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Communication from SARS

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  • 18 November 2025 – Trust Filing Season Reminder
    • Trust filing season is officially open, prevent the stress of last-minute scrambling and avoid penalties by filing on time. Here are three simple tips to make the process easier:
      • Prepare Your Documents – Gather annual financial statements, trustee resolutions, beneficial ownership schedules, and other required documents.
      • Update Your Details – Ensure all the trust information is accurate on your return.
      • Diarise Your Deadlines – Set reminders and avoid the rush.
      • See our helpful video or visit the SARS TV channel on YouTube for more information. Timely submission means peace of mind and ensures compliance.

Dear Valued Stakeholders

The OECD, together with G20 nations, has developed the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) in response to the challenges posed by the emergence of Crypto-Assets, which operate outside traditional financial systems and diminish tax authorities’ oversight.

CARF enables the automatic, annual exchange of tax information on Crypto-Asset transactions, standardising data collection and reporting across jurisdictions. The framework comprises three core components: comprehensive rules and commentary for domestic law adoption, a multilateral agreement facilitating international cooperation, and a secure electronic format for information exchange. South Africa, as a CARF signatory, will require Crypto-Asset Service Providers (CASPs) to begin reporting from September 2026, with international data exchanges commencing in September 2027, thereby supporting global tax transparency and compliance efforts.

In preparation for the proposed implementation of CARF, kindly find attached the draft working SARS External BRS V 1.2 for Crypto Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) that covers the following aspects:

  1. Background and context
  2. Conceptual design of the data flows
  3. XML Schema
    – CARF_SARS specifies the SARS specific requirementsCARF_OECD specifies the – OECD standard requirements

Technical enquiries regarding the XML Schema must be sent to the following email address: Bus_Sys_CDSupport@sars.gov.za by Friday, 28 November 2025.

You may have noted the same information already published on the SARS website on 24 October 2025 (Third-Party Data | South African Revenue Service). This email is a follow–up to allow those CASPs who may not have been aware of the published information to also engage the BRS and provide inputs on or before the extended submission date of 28 November 2025.

With warm regards

Karin

20 November 2025 – Achieving our Vision of a smart, modern SARS with unquestionable integrity that is trusted and admired is of paramount importance. Pivotal to the delivery of our vision are our digital platforms and technology infrastructure. To provide clarity and certainty, make it easy for taxpayers and traders to comply with their obligations and build public trust and confidence, our technology assets must demonstrate the highest levels of availability, robustness and security.

In accordance with our Vision and Strategic Objectives, which include modernising our systems to provide Digital and Streamlined online services, we are hard at work ensuring that we create further stability within the Customs space, performing regular upgrades, enhancements and maintenance.

Please be advised of a major intervention intended to support long-term health and resilience in a never-evolving environment which will require significant scheduled system downtime this coming weekend to implement a required upgrade to our core environment for Tax and Customs.

Considering the above, SARS Digital platform maintenance are scheduled for:

Friday, 21 November2025 from 18h00 to Sunday, 23 November 2025 13h00.

During this time, you may experience intermittent service interruption on our eFiling, Tax and Customs Digital Platforms.

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