How to get or find your SARS tax number

Your income tax reference number is the 10-digit number SARS uses for your tax. You need it to file a tax return, and employers and banks often ask for it. Registering is free, and you can do it yourself.

Check first: you may already have one

SARS registers many people automatically. Since July 2022 it has registered certain individuals for income tax using information from third parties such as employers. If you have ever worked for an employer that deducted PAYE, ask the employer or check with SARS before you register.

How to find your tax number

• SMS: send TRN, a space and your ID, passport or asylum seeker number to 47277.
• WhatsApp: save 0800 11 7277 in your contacts, send “Hi”, choose the tax services menu and then “Tax Reference number”. SARS emails your notice of registration (IT150), which shows the number.
• USSD: dial *134*7277# and choose “What’s my Tax number?”. SARS sends the number to your phone and emails your notice of registration.
• Online: use the SARS Online Query System.
• eFiling or the SARS MobiApp: if you are already an eFiler, request your notice of registration (IT150) under “SARS Registered Details”.

Your details must match SARS’s records. SARS won’t give your tax number to anyone else unless they are your registered tax practitioner or hold your power of attorney.

How to register for a tax number

SARS lists six ways:

1. eFiling or the SARS MobiApp. When you register on SARS eFiling for the first time without a tax number, SARS registers you automatically and issues one. You need a valid South African ID.
2. The SARS Online Query System. Fill in the request for registration.
3. USSD. Dial *134*7277# and choose Personal Income Tax registration.
4. WhatsApp. Send “Hi” to 0800 11 7277 and follow the menu.
5. Your employer. Employers can register their employees on eFiling.
6. A SARS branch. Bring a copy and the original of your ID, driving licence, passport, temporary ID, asylum seeker certificate or permit.

SARS’s service charter says complete online registrations are processed immediately, and 9 out of 10 registrations that need checks are done within 21 business days.

If you need to visit a branch

SARS branches see people by appointment, which you book on SARS eBooking, by SMS to 47277 or on the contact centre line. SARS says eBooking only works once you are registered for tax, so if you aren’t registered yet, try the online, WhatsApp or USSD options first, or call 0800 00 7277.

What comes next

Once you have a tax number, check whether you must file a tax return. You also need one before your retirement fund can pay you a two-pot savings withdrawal. If you are starting a business, see how to register a company with CIPC.

Stay safe

• Registering for a tax number is free. Don’t pay anyone who offers to “get” you a tax number.
• SARS says it will never ask for your banking details or eFiling login by SMS, email or phone. Scammers send links to fake websites that look real, so check a message on the SARS scams page before you act.
• If someone helps you with tax, make sure they are a registered tax practitioner.