Tax clearance · TCS PIN Tax clearance certificate (TCS PIN) — fast, without the back-and-forth

Tax clearance certificates have been replaced by the TCS PIN

SARS stopped issuing paper tax clearance certificates years ago. Today, proof of compliance is a Tax Compliance Status (TCS) PIN: a code you request on eFiling and give to whoever needs to check you — a tender board, a bank, a client, a government department. They verify it online and see your current status.

People still say "tax clearance certificate", and that is what most tender documents still call it, but what you actually need is a valid PIN. It can be requested in minutes if your tax affairs are in order — and that "if" is where most of the work lies.

What SARS checks before issuing a TCS PIN

Your status will show as compliant only when all of the following are true across every tax type you are registered for:

• No outstanding returns — income tax (ITR12 / ITR14), provisional tax (IRP6), VAT201, EMP201 and EMP501, for every period.
• No outstanding debt — unless SARS has agreed to a payment arrangement or a suspension of payment while you dispute an assessment.
• Registered for every tax you are liable for — for example, a company that should have registered for VAT or PAYE but did not.
• Registered details up to date — your contact details, bank details and registered representative must be current, and multiple tax numbers must be merged.

One forgotten nil return from three years ago is enough to show non-compliant. The good news is that every one of these is fixable, usually quickly.

How to get a tax clearance (TCS PIN) step by step

1. Log in to SARS eFiling and open Tax Status → Tax Compliance Status. (If you have never activated it, the service must be activated first.)
2. Check My Compliance Profile. Each tax type shows green or red; red items tell you what SARS wants fixed.
3. Resolve anything outstanding: file the missing returns, pay or arrange the debt, update your details.
4. Request the PIN under Tax Compliance Status Request, choosing Good Standing (or Approval International Transfer for foreign transfers).
5. Give the PIN to the third party. They verify it on eFiling or through the SARS website and see your status on the day they check.

If you would rather not wrestle with eFiling, we do all of this for you — including the fixing.

Good standing vs. approval for international transfers

SARS currently offers two compliance status types. Good standing is the general-purpose one: tenders, contracts, supplier registrations, the Central Supplier Database, financing applications and anything else that asks for a tax clearance. (The old separate "tender" type has been removed; a good-standing PIN is used for tenders.) Approval International Transfer (AIT) is required when you transfer funds abroad beyond your single discretionary allowance, or when you have ceased to be a South African tax resident and want to move assets. AIT applications need supporting documents — a statement of assets and liabilities and the source of the funds — and SARS scrutinises them closely.

How long is a tax clearance PIN valid?

A TCS PIN is valid for twelve months from the date it is issued. But the status it reveals is live: if you miss a return or a payment three months after the PIN is issued, anyone checking the PIN will see "non-compliant" until it is fixed. That is why we recommend keeping your compliance on a calendar rather than treating the PIN as a once-a-year errand.

Why your tax clearance is being refused — and how we fix it

• Outstanding returns — we file them, including nil returns for dormant periods.
• Tax debt — we obtain a statement of account, check it for errors and set up a payment arrangement or dispute an incorrect assessment.
• Administrative penalties — we file the returns that triggered them and request remission.
• Missing registrations — we register you for VAT, PAYE or UIF where you should have been registered.
• Profile problems — a previous accountant still holding your eFiling profile, no registered representative on a company, duplicate tax numbers. All solvable.

Tax clearance for companies, sole proprietors and individuals

Companies need compliance for tenders and supplier onboarding, directors are often asked for their personal status too, sole proprietors need it for contracts and some licences, and individuals need AIT for transfers abroad. Whatever the reason, we start with a full review of your SARS profile and tell you honestly what it will take — usually less than you fear.