SARS can also confirm it directly.
Do I need to apply for one? Usually not. If you have been formally employed, your employer will have registered you. If you are self-employed, you register yourself.
Does having a tax number mean I must file a return? No. Registration and the obligation to file are separate. SARS sets a threshold and criteria each year, and many registered people are not required to submit.
Is a tax number the same as a tax clearance certificate? No. The number identifies you; a Tax Compliance Status PIN confirms your affairs are in order at a point in time. Tenders usually want the PIN.
Can I have two tax numbers? You should not. If you think you have duplicate registrations, contact SARS so the records can be merged.