The SARS auto-assessment period has officially ended.

Between 1 and 12 July 2026, millions of South Africans received their auto-assessments, with many taxpayers accepting them automatically or already receiving their refunds.

For many people, that's the end of their tax season.

But for others, one important question remains.

What happens if you discover something is missing or incorrect after your auto-assessment has already been processed?

The good news is that if you're still within the filing season, it's often not too late to correct your return.

An Auto-Assessment Isn't the End of Your Responsibility

SARS introduced auto-assessments to make tax season faster and easier by using information supplied by employers, banks, medical schemes, retirement fund administrators and other registered third-party providers.

If everything on your assessment is correct, there's nothing more you need to do.

However, SARS makes one point very clear.

Even though it prepared the assessment, you remain responsible for making sure the information is complete and accurate.

If something has been omitted or reported incorrectly, it is your responsibility to correct it.

I've Already Received My Refund. Can I Still Correct My Return?

Yes.

Many taxpayers assume that once SARS has issued an assessment or paid a refund, their return is permanently finalised.

That's not necessarily the case.

If you discover missing income, overlooked deductions or incorrect information while the filing season is still open, you can submit a corrected ITR12 through SARS eFiling or the SARS MobiApp.

SARS will review the updated information and issue a revised assessment.

Depending on the outcome, you could:

• receive an additional refund,
• have your assessment adjusted, or
• need to repay part of a refund if too much was paid initially.
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The important point is simple.

Receiving your refund doesn't automatically mean you can no longer make corrections.

What Should You Check?

Before deciding your assessment is correct, compare it with your own records.

Pay particular attention to:

Your IRP5 or employer income certificate.

Medical aid tax certificates.

Retirement annuity contributions.

Interest and investment income.

Rental property income.

Freelance or side-business earnings.

Home office or travel deductions, where applicable.

Qualifying charitable donations.

Tax professionals have specifically warned taxpayers to check their retirement annuity contributions carefully. If contributions or allowable deductions have not been reflected correctly, you could miss out on tax relief you're entitled to claim.

Remember: SARS Can Only Work With the Information It Receives

An auto-assessment is only as accurate as the information available to SARS.

If your employer, bank, retirement fund or medical scheme submitted incomplete or incorrect information, your assessment may also be incorrect.

In these situations, you cannot simply edit the third-party information yourself.

The organisation that submitted the incorrect information must first correct its records and resubmit them to SARS before your assessment can be updated.

What If You Weren't Auto-Assessed?

Not receiving an auto-assessment doesn't mean there's a problem.

It simply means you'll need to submit your own tax return during the normal filing season.

For the 2026 filing season:

• Non-provisional taxpayers have until 23 October 2026 to submit their returns.
• Provisional taxpayers and trusts have until 22 January 2027.
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The Bottom Line

SARS' auto-assessment system has made tax season more convenient for millions of South Africans.

But convenience doesn't replace responsibility.

If you've already accepted your assessment or received your refund, don't assume it's too late to fix an error.

Taking a few minutes to review your assessment now could help you claim deductions you've missed, correct inaccurate information or avoid complications if SARS reviews your return later.

The auto-assessment window may have closed.

Your opportunity to make sure your tax return is correct hasn't.