The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has announced that its digital platforms will undergo scheduled maintenance on Saturday, 8 November, from 20:00 to 23:59.
During this period, users may experience intermittent service interruptions across SARS’s eFiling, Tax, and Customs digital platforms, as the revenue service performs essential system upgrades and enhancements.
Modernise its technology
The temporary downtime forms part of SARS’s ongoing efforts to modernise its technology infrastructure in line with its vision of becoming a “smart, modern tax authority with unquestionable integrity.”
SARS said the maintenance is vital to ensuring its systems remain robust, secure, and reliable, enabling the organisation to provide a streamlined digital experience that supports compliance and builds public trust.
The agency also cautioned that arrival and exit management functions at land border posts will not be available during the maintenance window, affecting declarations and manifests.
“Stakeholders are urged to submit all Goods Declarations (bills of entry) and Road Manifests – particularly those deemed priority – by Saturday, 8 November at 16:00,” SARS advised, urging traders to plan land-based cargo movements to avoid delays.
The revenue authority thanked the public for its understanding and cooperation as it continues upgrading systems to deliver reliable, digital-first services.
New-look SARS eFiling page
Meanwhile, have you tried to access your SARS eFiling page recently and noticed things look a little different?
Here’s why.
To safeguard taxpayers’ information and prevent malicious attacks on SARS data, SARS has initiated various initiatives to combat fraudulent activities.
One such measure is the Two-Factor Authentication method, which adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to input two different authentication methods to login to eFiling.
The first layer of authentication requires users to enter their username and password.
Once validated as correct, the second layer requires users to input a One-Time-Pin (OTP) sent to their preferred security contact details.
Upon successful validation of the OTP, as correct, users are granted access to their eFiling profile.
The enhancements to the Two-Factor authentication method includes the following:
The eFiling password requirements have also been enhanced. All new and changed passwords must meet the following criteria:
Furthermore, a password meter has been added to give eFilers a visual indication of the strength of the password.
