Whether you are filing for yourself or your business, start by understanding which return is needed and what supports it. Vatco helps organise the preparation and submission process, with the tax period, evidence, responsibilities and follow-up work clearly defined.
Your requirements · A clear scope · Your next step
Tax return preparation begins with the taxpayer, the period and the activity involved. An individual with employment and rental income has different records from a company with customers, staff and equipment. The service needs to match that situation rather than treating every return as the same online form.
Vatco can discuss personal and business return support, identify the information needed and agree the relevant work. Start by identifying the taxpayer, return type, period and available records. More specific company, personal and provisional tax services are linked below so you can focus the enquiry on your actual requirement.
Identify the tax year and income sources, then gather the relevant certificates and supporting claims. Business income or unusual transactions can require additional schedules.
Start with the company’s financial records and the correct reporting period. The company’s ITR14 work is distinct from the owner’s personal return.
Bring the notices and previous submissions before commissioning a new return. Missing periods, verification and disputes may require different scope and sequencing.
Swipe across to compare all columns.
| Cost item | Amount or pricing basis | Inclusions and separate work |
|---|---|---|
| Return preparation and submission | Quoted by taxpayer, return type, period and complexity | Identify review, submission and assessment handover included. |
| Bookkeeping or supporting schedules | Quoted separately where incomplete | Reconstruction is not automatically part of a standard filing fee. |
| Tax payable or assessment balance | Determined by the taxpayer’s actual position | Amounts payable to SARS are separate from Vatco professional fees. |
| Verification, corrections or disputes | Separate scope unless expressly included | An authority query after filing may need additional documents or specialist work. |
Vatco confirms the professional fee, included work and any separate costs in writing after reviewing the records and scope. No unapproved price or package is implied.
Start with the records relevant to your situation. We confirm the exact scope and any authority-specific attachments before submission; briefing information is not automatically a mandatory filing document.
Gather the relevant tax certificates, income summaries and records of receipts or transactions for the period. Compare documents with the taxpayer and dates they relate to.
Supply the evidence relevant to any deduction you want considered, together with the purpose of the expense. Paying an amount does not automatically make it deductible.
For business activity, relevant bookkeeping, asset records, loan information and other schedules help explain the declared figures. A bank statement by itself may not identify the correct tax treatment.
Identify the taxpayer correctly and provide the information needed for an authorised working arrangement. Keep your contact details current and explain existing access problems or outstanding requests.
Review the taxpayer type, period, available records and relevant notices. Establish the current filing requirement and applicable deadline using SARS guidance for the actual situation.
Organise the information, consider relevant adjustments and resolve questions before finalising the declaration. The taxpayer needs an opportunity to confirm that the information is complete and correct.
Once the return and authorisation are in order, carry out the agreed submission and retain the relevant record. Confirm what acknowledgement or copy you will receive.
Check the assessment and identify payments, refunds or requests that require attention. SARS may ask for evidence to verify information.
Historic returns may need their own records and calculations. Identify each period rather than assuming one current filing will close the backlog.
A new business, rental property, asset disposal or other material change can affect the information needed. Tell the team about the event even if you are unsure of its tax treatment.
A refund is an outcome of the taxpayer’s actual position and SARS processing, not a feature that a service can promise.
Describe whether the enquiry concerns an individual or business, the periods involved and the state of the records. Mention outstanding notices or access problems and tell us if a deadline is approaching. The team can then discuss the preparation needed and which follow-up services fall within the scope.
The requirement depends on the taxpayer and circumstances for the relevant period. Use current SARS guidance and disclose all relevant income and activity when asking for help. Do not rely on an old income threshold copied from a previous tax year or assume that one certificate answers the whole question.
No. A return may result in tax payable, a refund or no additional amount, depending on the facts and assessment. The service should focus on accurate, supportable information. A refund, where due, can also be affected by checks or other matters on the taxpayer’s account.
Review it against your actual information and current SARS instructions. Tell the team about missing or incorrect details and provide the supporting records. Do not assume that an auto-assessment includes every relevant transaction, or change it without understanding the information already used.
Discuss the periods and available records. Each period may require separate documents and calculations, and the current profile can contain related notices or balances. The backlog should be assessed and scoped rather than treated as a quick extension of the latest annual return.
Only where the engagement says so. Share the actual SARS request promptly so the required evidence and response work can be assessed. Verification is a request to check information; it should not be confused with a guarantee that every amount declared has already been accepted.
It can be discussed, but incomplete bookkeeping is a separate preparation task that may need to happen first. The return should draw on reliable records. Agree how cleanup, financial reporting and filing will be coordinated and which deliverables are included in the quote.
Retain the submitted return, assessment, relevant correspondence and supporting evidence used in preparation. Follow the applicable SARS record-retention guidance. Keeping an organised file makes later questions easier to answer and helps the next preparer understand what was declared and why.
Go deeper with guidance from the relevant authorities.
Current individual filing guidance and published filing dates.
Open the resource OFFICIAL RESOURCEOfficial guidance for company income tax returns.
Open the resource OFFICIAL RESOURCEWhat a request for supporting evidence means after filing.
Open the resourceShare your requirements with Vatco.
Confirm the scope, documents and fees before proceeding.
